Counseling Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield Counseling facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. In Bowenian Family Systems Theory, what term describes the ability to distinguish thoughts from emotions? → Differentiation of self
2. In the SAD PERSONS scale, the letter 'S' for sex reflects which finding? → Men die by suicide at higher rates than women, although women attempt more often
3. A counselor administers the same career interest inventory to clients twice, three weeks apart, and correlates the scores. What is being assessed? → Test-retest reliability
4. Exposure to a teratogen is most likely to cause major structural birth defects during which prenatal period? → Embryonic period (weeks 3-8)
5. In collectivistic cultures, which counseling approach may need to be adapted because it emphasizes individual autonomy and self-disclosure? → Traditional person-centered therapy
6. Which therapy focuses on accepting uncomfortable thoughts rather than eliminating them? → Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
7. Levinson's theory of adult development focuses on: → Alternating periods of structure-building and transition
8. In which DSM-5-TR chapter is hoarding disorder classified? → Obsessive-compulsive and related disorders
9. In Transactional Analysis (TA), which ego state represents internalized parental messages? → Parent
10. A researcher deliberately selects participants who have completed substance abuse treatment because they have information-rich experiences. This is: → Purposive sampling
11. Two members start meeting outside the group and later form an alliance during sessions that leaves others out. This is best described as: → Subgrouping
12. In solution-focused brief therapy, treatment goals are typically developed by: → Identifying exceptions and using the miracle question
13. When a client presents with both suicidal ideation and relationship conflict, which should a treatment plan address first? → Suicidal ideation and safety
14. In a family with a member who has an addiction, the term "enabling" most accurately refers to: → Behaviors that shield the person from the consequences of use
15. In Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), 'stuck points' refer to: → Distorted beliefs about the trauma, self, others, or world that maintain PTSD
16. Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) is distinctive among child trauma treatments because it: → Includes a nonoffending caregiver and a trauma narrative component
17. HIPAA primarily governs which aspect of counseling practice? → The privacy and security of clients' protected health information
18. Which therapy uses the concept of 'logical consequences' to help clients understand the purpose of misbehavior? → Adlerian Therapy
19. A counselor who imposes their own cultural values on clients and fails to recognize alternative worldviews is exhibiting: → Cultural encapsulation
20. In DSM-5-TR, the severity of anorexia nervosa in adults is based mainly on: → Current body mass index
21. Brief psychotic disorder requires psychotic symptoms lasting how long? → At least 1 day but less than 1 month
22. Gender dysphoria in adolescents and adults requires a marked incongruence lasting at least: → 6 months
23. In Marcia's identity statuses, 'identity foreclosure' means: → Commitment without exploration
24. Piaget's Formal Operational stage begins at approximately what age? → 11–12 years
25. For a pregnant client with opioid use disorder, what is the recommended standard of care? → Medication for OUD such as methadone or buprenorphine
26. In Roberts' Seven-Stage Crisis Intervention Model, the first stage involves: → Conducting a biopsychosocial and lethality assessment
27. Mandatory reporting laws require counselors to report suspected: → Child abuse and neglect
28. A researcher rejects the null hypothesis when it is actually true. What type of error is this? → Type I error
29. Gilligan's theory of moral development critiqued Kohlberg for: → Basing his stages primarily on male subjects
30. A client receives a T-score of 30 on a standardized scale. Approximately what percentile does this represent? → 2nd percentile