LPC Group Counseling Theories 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In Yalom's therapeutic factors, 'universality' refers to which group experience?
- Members receiving advice from the leader
- Members discovering their problems are shared by others (Correct answer)
- Members achieving insight through dream analysis
- Members practicing skills through role-play
Correct answer: Members discovering their problems are shared by others
Universality is the therapeutic realization that one is not alone and that others share similar struggles.
Question 2: Which stage of Tuckman's group development model is characterized by conflict and competition among members?
- Forming
- Norming
- Storming (Correct answer)
- Adjourning
Correct answer: Storming
The storming stage involves interpersonal conflict, power struggles, and challenges to leadership.
Question 3: A counselor using Gestalt theory in a group setting would most likely encourage members to:
- Analyze childhood attachment patterns
- Explore irrational beliefs through disputation
- Speak in the present tense and use 'I' statements (Correct answer)
- Identify reinforcement contingencies for behaviors
Correct answer: Speak in the present tense and use 'I' statements
Gestalt group work emphasizes present-moment awareness and personal responsibility through 'I' language.
Question 4: The concept of the 'identified patient' in a family systems group refers to:
- The member with the most severe diagnosis
- The member who is scapegoated to maintain system homeostasis (Correct answer)
- The member who has been in therapy the longest
- The member who takes on the leader role
Correct answer: The member who is scapegoated to maintain system homeostasis
The identified patient is the symptom-bearer who masks the dysfunction of the larger group system.
Question 5: Which group leadership style involves the leader sharing power equally and encouraging member decision-making?
- Authoritarian
- Laissez-faire
- Democratic (Correct answer)
- Directive
Correct answer: Democratic
Democratic leadership fosters member autonomy and shared responsibility within the group.
Question 6: In Adlerian group therapy, 'social interest' (Gemeinschaftsgefühl) is best described as:
- A desire for social media validation
- An innate sense of belonging and concern for others' welfare (Correct answer)
- The tendency to compare oneself to group peers
- Motivation driven by fear of social rejection
Correct answer: An innate sense of belonging and concern for others' welfare
Adler viewed social interest as the index of mental health and the goal of therapeutic growth.
Question 7: A group leader practicing Motivational Interviewing (MI) would BEST respond to a resistant member by:
- Confronting the resistance directly and firmly
- Reflecting the ambivalence and exploring the member's own reasons for change (Correct answer)
- Ignoring the resistance to avoid reinforcing it
- Asking other members to challenge the resistant member
Correct answer: Reflecting the ambivalence and exploring the member's own reasons for change
MI uses reflective listening and exploring ambivalence rather than confrontation to reduce resistance.
In Yalom's therapeutic factors, 'universality' refers to which group experience?