NCMHCE Professional Practice and Ethics 5

Question 1

A counselor accepts a client's offer of a homemade gift worth approximately $10 at the end of a successful treatment. According to the ACA Code, this is:

Accepted Answer

Potentially acceptable after considering cultural context, therapeutic relationship, and motivation

Answer

The ACA recognizes that small gifts in certain cultural contexts may not be harmful, and counselors should use judgment considering the client's motivation and cultural meaning.

Question 2

Which of the following scenarios MOST clearly requires a counselor to break confidentiality without client consent?

Accepted Answer

A client discloses they have been HIV positive for years and are having unprotected sex with an unknowing partner

Answer

An identifiable third party at ongoing, serious risk of physical harm from the client's knowing conduct may trigger a duty-to-warn obligation depending on state law.

Question 3

A counselor is asked by a court to evaluate a client they have been treating for 18 months. The counselor should:

Accepted Answer

Decline the forensic evaluator role and recommend a separate, independent evaluator

Answer

Combining a therapeutic role with a forensic evaluation role creates a fundamental dual-relationship conflict that compromises both functions.

Question 4

When a minor client's parents request access to their child's therapy records, the counselor should FIRST:

Accepted Answer

Assess the minor's age, applicable state law, and the type of services provided before determining access rights

Answer

Minors' record access rights vary by state, age, type of treatment, and whether the minor consented to treatment independently, requiring careful legal and ethical analysis.

Question 5

A counselor discovers they share the same online support group as a current client. The MOST appropriate response is to:

Accepted Answer

Withdraw from the support group to avoid the dual relationship

Answer

The counselor's participation creates a dual relationship; the least disruptive resolution is typically the counselor withdrawing from the shared space.

NCMHCE - National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination Practice Test

NCMHCE - National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination Practice Test

NCMHCE Professional Practice and Ethics 5