MAC Family Counseling 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In structural family therapy, what is the primary goal of 'joining' with a family?
- Establishing therapeutic alliance and understanding the family's structure (Correct answer)
- Confronting dysfunctional patterns immediately
- Assessing individual members' substance use severity
- Providing psychoeducation about addiction
Correct 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.
Question 2: A family member who calls in sick for a spouse with alcohol use disorder to avoid workplace consequences is demonstrating:
- Codependency
- Enabling behavior (Correct answer)
- Caretaking
- Enmeshment
Correct 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.
Question 3: Which family therapy model uses the concept of 'differentiation of self' as a core therapeutic target?
- Structural Family Therapy
- Bowen Family Systems Theory (Correct answer)
- Strategic Family Therapy
- Emotionally Focused Therapy
Correct 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.
Question 4: When working with a family using Motivational Interviewing, the counselor's role is best described as:
- Directing the family toward abstinence as the only goal
- Eliciting the family's own motivation and resources for change (Correct answer)
- Confronting denial in each family member systematically
- Teaching family members to set ultimatums
Correct 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.
Question 5: A 'parentified child' in a family with parental addiction is BEST described as:
- A child who refuses to follow parental rules
- A child who takes on adult caretaking responsibilities inappropriate for their developmental stage (Correct answer)
- A child exhibiting conduct disorder symptoms
- A child who aligns with the non-addicted parent only
Correct 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.
Question 6: In the context of family counseling for addiction, 'detachment with love' is a concept associated with:
- Strategic family therapy interventions
- Al-Anon and similar 12-step family programs (Correct answer)
- Behavioral couples therapy assignments
- Structural family therapy boundary work
Correct 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.
Question 7: Which of the following BEST describes the 'identified patient' concept in family systems therapy?
- The family member who first contacts the treatment center
- The symptomatic member who carries the family's dysfunction, allowing others to appear healthy (Correct answer)
- The family member with the most severe substance use disorder
- The primary breadwinner in the family unit
Correct 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.
MAC Family Counseling 2
In structural family therapy, what is the primary goal of 'joining' with a family?