Mixed Deck — All CPCE Topics Flashcards

The concept of 'fidelity' as an ethical principle in counseling means:

Answer: Honoring commitments and being trustworthy in the therapeutic relationship

Fidelity refers to honoring promises, being trustworthy, and maintaining loyalty to ethical obligations in the counselor-client relationship.

Privilege in counseling refers to:

Answer: The client's legal right to prevent a counselor from disclosing confidential information in legal proceedings

Privilege is a legal concept that belongs to the client, protecting their confidential communications from compelled disclosure in court.

A counselor is presented with a complex situation that may constitute an ethical dilemma. According to most widely-used ethical decision-making models, what is the counselor's most appropriate first step?

Answer: Clearly identify the problem and its parameters.

Virtually all ethical decision-making models (e.g., Forester-Miller & Davis; Welfel) begin with the crucial step of identifying and defining the problem. Before a counselor can consult, review codes, or document, they must first gather information and clearly articulate the nature of the potential dilemma, who is involved, and what the core conflicts are. The other steps are all essential parts of the process but follow this initial identification.

Which theorist introduced the concept of the 'collective unconscious' and archetypes relevant to counseling?

Answer: Carl Jung

Carl Jung proposed the collective unconscious as a shared reservoir of human experience expressed through universal archetypes.

A counselor asks a client, "Suppose that one night, while you were asleep, a miracle happened and the problem that brought you here was solved. What would be the first things you would notice that would tell you things were different?" This intervention is a hallmark of which therapeutic approach?

Answer: Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT)

This is the "miracle question," a key technique in Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) developed by Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg. [2, 13] It is designed to help clients bypass problem-talk and begin to envision a future where the problem does not exist, which helps in generating clear, concrete, and positive goals. [8, 20]

In the field of counseling, one of the more recent noticeable trends is related to

Answer: disaster mental health counseling

Disaster mental health counseling has emerged as a significant and growing trend in the counseling field due to an increased awareness of the widespread psychological impact of natural disasters, mass violence, and other traumatic events. This specialization focuses on providing immediate and long-term mental health support to individuals and communities affected by such crises. The other options represent more established or foundational aspects of the profession rather than recent, noticeable trends in specialization.

Which eating disorder is characterized by recurrent binge eating WITHOUT compensatory purging behaviors?

Answer: Binge Eating Disorder

Binge Eating Disorder involves recurrent binge eating episodes without the compensatory behaviors (e.g., purging, excessive exercise) seen in Bulimia Nervosa.

Holland's RIASEC model categorizes work environments and personality types. Which type is associated with working with data, detail-oriented tasks, and following established procedures?

Answer: Conventional

The Conventional type in Holland's model prefers structured, orderly, data-oriented tasks and clear rules or expectations.

Which crisis intervention model emphasizes assessing lethality, ensuring safety, providing support, and examining alternatives before making a plan?

Answer: Roberts' Seven-Stage Model

Roberts' Seven-Stage Crisis Intervention Model provides a structured sequence from assessing lethality through follow-up planning.

In person-centered therapy, 'congruence' refers to the counselor being:

Answer: Genuine and transparent, with internal experience matching outward expression

Congruence (or genuineness) means the counselor's inner experience and outer communication are aligned, making the counselor authentic rather than presenting a professional facade.

A counselor who uses their own emotional reactions as data about the client's experience is practicing:

Answer: Countertransference as a therapeutic tool

Contemporary psychodynamic approaches view countertransference as valuable clinical information when used thoughtfully and ethically.

Kohlberg's postconventional level of moral development is characterized by:

Answer: Abstract principles of justice that may transcend societal rules

At the postconventional level, moral reasoning is guided by universal ethical principles that may conflict with existing laws or social norms.

Which feature most clearly differentiates Schizophrenia from Brief Psychotic Disorder in DSM-5?

Answer: Duration of symptoms lasting at least 6 months

Schizophrenia requires continuous signs of disturbance for at least 6 months, while Brief Psychotic Disorder resolves within 1 month.

Which federal law specifically addresses the confidentiality of substance abuse treatment records?

Answer: 42 CFR Part 2

42 CFR Part 2 provides stricter confidentiality protections for substance use disorder patient records than general HIPAA rules.

A counselor is working with a couple and discovers that one partner is secretly having an affair. How should the counselor handle this situation according to ethical guidelines?

Answer: Address it according to the informed consent and confidentiality policies established at the start of treatment

Ethical practice requires that policies about confidentiality in couples counseling be established in informed consent documents, and the counselor should follow those pre-established agreements.

Which of the following is a primary goal of a counselor using William Glasser's Reality Therapy?

Answer: To help the client identify their basic needs and evaluate if their current behaviors are effectively meeting those needs.

Reality Therapy, based on Choice Theory, posits that humans have five basic needs (survival, love/belonging, power, freedom, and fun). [14, 27] The therapeutic process involves helping clients assess their current actions and determine if those actions are getting them what they want in a responsible way. [3, 16]

Which theoretical framework emphasizes the client's subjective experience, self-concept, and inherent drive toward self-actualization?

Answer: Person-centered therapy

Person-centered therapy, developed by Carl Rogers, places the client's subjective experience and self-actualization at the core of the therapeutic process.

A school counselor notices signs of possible child abuse in a student. The counselor's legal obligation is to:

Answer: Report the suspicion to child protective services immediately

Counselors are mandated reporters, legally required to report suspected child abuse to authorities immediately without needing to confirm the abuse or consult with others first.

Which of these subjects does the CPCE test not cover?

Answer: Human Resources

The CPCE (Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Examination) assesses knowledge across the eight core areas of counseling as defined by CACREP, which include Human Growth and Development, Professional Orientation and Ethics, and Career and Lifestyle Development. Human Resources, while a professional field, is not one of the core content areas specifically tested by the CPCE for counseling licensure, as it falls outside the direct scope of counseling practice.

A school counselor implements a new anti-bullying program at one middle school. To measure its effectiveness, the counselor compares the number of reported bullying incidents at that school to another middle school in a different district that does not have the program. Midway through the study, a popular social media influencer launches a viral anti-bullying campaign. This campaign represents a significant threat to the study's:

Answer: Internal validity

Internal validity refers to the degree of confidence that the causal relationship being tested is trustworthy and not influenced by other factors. The viral campaign is a 'history' event—an external event that can affect the outcome of the study, making it difficult to determine if changes were due to the program or the campaign.