Child and Adolescent Therapy Flashcards

A 9-year-old presents with intrusive thoughts, compulsive hand-washing, and significant distress. The most indicated evidence-based treatment is:

Answer: Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) as part of CBT for OCD

ERP, the gold-standard component of CBT for OCD, is the most evidence-based treatment for pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder.

When using Multisystemic Therapy (MST) for an adolescent with serious conduct problems, the therapist primarily works:

Answer: Across multiple systems including family, peers, school, and community

MST is an intensive home- and community-based model that intervenes simultaneously across the adolescent's multiple social systems.

An MFT is working with a 5-year-old child using Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP). The primary therapeutic target in CPP is:

Answer: The quality of the relationship between the child and the caregiver

CPP, developed by Alicia Lieberman, uses the child-caregiver relationship as the primary vehicle for healing, targeting relationship disturbances in young traumatized children.

Which of the following best describes 'parentification' as it relates to family therapy with children?

Answer: A child taking on emotional or instrumental caretaking responsibilities that belong to adults

Parentification occurs when children assume adult roles—either emotional (supporting parents) or instrumental (managing household)—reversing appropriate generational hierarchy.

During a family session, an 8-year-old becomes the scapegoat for all family tension. Using Bowen's family systems theory, this pattern reflects:

Answer: Triangulation and the projection of family anxiety onto the child

Bowen's family projection process describes how undifferentiated parental anxiety is triangulated onto a child, making them the identified patient.

A therapist working with an autistic child and their family should prioritize which of the following in treatment planning?

Answer: Identifying the child's strengths and supporting communication and adaptive functioning

Neurodiversity-affirming, family-centered care identifies the child's strengths while supporting communication, relationships, and adaptive skills.

An MFT discovers mid-treatment that a 15-year-old client has been self-harming non-suicidally. The most clinically appropriate immediate step is to:

Answer: Conduct a thorough safety assessment and develop a collaborative safety plan

Non-suicidal self-injury requires a thorough safety and lethality assessment followed by collaborative safety planning before determining the appropriate level of care.