LMHC - Licensed Mental Health Counselor Intake, Assessment, and Diagnosis Questions and Answers

Question 1

A counselor is conducting an initial intake interview with a new client. Which of the following is the MOST critical initial step to establish before proceeding with in-depth psychological assessment?

Accepted Answer

Establishing informed consent and explaining the limits of confidentiality.

Answer

Administering a standardized diagnostic screening tool to get a baseline.

Answer

Gathering a detailed family and social history.

Answer

Determining the client's primary treatment goals.

Question 2

A 45-year-old client presents with complaints of persistent low mood, anhedonia, significant weight loss, and difficulty concentrating for the past three months. They also report intermittent episodes of elevated energy, racing thoughts, and decreased need for sleep, lasting a few days. In the process of differential diagnosis, which two conditions should the counselor primarily focus on distinguishing between?

Accepted Answer

Bipolar II Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder

Answer

Major Depressive Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Answer

Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia) and Cyclothymic Disorder

Answer

Adjustment Disorder with Depressed Mood and Schizoaffective Disorder

Question 3

During a Mental Status Examination (MSE), a counselor observes that a client's emotional expression is incongruent with the content of their speech (e.g., laughing while discussing a traumatic event). Which component of the MSE does this observation primarily relate to?

Accepted Answer

Affect

Answer

Mood

Answer

Thought Process

Answer

Insight

Question 4

A counselor is working with a client from a cultural background different from their own. The client is hesitant to discuss their symptoms directly, instead describing them in somatic terms and referencing family harmony. To conduct a culturally sensitive assessment, which tool, introduced in the DSM-5, would be most appropriate to use?

Accepted Answer

The Cultural Formulation Interview (CFI)

Answer

The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II)

Answer

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2)

Answer

The Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

Question 5

Which of the following is an essential component of a comprehensive intake assessment?

Accepted Answer

A risk assessment for harm to self or others.

Answer

A definitive diagnosis by the end of the first session.

Answer

A complete genogram spanning at least four generations.

Answer

Agreement on a long-term treatment plan.

Question 6

A client is mandated to counseling by the court system following a DUI charge. During the intake, the client is hostile and states, "I don't need to be here, and I'm not telling you anything." What is the counselor's most appropriate ethical and clinical first step?

Accepted Answer

Acknowledge the client's feelings and clearly explain the counseling process and the limits of confidentiality related to the court mandate.

Answer

Refuse to see the client until their attitude improves.

Answer

Immediately report the client's non-compliance to the court.

Answer

Begin the assessment by asking questions directly from a standardized substance abuse screening tool.

A counselor is conducting an initial intake interview with a new client.Which of the following is the MOST critical initial step to establish before proceeding with in-depth psychological assessment?

A counselor is conducting an initial intake interview with a new client.
Which of the following is the MOST critical initial step to establish before proceeding with in-depth psychological assessment?