MFT Treatment Planning 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An MFT is working with a family where the parents disagree about whether their child needs therapy. How should this conflict be addressed in treatment planning?
- Proceed with child treatment and document parental disagreement in the chart
- Engage both parents in the goal-setting process to build shared investment in the treatment (Correct answer)
- Side with the parent who is more motivated to avoid treatment dropout
- Refer the child to individual therapy until parental agreement is reached
Correct answer: Engage both parents in the goal-setting process to build shared investment in the treatment
Engaging both parents collaboratively in goal-setting increases treatment alliance and reduces the risk of premature dropout.
Question 2: Which of the following best illustrates the principle of 'parsimony' in MFT treatment planning?
- Using the most complex, comprehensive intervention available for every case
- Selecting the simplest, least intrusive intervention likely to produce the desired change (Correct answer)
- Avoiding all evidence-based models in favor of eclectic techniques
- Extending the length of treatment to ensure thorough exploration of all issues
Correct answer: Selecting the simplest, least intrusive intervention likely to produce the desired change
Parsimony in treatment planning means choosing the least invasive and most straightforward approach that is likely to be effective.
Question 3: A treatment plan for a family dealing with grief and loss should incorporate:
- A strict timeline for completing each stage of the Kübler-Ross grief model
- Recognition of each member's unique grieving style and the family's shared mourning rituals (Correct answer)
- Immediate referral to a grief support group as the primary intervention
- Avoidance of discussing the deceased to prevent further distress
Correct answer: Recognition of each member's unique grieving style and the family's shared mourning rituals
Grief treatment plans must account for individual variation in grieving styles and the family's collective meaning-making and mourning practices.
Question 4: When integrating Narrative Therapy into a treatment plan, the therapist focuses goals around helping clients:
- Identify and modify cognitive distortions maintaining problem-saturated narratives
- Re-author dominant problem-saturated stories and construct preferred identity narratives (Correct answer)
- Explore family-of-origin triangles and differentiation deficits
- Conduct behavioral experiments to test dysfunctional relational assumptions
Correct answer: Re-author dominant problem-saturated stories and construct preferred identity narratives
Narrative Therapy treatment planning centers on externalizing problems and co-creating alternative, preferred narratives that align with the client's values.
Question 5: A treatment plan that includes a 'no-harm contract' as the sole safety intervention is considered inadequate because:
- No-harm contracts are unethical under AAMFT ethical guidelines
- Research does not support no-harm contracts as effective standalone safety tools (Correct answer)
- No-harm contracts can only be used in inpatient settings
- They require legal notarization to be clinically valid
Correct answer: Research does not support no-harm contracts as effective standalone safety tools
Evidence does not support no-harm contracts as effective safety tools; comprehensive safety planning with means restriction and support systems is required.
Question 6: An MFT notices that despite three months of treatment, client goals remain unmet and the client appears to be deteriorating. The most appropriate next step is to:
- Continue the current treatment plan without change to allow more time
- Conduct a thorough treatment plan review, consider new assessment, and explore barriers to progress (Correct answer)
- Increase session frequency without changing the treatment approach
- Terminate treatment and refer to a higher level of care without discussion
Correct answer: Conduct a thorough treatment plan review, consider new assessment, and explore barriers to progress
Lack of progress requires a systematic review of the treatment plan, reassessment, and collaborative exploration of what is interfering with goal attainment.
Question 7: When discharging a client from therapy, best practice in treatment planning includes:
- Ending abruptly to prevent client dependency on the therapeutic relationship
- Reviewing progress toward goals, identifying relapse warning signs, and creating a maintenance plan (Correct answer)
- Scheduling a follow-up session only if the client requests it
- Transferring all treatment plan documentation to the client's primary care physician
Correct answer: Reviewing progress toward goals, identifying relapse warning signs, and creating a maintenance plan
Termination planning involves reviewing gains made, anticipating future challenges, and equipping the client with a relapse prevention and maintenance strategy.
MFT Treatment Planning 5
An MFT is working with a family where the parents disagree about whether their child needs therapy.
How should this conflict be addressed in treatment planning?