CT Cheat Sheet 2026

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

1. A 5-year-old keeps asking when her deceased grandfather will come back from 'being dead.' This behavior most likely reflects: → Magical thinking and incomplete understanding of permanence
2. What is 'postvention' in the context of suicide? → Supportive interventions for those affected by a suicide death
3. Among the Torajan people of Sulawesi, Indonesia, corpses are sometimes kept at home for weeks or years before burial. What does this practice reflect? → A belief that the dead are not truly gone until proper funeral rites are performed
4. In trauma-informed grief therapy, what is the primary purpose of the 'stabilization' phase? → Building coping skills before addressing loss narrative
5. What is the primary purpose of a 'legacy project' in end-of-life care? → To create meaningful artifacts or recordings that preserve the person's story and values
6. In the SPIKES protocol for delivering bad news, what does the 'K' stand for? → Knowledge
7. When a patient reports that learning about their terminal diagnosis paradoxically made them feel more 'alive' and present, this is best explained by: → Posttraumatic growth and increased mortality salience
8. A bereaved client catastrophizes, believing their grief will never end. Which cognitive intervention directly targets this belief? → Cognitive restructuring to challenge overgeneralization
9. What is the primary ethical obligation of a CT professional when a conflict of interest arises during children & adolescent loss activities? → Disclose the conflict to all relevant parties and recuse from the decision if necessary
10. Which intervention is most appropriate when working with a client experiencing complicated grief who also has a history of trauma? → Use a trauma-informed approach before grief-specific processing
11. What is the goal of using active listening in counseling? → To understand and validate the client's feelings
12. Which of the following best describes the 'norming' phase of group development as it applies to bereavement groups? → The group establishes cohesion, shared norms, and trust
13. A bereavement group member experiencing prolonged grief disorder (PGD) symptoms would most likely need: → Referral for individual evidence-based PGD treatment as an adjunct or alternative
14. A thanatologist is asked to co-facilitate a workshop with a colleague who has a history of unethical conduct. The ethical concern to weigh is: → Potential liability by professional association with misconduct history
15. Which type of grief involves mourning that begins before an anticipated death? → Anticipatory grief
16. A hospice bereavement counselor is leading a psychoeducation session. Which topic is most appropriate for newly bereaved adults? → Normal grief reactions and self-care strategies
17. Which intervention helps bereaved clients transform the relationship with the deceased from one of physical presence to one of continuing bonds? → Legacy and memory work including creating memory boxes, life books, or legacy projects
18. A thanatologist discovers a colleague is providing grief counseling without proper credentials. What is the most ethically appropriate first step? → Discuss the concern directly with the colleague
19. In Shear's Complicated Grief Treatment model, 'aspirational goals' serve what function? → Reconnecting the bereaved to future-oriented life engagement
20. Which theoretical perspective argues that death anxiety is a LEARNED response rather than an innate or existential one? → Behavioral and social learning theory
21. Which tool is most commonly used by hospice teams to assess and communicate a dying patient's symptom burden across multiple domains? → Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS)
22. According to disenfranchised grief theory, which bereaved child's loss is MOST likely to be disenfranchised? → A 15-year-old whose online best friend died by suicide
23. The 'mortality salience hypothesis' predicts that reminders of death will lead people to: → Strengthen adherence to their cultural worldview
24. Which of the following is NOT typically included in a 'direct cremation' package under the FTC Funeral Rule? → A death notice placed in a local newspaper
25. The DSM-5-TR specifies that Prolonged Grief Disorder symptoms must persist for at least how long after bereavement for adults? → 12 months
26. Secondary losses following traumatic bereavement MOST commonly complicate grief by: → Adding cumulative stressors that deplete coping resources
27. When a bereavement group includes members at very different stages of grief, the facilitator should primarily: → Use the diversity as a therapeutic resource showing hope of progress
28. Janoff-Bulman's 'assumptive world' theory holds that traumatic loss can shatter which core beliefs? → Beliefs about the world being benevolent, meaningful, and the self being worthy
29. What is the term for the court-supervised legal process for validating a will and distributing a deceased person's estate? → Probate
30. The 'stigma of suicide' in bereavement refers to: → Social shame and judgment experienced by those bereaved by suicide