Research and Ethical Foundations Chapter 2 Test Bank Answers

Chapter 2: Research and Ethical Foundations

of Family Therapy Theories

Multiple Choice

1. Research-informed clinicians can utilize the evidence base in their work with clients in order to evaluate their effectiveness as clinicians.
   1. True
   2. False

REF: Research-Informed Clinician Model

1. Which of the following statements is the best definition of evidence-based practice?
   1. Evidence-based practice encourages using clients in experiments to determine what works for clinical decisions.
   2. Evidence-based practice uses the same practices to treat all problems for all clients.
   3. Evidence-based practice uses research findings to inform clinical decisions for the care of individual clients.
   4. Evidence-based practice refers to a therapist’s own way of doing things based on his or her experience in the field.

REF: The Minimum Standard of Practice: Evidence-Based Practice (EBP)

1. Jane is a therapist embarking on one of the five steps of evidence-based practice to assist her in working with a 54-year-old client. The first step Jane will most likely take is:
   1. evaluating the validity and applicability of the research.
   2. determining whether the research findings are applicable to her client.
   3. developing an answerable question to focus the search for information.
   4. evaluating the effectiveness of the practice on the client’s case.

REF: The Minimum Standard of Practice: Evidence-Based Practice (EBP)

1. Which of the following statements is FALSE about the common factors research?
   1. The effectiveness of therapy has more to do with the key elements found in all theories than with the unique components of a specific theory.
   2. The similarities among theories matter more than the differences.
   3. The common factors approach does not require therapists to give up their therapeutic model.
   4. There is major evidence in the research literature to support the superiority of one theory over another in family therapy.

REF: Heart of the Matter: Common Factors Research

1. According to Lambert’s Common Factors Model, change in the therapeutic process is most attributed to __________________.
   1. the therapeutic relationship
   2. the therapeutic model
   3. hope and placebo effect
   4. client factors

REF: Heart of the Matter: Common Factors Research

1. Wampold’s Common Factors Model theorizes that _______________ matters LEAST in therapeutic outcomes for clients?
   1. the therapeutic model
   2. the therapeutic relationship
   3. client hope
   4. client motivation and resources

REF: Heart of the Matter: Common Factors Research

1. Client resources include _____________________________.
   1. the therapeutic relationship
   2. the client’s motivation to change
   3. theory
   4. therapist expertise

REF: Heart of the Matter: Common Factors Research

1. Which one of the following would be considered a positive factor in an effective therapeutic relationship?
   1. The therapist sets the goals for the client.
   2. The therapist expresses judgment when the client is not making progress.
   3. The therapist is reserved and professional at all times.
   4. The therapist accommodates the client’s level of motivation.

REF: Heart of the Matter: Common Factors Research

1. According to Lambert’s and Wampold’s research, the quality of the client factors appears to be more important than the therapeutic relationship in predicting outcome.
   1. True
   2. False

REF: Heart of the Matter: Common Factors Research

1. The placebo effect refers to:
   1. the effect of medication on the client.
   2. the client’s belief that therapy will help them resolve their problems.
   3. the therapist’s belief in the efficacy of treatment plans.
   4. the therapist’s technique.

REF: REF: Heart of the Matter: Common Factors Research

1. Typically, when therapists, licensing boards, or funding institutions refer to therapy models as “evidence-based,” they are generally referring to which of the following??
   1. evidenced-informed therapies (EIT)
   2. empirically supported treatments (EST)
   3. empirically validated treatment (EVT)
   4. effectively tested therapies (ETS)

REF: Show Me Proof: Evidence-Based Treatments

1. Empirically supported treatments ______________________________________.
   1. thoughtfully assign subjects to treatment groups
   2. do not include a no-treatment control, alternative treatment, or placebo group
   3. assign subjects randomly to treatment groups
   4. do not differ treatment across groups

REF: Show Me Proof: Evidence-Based Treatments

1. Which of the following is an advantage of empirically supported treatments (EST)?
   1. They target a range of problems.
   2. They have high levels of applicability.
   3. They are inexpensive.
   4. They have written manuals to guide treatment and are highly structured.

REF: Show Me Proof: Evidence-Based Treatments

1. Why is it important to keep the evidence-based therapy movement and research in perspective?
   1. Research indicates that any therapy, no matter what the theory, is better than no treatment at all.
   2. The evidence-based therapy movement aims to debunk the current theories in search of one grand theory.
   3. The evidence-based therapy approach is important because nothing in the field has ever been researched or studied before.
   4. Research is yet another thread in the theory debate to confuse therapists in training.

REF: Show Me Proof: Evidence-Based Treatments

1. Which of the following is the best definition for laws?
   1. Laws are often about what you want to do and do not want to do.
   2. If a law conflicts with an element of an ethical code, the therapist must abide by the ethical code.
   3. Laws are either set by the local, state, or federal government in the form of legislation establishing specific responsibilities for professionals.
   4. Laws define in detail the expectations of family therapists and provide specific guidance on every possible scenario a therapist will encounter.

REF: Legal and Ethical Issues in Couple and Family Therapy

1. Practicing any form of therapy in a professional manner means understanding laws, ethics, and standard of care.
   1. True
   2. False

REF: Legal and Ethical Issues in Couple and Family Therapy

1. Ethical codes ______________________________.
   1. supersede laws
   2. are governed by state governments
   3. are generally less strict than laws
   4. define in more detail the expectations of family therapists

REF: Legal and Ethical Issues in Couple and Family Therapy

1. Standard of care for therapists refers to:
   1. what most people at the same professional level are doing in practice.
   2. establishing a set code of ethics for your private practice.
   3. making a personal decision what laws to follow and which laws to ignore.
   4. doing only what other therapists would do in practice.

REF: Legal and Ethical Issues in Couple and Family Therapy

1. You have recently been assigned a family with a mother, father, and two small children to your caseload. Why is it important to determine whom you are treating?
   1. To know how to bill for services
   2. It will impact how you organize treatment
   3. To give an appropriate diagnosis
   4. To understand who to please

REF: Legal and Ethical Issues in Couple and Family Therapy

1. How can a therapist deal with the complexity around confidentiality that arises out of working with couples and families?
   1. Therapists cannot share what their clients tell them one-on-one.
   2. Therapists need to establish their own secrets policy and make sure clients understand it.
   3. Therapists are obligated to keep secrets no matter what.
   4. Therapists could cause harm to their clients if they do not keep secrets.

REF: Legal and Ethical Issues in Couple and Family Therapy

1. It is important to maintain boundaries when working with minors because:
   1. family members have congruent motivations.
   2. parents who are fearful for their child’s well-being may want you to disclose everything that’s happened during an individual session.
   3. parents do not have to consent to treatment.
   4. a therapist must disclose all secrets to the parent, in spite of the minor’s wishes.

REF: Legal and Ethical Issues in Couple and Family Therapy

1. In working with children and families, a therapist is considered a mandated reporter of child abuse in which of the following circumstances?
   1. When the therapist sees symptoms associated with abuse.
   2. When the therapist has a reasonable suspicion that abuse has taken place.
   3. When the therapist hears from another therapist that a client has been abused.
   4. When the therapist learns that the child has been sexually active in any way.

REF: Legal and Ethical Issues in Couple and Family Therapy

1. When working with a couple who has experienced intimate partner violence (IPV), the therapist should __________________________________________________.
   1. discontinue couples therapy immediately.
   2. treat the couple together.
   3. work with the non-offending partner only.
   4. follow state, county, or agency rules governing the treatment of IPV.

REF: Legal and Ethical Issues in Couple and Family Therapy

1. Which of the following statements is TRUE regarding therapist’s values and their practice of family therapy?
   1. Family therapy can be value-free.
   2. Family therapists must contend with the struggle between their obligations to serve clients and their right to practice based on their own values.
   3. A family therapist cannot be sued for imposing his or her values on their clients.
   4. Family therapists can refuse to see clients based on their own value-system.

REF: Legal and Ethical Issues in Couple and Family Therapy

Short Answer

1. How can research inform treatment?
2. How might you approach diversity and common factors in working with a client who identifies as LGBTQ?
3. What are some challenges to confidentiality in working with families?
4. What are the challenges in using technology for therapy?
5. What are the ethical considerations of a therapist’s personal values?