Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Exam Psychotherapy and Therapeutic Modalities 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which therapy is most evidence-based for treating borderline personality disorder (BPD)?
- Psychoanalysis
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) (Correct answer)
- Solution-focused therapy
- Rational emotive behavior therapy
Correct answer: Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
DBT was specifically developed by Marsha Linehan for BPD and has the strongest evidence base for this population.
Question 2: In group therapy, the therapeutic factor where patients realize they are not alone in their struggles is called:
- Catharsis
- Universality (Correct answer)
- Altruism
- Cohesiveness
Correct answer: Universality
Universality, identified by Yalom, is the therapeutic factor in which group members recognize that others share similar problems.
Question 3: A PMHNP is conducting psychoeducation. Which statement best describes its primary goal?
- To replace pharmacotherapy
- To help patients and families understand the illness and treatment (Correct answer)
- To provide in-depth psychoanalytic insight
- To eliminate the need for ongoing therapy
Correct answer: To help patients and families understand the illness and treatment
Psychoeducation improves treatment adherence and outcomes by informing patients and families about the illness, medications, and coping strategies.
Question 4: Exposure and response prevention (ERP) is the behavioral component of CBT most effective for treating:
- Major depressive disorder
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) (Correct answer)
- Bipolar II disorder
- Dissociative identity disorder
Correct answer: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
ERP involves exposing patients to feared stimuli while preventing compulsive responses, directly targeting OCD's core cycle.
Question 5: Which psychotherapy is based on the idea that improving interpersonal relationships and role functioning reduces psychiatric symptoms?
- Cognitive processing therapy
- Interpersonal therapy (IPT) (Correct answer)
- Existential therapy
- Behavioral activation
Correct answer: Interpersonal therapy (IPT)
IPT focuses on grief, role disputes, role transitions, and interpersonal deficits as key areas contributing to depression and other disorders.
Question 6: A PMHNP notes that a patient consistently misinterprets neutral facial expressions as hostile. This cognitive distortion is best described as:
- Catastrophizing
- Mind reading (Correct answer)
- Emotional reasoning
- Personalization
Correct answer: Mind reading
Mind reading is the distortion of assuming one knows what others are thinking, often in a negative direction, without actual evidence.
Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Exam Psychotherapy and Therapeutic Modalities 2
Which therapy is most evidence-based for treating borderline personality disorder (BPD)?