Family Counseling Flashcards
7 cards from real MAC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Family Counseling flashcards as text
In structural family therapy, what is the primary goal of 'joining' with a family?
Answer: Establishing therapeutic alliance and understanding the family's structure
Joining is a technique used by Minuchin to build rapport and understand how the family is organized before attempting to restructure it.
A family member who calls in sick for a spouse with alcohol use disorder to avoid workplace consequences is demonstrating:
Answer: Enabling behavior
Enabling behavior directly shields the addicted person from the natural consequences of their substance use, making it easier to continue the behavior.
Which family therapy model uses the concept of 'differentiation of self' as a core therapeutic target?
Answer: Bowen Family Systems Theory
Bowen's theory emphasizes differentiation of self—the ability to remain emotionally separate from the family emotional system—as essential to healthy functioning.
When working with a family using Motivational Interviewing, the counselor's role is best described as:
Answer: Eliciting the family's own motivation and resources for change
MI with families involves evoking intrinsic motivation and collaborative goal-setting rather than imposing the counselor's agenda.
A 'parentified child' in a family with parental addiction is BEST described as:
Answer: A child who takes on adult caretaking responsibilities inappropriate for their developmental stage
Parentification occurs when children assume caretaking roles meant for adults, often resulting from parental unavailability due to addiction.
In the context of family counseling for addiction, 'detachment with love' is a concept associated with:
Answer: Al-Anon and similar 12-step family programs
Al-Anon teaches detachment with love as a way for family members to disengage from controlling the addicted person's behavior while maintaining compassion.
Which of the following BEST describes the 'identified patient' concept in family systems therapy?
Answer: The symptomatic member who carries the family's dysfunction, allowing others to appear healthy
The identified patient is the scapegoated member whose symptoms serve to stabilize the family system by deflecting attention from broader dysfunctional dynamics.