Counseling Theories and Techniques Flashcards

A client says, 'I know my fear of flying is irrational, but I can't stop feeling terrified.' A CBT counselor would FIRST focus on:

Answer: Identifying and examining the automatic thoughts associated with the fear

CBT begins by identifying automatic thoughts that trigger the emotional response; restructuring these distorted cognitions is the foundation before introducing behavioral interventions.

A counselor using Bowenian Family Systems Theory would primarily focus on:

Answer: Differentiation of self and reducing emotional reactivity within family triangles

Murray Bowen's theory emphasizes that healthy functioning requires differentiation of self—the ability to maintain one's identity without fusing with or cutting off from the family emotional system.

When a counselor reflects a client's feelings and content in a way that adds slightly deeper meaning, this technique is called:

Answer: Advanced empathy

Advanced empathy (or additive reflection) goes beyond what the client has explicitly stated to highlight implicit meanings, themes, or feelings the client has not yet fully articulated.

In Structural Family Therapy, the primary goal is to:

Answer: Reorganize family structure by modifying dysfunctional boundaries and hierarchies

Salvador Minuchin's Structural Family Therapy targets the underlying organization of the family—boundaries, subsystems, and hierarchies—because dysfunctional structures maintain symptoms.

Which of the following BEST illustrates the use of 'reframing' in therapy?

Answer: The counselor presents the client's behavior in a new context that changes its meaning

Reframing offers an alternative, often more positive or useful interpretation of a situation or behavior, shifting the client's perspective without denying their experience.

A client with severe social anxiety is asked to give a short speech in front of a small group as part of treatment. This intervention is MOST consistent with:

Answer: Exposure therapy

Exposure therapy involves direct confrontation with feared stimuli to extinguish the conditioned fear response; in vivo exposure (real-life practice) is the most powerful form for social anxiety.

Which statement BEST describes the role of the therapeutic relationship across most counseling theories?

Answer: It is consistently identified as a significant predictor of positive treatment outcomes

Decades of psychotherapy research (e.g., the common factors model) consistently show that the therapeutic alliance is one of the strongest predictors of positive outcomes across all modalities.