NCMHCE Lifespan Development in Counseling 3

Question 1

A counselor is assessing attachment in a 14-month-old observed in the Strange Situation procedure. The child explores freely with the caregiver present but shows distress at separation and is easily soothed upon return. This BEST reflects which attachment style?

Accepted Answer

Secure

Answer

Secure attachment is characterized by using the caregiver as a safe base, showing distress during separation, and being easily soothed upon reunion.

Question 2

A client shares that as a child, their caregiver was unpredictably responsive—sometimes warm, sometimes dismissive. As an adult, the client is preoccupied with relationships and fears abandonment. This MOST likely reflects which adult attachment style?

Accepted Answer

Preoccupied-anxious

Answer

Preoccupied-anxious attachment in adults stems from inconsistent early caregiving and manifests as heightened concern about relationships and fear of abandonment.

Question 3

Piaget described the stage in which children can think logically about concrete objects but struggle with abstract reasoning. This stage spans approximately ages:

Accepted Answer

7–11 years

Answer

The concrete operational stage (ages 7–11) allows logical thinking about tangible objects but not yet hypothetical or abstract concepts.

Question 4

An 8-year-old client understands that when clay is reshaped, the amount remains the same. According to Piaget, this child has mastered which cognitive concept?

Accepted Answer

Conservation

Answer

Conservation is the understanding that quantity remains unchanged despite changes in shape or appearance, mastered during the concrete operational stage.

Question 5

A counselor working with grieving clients uses Worden's Tasks of Mourning model. Which task involves adjusting to a world without the deceased and developing new roles?

Accepted Answer

Adjusting to a changed world

Answer

Worden's third task—adjusting to a changed world—involves adapting to new roles, identities, and responsibilities after the loss.

NCMHCE - National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination Practice Test

NCMHCE - National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination Practice Test

NCMHCE Lifespan Development in Counseling 3