Mixed Deck — All Counseling Topics Flashcards

Mandatory reporting laws require counselors to report suspected:

Answer: Child abuse and neglect

All U.S. states have mandatory reporting laws requiring mental health professionals to report suspected child abuse or neglect to designated child protective services agencies.

A counselor wants to know whether a new anxiety-reduction program causes lower anxiety scores. Participants will be randomly assigned to a treatment group or a waitlist control group. Which research design is this?

Answer: Experimental design

Random assignment to treatment and control conditions, with manipulation of an independent variable, defines a true experimental design. It is the strongest design for supporting causal claims.

HIPAA primarily governs which aspect of counseling practice?

Answer: The privacy and security of clients' protected health information

HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, establishes federal standards for protecting the privacy and security of individually identifiable health information.

Under federal law, which type of record has the strictest confidentiality protections and generally requires specific written consent for nearly any disclosure?

Answer: Substance use disorder treatment records from federally assisted programs under 42 CFR Part 2

42 CFR Part 2 protects substance use disorder treatment records from federally assisted programs more strictly than standard HIPAA rules.

Under HIPAA, how are 'psychotherapy notes' treated differently from the rest of the clinical record?

Answer: They are kept separate and generally need specific client authorization to disclose, and clients do not have an automatic right to access them

HIPAA gives psychotherapy notes kept apart from the medical record extra protection, so most disclosures need separate authorization.

Informed consent in counseling must include which of the following elements?

Answer: The nature of services, fees, risks, benefits, and limits of confidentiality

Ethical informed consent includes explaining the nature and purpose of services, fees, potential risks and benefits, and the limits of confidentiality before counseling begins.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) was originally developed to treat which population?

Answer: Individuals with borderline personality disorder

Marsha Linehan developed DBT specifically for chronically suicidal individuals with borderline personality disorder, combining CBT with acceptance strategies.

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 counselor notices that a colleague often comes to sessions smelling of alcohol and appears impaired. Under the ACA Code, what should the counselor do first?

Answer: Try to resolve it informally with the colleague if feasible, then report to the appropriate body if needed

ACA Code I.2.a and C.2.g support informal resolution first when appropriate, then formal reporting if the problem continues or clients are at serious risk.

To prove malpractice, a client must establish four elements. Which set is correct?

Answer: Duty, dereliction (breach), direct causation, damages

Malpractice requires a professional duty, a breach of the standard of care, harm directly caused by that breach, and actual damages.

A correlation coefficient of -.85 between hours of social media use and sleep quality indicates which of the following?

Answer: A strong negative relationship

The negative sign shows the variables move in opposite directions, and a magnitude of .85 is strong. Correlation does not establish causation.

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) uses the 'miracle question' to do what?

Answer: Help clients envision a future without the problem

The miracle question invites clients to imagine waking up to find their problem solved, helping them articulate concrete goals and recognize existing strengths.

A client has had delusions and hallucinations for 3 months and has fully recovered. Which diagnosis fits best?

Answer: Schizophreniform disorder

Schizophreniform disorder covers schizophrenia-like symptoms that last at least 1 month but less than 6 months.

In DSM-5-TR, the severity of anorexia nervosa in adults is based mainly on:

Answer: Current body mass index

Adult severity is graded by BMI, with extreme severity defined as a BMI below 15 kg/m².

A counselor relies on a signed no-suicide contract as the main evidence that a client is safe. What is the best evaluation of this practice?

Answer: It lacks empirical support and should not replace a thorough risk assessment

No-suicide contracts have not been shown to prevent suicide and can create false reassurance, so safety planning and assessment are preferred.

Schlossberg's transition model looks at a person's ability to cope with a job loss in terms of the '4 S's.' Which set is correct?

Answer: Situation, Self, Support, Strategies

Schlossberg's 4 S's are Situation, Self, Support, and Strategies, which are the resources a person draws on during a transition.

Ten days after an assault, a client has intrusive memories, avoidance, and hyperarousal. Which diagnosis is most appropriate right now?

Answer: Acute stress disorder

Acute stress disorder applies from 3 days to 1 month after trauma, and PTSD requires symptoms lasting more than 1 month.

Excessive worry that is hard to control must occur more days than not for how long to meet criteria for generalized anxiety disorder?

Answer: 6 months

GAD requires excessive anxiety and worry more days than not for at least 6 months.

Which level of care is most appropriate for a client who needs more structure than weekly therapy but does not require 24-hour supervision?

Answer: Intensive outpatient program

Intensive outpatient programs offer several hours of treatment multiple days per week while the client lives at home. Inpatient care is reserved for people needing 24-hour supervision or stabilization.

Which ethical principle refers to the counselor's obligation to 'do no harm'?

Answer: Nonmaleficence

Nonmaleficence is the obligation to avoid actions that cause harm to clients, and is one of the six foundational ethical principles outlined in the ACA Code of Ethics.