MAC Treatment Planning 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A client with opioid use disorder declines medication-assisted treatment (MAT). According to best practices in treatment planning, the counselor should:
- Discharge the client for non-compliance
- Document the refusal and collaboratively explore alternative evidence-based approaches (Correct answer)
- Require MAT participation as a condition of continued treatment
- Refer the client to a different facility immediately
Correct answer: Document the refusal and collaboratively explore alternative evidence-based approaches
Respecting client autonomy while documenting refusal and collaboratively exploring alternatives aligns with person-centered, evidence-based treatment planning.
Question 2: When establishing treatment plan priorities for a client with co-occurring depression and alcohol use disorder, the counselor should FIRST address:
- The alcohol use disorder exclusively, as it is primary
- The depression exclusively, since it likely caused the drinking
- Safety concerns and acute stabilization before addressing either disorder specifically (Correct answer)
- Whichever disorder the client identifies as most important
Correct answer: Safety concerns and acute stabilization before addressing either disorder specifically
Safety and acute stabilization are always the first priority in treatment planning before addressing specific disorder treatment goals.
Question 3: A SMART treatment plan goal is best exemplified by which of the following?
- Client will feel better about sobriety
- Client will attend 90 AA meetings in 90 days and report attendance weekly (Correct answer)
- Client will work on recovery skills
- Client will try to reduce drinking behavior
Correct answer: Client will attend 90 AA meetings in 90 days and report attendance weekly
SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound; attending 90 meetings in 90 days meets all criteria.
Question 4: Which of the following best describes the role of a case conceptualization in addiction treatment planning?
- It replaces the formal diagnosis with a narrative description
- It integrates biopsychosocial factors to guide individualized treatment interventions (Correct answer)
- It documents only the client's substance use history for insurance purposes
- It establishes the counselor's theoretical orientation regardless of client needs
Correct answer: It integrates biopsychosocial factors to guide individualized treatment interventions
Case conceptualization integrates biopsychosocial information to create a comprehensive understanding that guides individualized treatment planning.
Question 5: A treatment plan for a client in the contemplation stage of change should primarily focus on:
- Developing a detailed relapse prevention plan
- Enrolling the client in an intensive outpatient program immediately
- Exploring ambivalence and increasing motivation to change (Correct answer)
- Teaching specific coping skills for high-risk situations
Correct answer: Exploring ambivalence and increasing motivation to change
During contemplation, clients are ambivalent about change, so interventions should focus on resolving that ambivalence and building motivation.
Question 6: When should a treatment plan be formally reviewed and updated?
- Only at discharge
- At intake and every 30-90 days or when significant changes occur (Correct answer)
- Only when the client requests a change
- Annually, to comply with licensing requirements
Correct answer: At intake and every 30-90 days or when significant changes occur
Best practice and most regulatory standards require treatment plan reviews at intake and at regular intervals (typically every 30-90 days) or when significant clinical changes occur.
Question 7: A client who recently relapsed asks the counselor to remove the relapse from the treatment record. The appropriate response is to:
- Remove the entry to preserve the therapeutic alliance
- Explain that records cannot be altered and use the relapse as a clinical learning opportunity (Correct answer)
- Transfer the client to another counselor to avoid conflict
- Add a disclaimer that the information may be inaccurate
Correct answer: Explain that records cannot be altered and use the relapse as a clinical learning opportunity
Clinical records cannot be falsified or altered; ethical practice requires accurate documentation and reframing the relapse as treatment information.
MAC Treatment Planning 2
A client with opioid use disorder declines medication-assisted treatment (MAT).
According to best practices in treatment planning, the counselor should: