Family therapy sample exam questions

We were using the Fifth Edition of Kilpatrick and Holland's Working with Families for our introductory family therapy class. We couldn't find sample questions anywhere online, so we made our own. 

Here they are, with an answer key at the end. Enjoy!

1. To support Level 1 families, a practitioner should first...

1. Identify any mental health issues

2. Mobilize support for the ineffective executive or parental system

3. Develop a coalition of those in charge vs those needing control

4. Case manage to meet basic needs for food, health, shelter, protection

2. Common Level 2 issues typically include...

1. Triangles, alliances and boundaries

2. Marital conflict, alcoholism, or gambling

3. Inner conflicts, problems with intimacy

4. Executive capacity issues

3. Short answer:  Describe the focus and issues typical of Level 3 families.

4. Which type of intervention is not usually useful for Level 4 families?

1. Object relations family interventions

2. Family sculpting

3. Case management

4. Genograms

5. In considering intervention choice points, where should a family practitioner begin?

1. Couple dyadic-Experiential

2. Family-Community/Behavioural-Interactional

3. Individual-Historical

4. Family-Community/Experiential

6. Who were the first systems thinkers?

1. Cartographers

2. Social constructionists

3. Family systems practitioners

4. Ecologists

7. What are common errors in professional judgement?

1. Seeing differences and commonalities when they’re not there

2. Seeing differences and commonalities all the time

3. Not seeing differences and commonalities when they are present

4. Never seeing differences and commonalities

5. a) & c)

6. b) & d)

8. The therapeutic relationship and personal ecosystems resources accounts for what percentage of client system change?

1. 10%

2. 30%

3. 60%

4. 80%

9. Which of the following was NOT one of Bieztek’s original seven principles in the Helping Relationship?

1. Cultural competence

2. Self-determination

3. Purposeful expression of feelings

4. Controlled emotional involvement

10. Short answer: describe the four core emotional and interpersonal dimensions required for therapist effectiveness.

11. The therapeutic alliance exists on which three levels?

1. Short term, medium term and long term

2. Individual, family and community

3. Individual, subsystem and family

4. Micro-meso-macro systems

12. The ethnic-sensitive practice model…

1. Has been proven to be invalid

2. States that nonconscious phenomena affect family functioning

3. Considers the past more important than the present

4. Says ethnicity is always a source of strain, discordance and strife

13. A multi-cultural perspective…

1. Should recognize that subcultures influence society

2. Is the same thing as an ethnic-sensitive practice model

3. Recognizes not everyone engages with a culture

4. Recognizes too many subcultures can weaken society

14. A dual perspective is one which…

1. Requires you to watch your client’s body language and listen at the same time

2. Requires you to take your client’s words at face value while considering intersectionality

3. Reminds us every client is part of a dominant/sustaining system and a nurturing system

4. Reminds us to consider the physical and social environment of the client

15. A client who is Type II on the Cultural Assessment Grid...

1. Has cultural features in their environment contributing to their problems

2. Has cultural features in their environment that serve as a resource for problems

3. The client holds cultural features serving as resources for dealing with problems

4. The client holds cultural features contributing to their problems

16. Power is NOT defined as...

1. The capacity to gain necessary resources to remove oneself from oppression

2. Accruing to those with the most resources because they’ve earned it

3. The capacity to influence the forces that affect one’s life space

4. Gaining resources to guarantee one’s ability to perform

17. Short answer: Name some paradoxical ways in which people resist oppression.

18. Which demographic is the fastest-growing element of homelessness in the US?

1. Those with substance-abuse issues

2. Young men between the ages of 18-24

3. Families with children

4. Persons struggling with mental health issues

19. Which of the following is a common ethical challenge for family practitioners?

1. Choosing to focus on the welfare of the individual or the family

2. Saying what the family wants to hear to keep them coming back to therapy

3. Avoiding upsetting the family system through disclosure of therapist faith

4. Choosing which theoretical orientation to apply to an individual family

20. Professional codes of ethics tend to be constructed on which type of ethical theory?

1. Utilitarianism: seeking outcomes maximizing positive & minimizing negative change

2. Virtue theory: considers the motives and intentions of the actor

3. Ethical decision making model: steps to make an ethical decision

4. Duty theory: concerned with truth, fairness and keeping promises, vs. consequences

21. Which is not an axis on Holland & Kilpatrick’s Dimensions of Ethical Judgement?

1. Internalized - Externalized

2. Localized - Diffused

3. Means - Ends

4. Independence Autonomy - Mutuality Commonality

22. Spirituality is defined as…

1. The community of faith or religion you were raised in

2. Believing in a spirit life, or “The Ultimate” rather than a traditional religious god

3. A person’s understanding and response to the meaning of life

4. The religion you chose as an adult

23. When working with Level 1 families, details about family composition, substance abuse, mental illness etc are often immediately evident in the first session. T / F

24. Assessment of Level 1 families should be done from an ecological-systems conceptual model. T / F

25. Initial exploration of Level 1 issues should be done with the parent or guardian prior to obtaining the perspectives of other family members. T / F

26. Short answer: Explain how you might go about deciding whom to include in defining a family system?

27. Short answer: What are some of the factors to consider with a Level 1 family at the Ontological Level, during a home visit?

28. If there’s substance abuse in a Level 1 family,

1. It should be considered alongside other issues

2. Use the principle of mimesis and suggest talking over a drink

3. It should be considered the primary focus of intervention

4. A stay in residential rehab should be recommended

29. Which is not a consideration when assessing an L1 family at the mesosystem level?

1. Completing a psychosocial assessment

2. Determining the quality of sibling relationships

3. Observing verbal and nonverbal expressions of emotions

4. Determining if child supervision is constant and adequate

30. At the exosystem level, we should consider:

1. Social network linkages of school, health & church

2. Access to work

3. Access to affordable housing

4. Availability of public transport for access to jobs, schools etc.

31. What’s one reaction you should expect when working with L1 families?

1. An honest airing of problems

2. Openness to working with you

3. A problem-solving attitude

4. Denial

32. Goals for L1 families must be

1. To bring the family in line with middle-class aspirations

2. Clear, mutual, realistic, achievable and measurable

3. Short-term, mid-term and long-term

4. Defined after asking the ‘miracle question’

33. A contract with a L1 family should not include:

1. Family needs/wants & goals

2. A commitment to exercise and meditation

3. A list of tasks the professional is responsible for doing

4. A beginning and end date, both for the tasks and the contract as a whole

34. Which of these is not one of Biesteks’s Seven Principles of Relationship

a.   Acceptance

b. Independence

c.   Controlled emotional involvement

d. Confidentiality

35.    What are three core emotional and interpersonal dimensions?

a.   Unconditional positive regard, respect and genuineness

b. Empathy, respect and self-awareness

c.   Empathy, respect and genuineness

d. Unconditional positive regard, empathy and self-awareness

36.     Which of these is not one of the principles that underlie Fellin’s multicultural perspective

1. It should be inclusive of all subcultural groups that are viewed as distinct yet interdependent with mainstream US culture

2. It should recognize that all people in US society identify with multiple cultures with varying degrees of affiliation

3. It should recognize that not all members of US society engage in relationships within their various cultures and in relation to a mainstream US culture

4. It should recognize the changing nature of US society as it is continually influenced by all of its subcultures

37. The relationship the Social Worker has with one or two family members influences his or her alliance with other family members in a linear fashion.

1. True

2. False

38. One of the significant assumptions of ethnic sensitive practice includes ethnicity as a source of strain, discordance, and strife, as well as a source of cohesion, identity, and strength.

1. True

2. False

39.    Postmodern feminism is being challenged to address the following:

·        Demystifying the notion of the exclusive consciousness of women as women

·        Recognizing the risks of universalizing women for the sake of solidarity

1. True

2. False

40. The problems of neglectful or level 1 families tend to be temporary, not long term

1. True

2. False

41. Child neglect is the most frequently reported and confirmed type of child maltreatment.

1. True

2. False

42. An example of a cause for neglect at the exosystem level is:

1. Poor communication skills

2. Inadequate support from the child’s father

3. Inadequate public funding

4. Neighbourhood drain

43. An example of a cause for neglect at the ontogenic level is:

1. Poor communication skills

2. Inadequate support from the child’s father

3. Inadequate public funding

4. Neighbourhood drain

44. A comprehensive assessment of the family’s functioning in its environment and the factors contributing to the malfunctioning needs to be done during the initial visit.

1. True

2. False

45. When gathering information for an assessment, the child will be the main source of information

1. True

2. False

46. All adult family members and children should be involved in the initial interview.

1. True

2. False

47. The overarching goal of Level 1 families is to enable them to achieve adequate parenting and family functioning.

1. True

2. False

48. Which of the following is not one of the seven major concepts of the ecosystems perspective for Working with Families:

1. Habitat

2. A niche

3. Life stress

4. Socioeconomic status

49. The result of one’s accommodation to the environment or the status that is occupied by a member of the community is referred to as:

1. Relatedness

2. Adaptations

3. A niche

4. A positive person-environment relationship

50. Key assumptions of family systems therapy are wholeness, feedback, equifinality, and circular causality.

1. True

2. False

51. In an open system, different initial conditions may lead to the same final result and different outcomes may be produced from the same causes. This is an example of what?

1. Systems theory

2. Equifinality

3. Circular causality

4. Cause and effect

52. __________contribute(s) to homeostasis by self-regulation and helps to maintain the stability of relationships.

1. Open systems

2. Closed systems

3. Negative feedback

4. Positive feedback

53. For learning and growth to occur, positive feedback needs to be present

1. True

2. False

54. Which of these is not a pitfall of Ecosystems Theory?

1. May value the status quo and avoid any real change to avoid disruptions within the family or to ensure stability

2. Existing circumstances may be accepted as givens. The focus may be to make adjustments within those limits, instead of challenging the limits.

3. One must master many interventive skills to address issues at all system levels which is not realistic.

4. There is an inattention to power differences in family and in the community regarding interpretations

55. All of the following are pitfalls of the Social Constructionist Perspective except:

1. Seeing any interpretation as being good as any other

2. Lack of emphasis on shifts from actions to meanings, from expertise to collaboration

3. Inattention to power differences in family and community regarding interpretations

4. Assuming that social constructionism has all the answers and that they are the best

56. Ecosystems perspective differs from Social Constructionist perspective in that the ecosystems perspective is focused on the present and the anticipated future, rather than on the past. Social constructionist perspective, on the other hand, focuses more on the past and present instead of the future.

1. True

2. false

57. Which levels of families can require case management services?

1. Level 1 & 2

2. Level 3

3. All levels

4. Level 4

58. Families are a social unit facing everything except:

1. Developmental tasks

2. Changing structure and function over time

3. Being affected by geography and birthplace of members

4. Being less important today than they were historically

59. Which is not a goal of family case management:

1. To resolve all the family’s problems

2. To mobilize a family’s strengths

3. To marshal resources

4. To maximize functional capacity

60. Short answer: briefly describe the four models of case management

61. The supportive care model refers to

1. One case manager providing support to a family

2. Providing case management support in the mental health system

3. A base in the natural environment of the client

4. A case management team providing support to the client

62. Which is not one of Kuhn’s elements in the Social System Model

1. Detector - gathering information about client-service problems-resources

2. Selector - screening information for use in the treatment process

3. Reflector - helping clients see the options clearly

4. Effector - constructing a plan of action about treatment goals

63. Using a strengths-perspective model means:

1. Noting what a family wants to change, achieve or maintain from their present situation

2. Encourages clients to set their own agenda and engage with people in the environment

3. Recognize clients as unique, complex individuals

4. Not worry too much about their talents, desires and hopes until they’re stable

5. a) b) & d)

6. a) b) and c)

64. Direct service involves:

1. Evaluating the clients’ circumstances and intervening to ameliorate emotional problems

2. Providing structure and support within a restrictive environment

3. Using intrapsychic strategies with environmental interventions

4. Leveraging community-based resources

65. Which two elements are central to the “boundary spanning” nature of case management?

1. A strengths-based perspective

2. Hope and incremental change

3. Advocacy and brokerage

4. Mental and physical health

P66. Family focussed social work originated in the 1880s with:

1. The Settlement House movement

2. Charity Organization Societies

3. Baltimore Charity Organization

4. Toynbee Hall

67. The goal of case management coordination is:

1. To ensure clients have access to as many funded services as possible

2. To elicit the support of family, friends and community to support the client

3. Developing the family system as a source of aid

4. To achieve a fit between formal services and primary-group caregiving

68. Systems theory suggests one individual’s behaviour is the consequence of the total situation. T / F

69. Case-finding is…

1. Asking friends/family if they know of people in need so you can build your client base

2. Looking for folders misplaced on your desktop at work

3. Reverses the order: determining from the service which population would benefit

4. Finding the particular points of a situation on which to build the client case

70. Which of the following roles does a case manager not perform?

1. Counselor - a client focussed enabler and educator

2. Advisor - providing the client with advice from previous experience

3. Coordinator - Matching a client with services, brokering

4. Advocacy - Focus on mediating and organizing a client’s service system

71. Short answer: Describe how you would go about building a case plan as a case manager.

72. Structural Family Therapy was designed to

1. Support contemporary families at Levels 1 and 2

2. Meet the needs of troubled inner city youth

3. Is exclusively for low-income families

4. Help impose boundaries on families

73. Which model looks at how internal family relationships affect family functioning?

1. Systems theory

2. Narrative therapy

3. Structural family therapy

4. Social work case management

74. Which disorder caused Minuchin and others to understand SFT wasn’t just for L1 families?

1. Self-harm

2. Anorexia

3. Substance abuse

4. Conduct disorider

75. Which of the following L4 notions is not considered by SFT?

1. Class insecurity

2. Moral standards

3. Philosophical perspective

4. Social basis of spirituality

76. SFT demands a clear understanding of what, in operational terms?

1. Household finances

2. Recent socio-economic changes

3. Cultural conflicts

4. The focal issue

77. Which is not an underlying structural dimension?

1. Relationships

2. Boundaries

3. Alignment

4. Power

78. What’s the best definition of enactment?

1. Having families act out a hypothetical situation

2. Looking for situations of acting out behaviour in session

3. Having families relive in in therapy the struggles they have at home

4. Having families explain the acting out behaviour they see at home

79. A structural hypothesis…

1. Theorizes which structural issues affect this family

2. Speaks to the meaning and significance of the current family structure

3. Clarifies the historical background of the family and how it relates to the present

4. Describes boundaries, alignment and power related to the focal issue

80. A functional hypothesis…

1. Theorizes which structural issues affect this family

2. Speaks to the meaning and significance of the current family structure

3. Clarifies the historical background of the family and how it relates to the present

4. Describes boundaries, alignment and power related to the focal issue

81. Aponte says all SFT therapists’ actions should flow from structural and functional hypotheses. T / F

82. The goal of SFT is to…

1. Ensure the family is structured to make use of available resources

2. Draw less on strengths and more on the power of patterns

3. Form the basis for better future patterns of relating and solving problems

4. Work with traditionally underserved or oppressed populations

83. According to SFT, which of the following is not contained within the “current issue?”

1. The focal point of today’s concern

2. The dynamics immediately generating the distress

3. Traces of the past that explain the why of today’s problem

4. A comprehensive understanding of the history of the problem

84. Enactments can be spontaneous, created or curated. True or False?

85. The goal of enactment is to…

1. Help the family see the problem for themselves

2. Become cognizant of how much each person has to learn

3. Make the conflict understandable and accessible to the therapist

4. Achieve catharsis and resolve the underlying issue

86. Short answer: Describe three of the seven SFT interventions.

87. What are the two species of structural dysfunction in SFT?

1. Conflictual and underorganized

2. Longstanding and recent

3. Enmity and disagreement

4. Community and family

88. What does the textbook consider the client’s ultimate resource of positive, personal power?

1. A strong therapeutic alliance

2. Positive self-regard

3. Free will

4. A functional relationship with community

89. Which is not a technique of SFT?

1. Joining the family

2. Blocking inflexible patterns

3. Heighten conflictual interaction

4. Balancing inflexible patterns of interaction

90. Short Answer: Describe some of the environmental factors affecting families.

91. Which is not a goal of Social Learning Family Interventions?

1. Developing optimism

2. Developing independence in living skills

3. Appreciating the general nature of their situation

4. Engaging in an active experience of change

92. All the following are tenets of social learning except…

1. Two-way mirrors can help provide more effective therapy

2. People learn within a social context

3. Problem behaviours are logical from a learning perspective

4. People maximize rewards and minimize costs

93. Some more tenets of SLFT -- find the one which doesn’t belong….

1. To change someone else’s behaviour change the way you respond

2. The family is the expert, each family is unique

3. Repeated trying and testing is necessary for new learning

4. Biopsychosocial change provides the fastest learning

94. All the following are SLFT intervention strategies except…

1. Cognitive restructuring

2. Structuring a case plan

3. Coping skills training

4. Problem-solving skills training

95. Level 2 families often believe…

1. They don’t need to be in therapy

2. They’re just fine the way they are

3. They’ve tried everything and nothing helps

4. The therapist is there to judge them

96. Social Learning Therapy with families should not be…

1. Fun

2. Full of laughter

3. Enjoyable

4. Dull

Answers: 1-d, 2-b, 3- pg 8, 4-c, 5-b, 6-d, 7-e, 8-c, 9-a, 10-pg 33

11-c, 12-b, 13-a, 14-c, 15-b, 16-b, 17-pg 41, 18-c, 19-a, 20-d

21-b, 22-c, 23-F, 24-T, 25-T, 26-pg 78, 27-pg 79, 28-c, 29-a,

31-d, 32-b, 33- 34-b, 35-c, 36-c, 37-b, 38-a, 39-a, 40-b,

41-a, 42-d, 43-a, 44-b, 45-b, 46-a, 47-a, 48-d, 49-c, 50-a,

51-b, 52-c, 53-a, 54-d, 55-b, 56-b, 57-c, 58-d, 59-a, 60-pg 100,

61-c, 62-c, 63-f, 64-a, 65-c, 66-b, 67-d, 68-T, 69-c, 70-b,

71-pg 106-7, 72-b, 73-c, 74-b, 75-a, 76-d, 77-b, 78-c, 79-d, 80-b,

81-T, 82-c, 83-d, 84-F, 85-c, 86-pg. 120-122, 87-a, 88-c, 89-d 90-pg 130

91-d, 92-a, 93-d, 94-b, 95-c, 96-d,