RPT Assessment & Treatment Planning 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When an RPT sets treatment goals collaboratively with a child's parents, this practice is MOST aligned with which ethical principle?
- Beneficence
- Autonomy and informed consent (Correct answer)
- Nonmaleficence
- Justice
Correct answer: Autonomy and informed consent
Collaborative goal-setting with parents supports autonomy and informed consent by ensuring caregivers are active, informed participants in the treatment planning process.
Question 2: A child who uses sandtray play to create scenes with isolated figures separated by barriers is MOST likely communicating themes of:
- Healthy independence and self-reliance
- Loneliness, disconnection, or emotional isolation (Correct answer)
- Typical developmental peer conflict
- A desire to control others
Correct answer: Loneliness, disconnection, or emotional isolation
Figures isolated behind barriers in sandtray play frequently symbolize themes of loneliness, disconnection, or emotional isolation in the child's inner world.
Question 3: Which of the following BEST describes a 'functional behavioral assessment' in the context of play therapy?
- A standardized IQ test administered in a play-based format
- Identifying the antecedents, behaviors, and consequences maintaining a target behavior (Correct answer)
- A caregiver interview about the child's daily routine
- A structured play observation measuring social development
Correct answer: Identifying the antecedents, behaviors, and consequences maintaining a target behavior
A functional behavioral assessment identifies antecedents, behaviors, and maintaining consequences (ABCs) to understand the function of a target behavior.
Question 4: In play therapy assessment, the term 'affect attunement' refers to:
- The therapist matching the child's play speed and pacing
- The therapist's empathic recognition and reflection of the child's emotional states (Correct answer)
- The child's ability to name emotions on a feeling chart
- A structured technique for teaching emotional regulation
Correct answer: The therapist's empathic recognition and reflection of the child's emotional states
Affect attunement is the therapist's empathic recognition and reflection of the child's emotional states, which supports therapeutic alliance and accurate assessment.
Question 5: A treatment plan is reviewed and found to lack any measurable outcome criteria. This is MOST problematic because:
- It violates state licensure requirements in all US states
- Progress toward therapeutic goals cannot be objectively evaluated (Correct answer)
- Parents will refuse to sign consent forms without metrics
- Insurance will always deny coverage for unmeasured services
Correct answer: Progress toward therapeutic goals cannot be objectively evaluated
Without measurable outcome criteria, the RPT cannot objectively evaluate whether treatment goals are being achieved, undermining accountability and effective care.
Question 6: When conducting a developmental history during intake, which domain is MOST important to assess for a child referred for social withdrawal?
- Academic achievement history
- Early attachment and social development milestones (Correct answer)
- Motor development and physical health
- Dietary habits and sleep patterns
Correct answer: Early attachment and social development milestones
Early attachment and social development milestones provide critical context for understanding social withdrawal and inform a relationship-based treatment approach.
Question 7: In the context of play therapy assessment, 'post-session notes' documenting play themes, therapist observations, and session affect serve PRIMARILY to:
- Satisfy insurance documentation requirements
- Track treatment progress and inform ongoing case conceptualization (Correct answer)
- Provide material for required clinical supervision hours
- Meet school reporting obligations for referred children
Correct answer: Track treatment progress and inform ongoing case conceptualization
Post-session notes tracking play themes and therapist observations serve primarily to monitor treatment progress and continuously refine the case conceptualization.
RPT Assessment & Treatment Planning 4
When an RPT sets treatment goals collaboratively with a child's parents, this practice is MOST aligned with which ethical principle?