LMHC Substance Abuse and Addictions Counseling 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which evidence-based therapy combines cognitive-behavioral techniques with mindfulness and acceptance strategies and is used for substance use disorders, particularly with co-occurring borderline personality disorder?
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) (Correct answer)
- Psychodynamic therapy
- Gestalt therapy
- Reality therapy
Correct answer: Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
DBT, developed by Marsha Linehan, integrates CBT with mindfulness-based acceptance strategies and has strong evidence for treating substance use disorders with co-occurring BPD.
Question 2: Which organization developed the AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test) as a 10-item screening tool?
- American Psychological Association
- World Health Organization (Correct answer)
- National Institute on Drug Abuse
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Correct answer: World Health Organization
The WHO developed the AUDIT to identify hazardous, harmful, and dependent alcohol use in primary care and other health settings worldwide.
Question 3: Which neurotransmitter in the mesolimbic reward pathway is most directly responsible for the reinforcing effects of addictive substances?
- Serotonin
- Norepinephrine
- Dopamine (Correct answer)
- GABA
Correct answer: Dopamine
Dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens (mesolimbic pathway) is the primary mechanism by which substances produce euphoria and reinforcement.
Question 4: Tolerance in the context of substance use disorders is best defined as:
- The ability to abstain from a substance for extended periods
- Needing increasing amounts of a substance to achieve the same effect (Correct answer)
- Developing cross-addiction to other substances
- Improved psychological coping with substance-related stress
Correct answer: Needing increasing amounts of a substance to achieve the same effect
Tolerance means the body requires progressively larger doses to achieve the original effect, or that the same dose produces a diminished effect over time.
Question 5: Relapse Prevention Therapy, developed by Marlatt and Gordon, primarily focuses on:
- Medication management for cravings
- Identifying high-risk situations and building coping strategies (Correct answer)
- Mandating 12-step program attendance
- Family therapy and system restructuring
Correct answer: Identifying high-risk situations and building coping strategies
Relapse Prevention Therapy teaches clients to identify triggers and high-risk situations and to develop specific coping skills to manage them without substance use.
Question 6: In 12-step facilitation therapy, which step involves clients admitting powerlessness over their addiction?
- Step 4 — taking a moral inventory
- Step 8 — making a list of those harmed
- Step 1 — admitting powerlessness (Correct answer)
- Step 3 — turning will over to a higher power
Correct answer: Step 1 — admitting powerlessness
Step 1 requires acknowledging that one is powerless over the substance and that their life has become unmanageable, forming the foundation of the 12-step approach.
Question 7: Which therapeutic approach recognizes that family members of individuals with addiction may develop enabling behaviors and dysfunctional roles that maintain the addiction?
- Individual CBT
- Family systems therapy (Correct answer)
- Behavioral activation therapy
- Exposure and response prevention
Correct answer: Family systems therapy
Family systems therapy views addiction within relational context and addresses enabling, codependency, and dysfunctional family patterns that sustain substance use.
LMHC Substance Abuse and Addictions Counseling 2
Which evidence-based therapy combines cognitive-behavioral techniques with mindfulness and acceptance strategies and is used for substance use disorders, particularly with co-occurring borderline personality disorder?