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 a family where substance use is never directly discussed despite its obvious presence, the unspoken agreement maintaining this silence is called:
Answer: The 'Don't Talk' rule
Sharon Wegscheider-Cruse described the 'Don't Talk' rule as one of the core dysfunctional rules in families affected by addiction, where open discussion of the problem is forbidden.
When assessing family readiness to support a member's recovery, a counselor should evaluate which stage of change for FAMILY members using the Transtheoretical Model?
Answer: Each family member's stage of change, as they may be at different stages
Family members often have different levels of readiness to change their own behaviors, and tailoring interventions to each member's stage improves outcomes.
A counselor notices that whenever the addicted father begins to discuss his recovery progress, his wife changes the subject. This pattern is BEST understood as:
Answer: A homeostatic mechanism to avoid anxiety associated with change
Subject-changing when recovery is discussed often reflects anxiety about the unknown changes that recovery will bring to the family's established (if dysfunctional) equilibrium.
Which of the following best describes the role of psychoeducation in family-based addiction treatment?
Answer: Providing families with information about addiction, recovery, and family impact to reduce shame and improve coping
Psychoeducation helps families understand addiction as a complex disorder, reducing shame, correcting misconceptions, and equipping them with knowledge to support recovery.
A counselor working with a family where both parents have substance use disorders should prioritize:
Answer: Assessing child safety and connecting the family with child protective services if warranted
When parental substance use disorders are present, the safety and welfare of children must be assessed and addressed as the highest ethical and clinical priority.
The 'hero' role in Sharon Wegscheider-Cruse's family roles model is characterized by:
Answer: Overachieving and appearing successful to provide the family with self-worth
The hero child compensates for family dysfunction through high achievement, bringing pride to the family but often at the cost of their own emotional needs.
In family therapy for addiction, 'boundary setting' refers to:
Answer: Establishing clear, consistent limits on what behaviors family members will and will not accept
Healthy boundary setting involves family members defining and enforcing limits on acceptable behavior, which reduces enabling and protects their own well-being.