Counseling Theories and Approaches Flashcards

A client believes a coworker's bad mood must be due to something the client did. According to Beck, which cognitive distortion is this?

Answer: Personalization

Personalization means attributing external events to oneself without evidence.

In Rogers' person-centered therapy, which core condition refers to the counselor being genuine and authentic?

Answer: Congruence

Congruence means the counselor's inner experience matches outward expression.

In motivational interviewing, the OARS microskills are open questions, affirmations, reflective listening, and what else?

Answer: Summaries

OARS stands for Open questions, Affirmations, Reflections, and Summaries.

A man with strong unacknowledged hostility toward his brother constantly shows him excessive kindness. Which defense mechanism is this?

Answer: Reaction formation

Reaction formation involves showing behavior opposite to an unacceptable impulse.

In Bowen family systems theory, which concept describes the ability to keep one's own thinking separate from family emotional pressure?

Answer: Differentiation of self

Differentiation of self is the ability to separate thoughts from emotions and self from others in the family.

A structural family therapist observes a mother and teenage daughter who share every feeling and make all decisions together. Minuchin would describe these boundaries as:

Answer: Diffuse, reflecting enmeshment

Minuchin linked diffuse boundaries to enmeshment, where family members are overly involved.

In Berne's transactional analysis, which ego state handles objective, factual processing of information?

Answer: Adult

The Adult ego state processes information rationally and objectively in the present.