Chapter 2
Professional Identity of Counselors
Answer Key
1. Counselors with a strong professional identity are able to do all of the following EXCEPT:
a. describe the services their profession renders to the public.
b. articulate the similarities and differences between their profession and other similar
groups.
c. show pride in belonging to the counseling profession.
d. demonstrate that they hold a master’s degree from a CACREP-accredited program.
e. explain the philosophy that underlies the activities of counselors.
2. A core belief that members of the counseling profession hold concerning helping others
with their mental health concerns is:
a. it is important to identify the illness presented by clients.
b. the goal is to help clients return to the level of functioning enjoyed before the illness
occurred.
c. remediation is the most appropriate means in dealing with emotional and personal
problems.
d. prevention and early intervention are the most appropriate means to deal with
emotional and personal problems.
e. in most cases, giving support is all that is necessary for people to resolve their
personal crises.
3. Within the counseling profession, the primary goal of counseling is to:
a. help clients achieve wellness.
b. cure illnesses of clients.
c. identify and treat mental illnesses.
d. understand the illnesses with which clients present for counseling.
e. help clients understand unresolved emotional issues.
4. Counselors who practice from a developmental perspective:
a. focus on the physical development of their clients because physical development has
a significant impact on the emotional well-being of clients.
b. focus on the intellectual development of their clients because clients must be taught to
understand themselves in order to function more effectively.
c. see personal development as a difficult goal to attain and requires the help of
counselors who understand the human condition.
d. view most problems people encounter as natural and normal since all developmental
stages of life bring challenges.
e. believe that all stages of life traumatize clients and, thus, the counselor’s role is to
treat the trauma their clients have experienced.
5. Counseling aims to help clients:
a. become autonomous and no longer need other people in their lives.
b. have a place to go that is comforting and supportive.
c. learn to counsel themselves.
d. have a person who can offer sound advice and solve their problems for them.
e. be empowered to problem-solve independently.
6. Within the counseling profession, the primary national voluntary certification agency is:
a. American Mental Health Counselors Association
b. American Counseling Association
c. American Association for Counseling and Development
d. National Board for Certified Counselors
e. National Registry of Certified Counselors
7. The school counseling movement in the United States resulted as a consequence of which
major event?
a. the Russians launching Sputnik.
b. the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
c. the Cuban Missile Crisis.
d. The American Psychological Association’s declaration that only doctoral-level
psychologists would be recognized as professionals.
e. the national legislation that ensured education for all handicapped persons.
8. All of the following are steps toward professionalization EXCEPT:
a. getting state laws passed that regulate the practice of the profession.
b. changing names to reduce identification with other professions.
c. developing a code of ethics.
d. requiring members of the profession to possess specialized knowledge and skills.
e. offering services that are identical to services offered by other similar professions.
9. The most significant problem within the counseling profession today, according to the
authors of the text, appears to be:
a. receiving third party reimbursement.
b. increasing salaries for master’s level clinicians.
c. becoming a united and societally-recognized profession.
d. increasing the publication of experimental research studies.
e. convincing legislators to make counseling services available to everyone for a
reasonable charge.
10. Certification is a process:
a. that is exclusively for school counselors.
b. through which official state agencies certify individuals as qualified to hold certain
state jobs.
c. that protects the title of “counselor” in some states.
d. is always voluntary, whereas licensure is required.
e. that prevents individuals from practicing counseling unless they hold at least a
master’s degree.
11. All of the following statements about advertising one’s services in an ethical manner are
true, EXCEPT:
a. the ACA Code of Ethics imposes strict criteria and restrictions on advertising.
b. counselors must correct misrepresentations of their qualifications if they learn about
such misrepresentations.
c. counselors are required to distinguish between paid and volunteer work experience
when they advertise their qualifications.
d. counselors must present their credentials accurately.
e. many counselors hold multiple credentials and it is ethical to list all relevant
credentials on their business cards.
12. Professionalism in counseling includes all of the following EXCEPT:
a. being intrinsically motivated to achieve best practices in counseling.
b. taking pride in one’s profession.
c. holding a doctorate in counseling or a related field.
d. understanding the history and philosophy of the profession.
e. representing the profession to the public in a positive and vigorous manner.
13. A fundamental tenet of the wellness model is that:
a. traditionally, it has been espoused by members of all the helping professions (e.g.,
counselors, social workers, and psychologists), rather than by medical professionals.
b. the primary goal is to alleviate suffering.
c. people can transcend their environmental limitations.
d. mental health exists along a continuum.
e. scientific principles are applied to cure the client’s identified mental illness.
14. The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs
(CACREP):
a. sets standards for preparing counselors, social workers, and school psychologists.
b. requires that an individual hold a doctoral degree in order to be CACREP-certified.
c. encourages faculty who train counselors to have diverse backgrounds as counselors,
counseling psychologists, and clinical social workers.
d. requires that training programs offer a 300-clock-hour practicum and a 300-clock
hour internship.
e. has been generally accepted as the model curriculum for training counselors.
15. The primary difference between counselors and other mental health professionals is:
a. only counselors provide mental health counseling services.
b. only counselors use the term “counseling” to describe the service that they provide to
clients.
c. counseling is the primary professional service that counselors provide.
d. counselors do not diagnose and treat mental illnesses.
e. the primary service that counselors provide to clients is to connect them with
resources in their communities that can help the clients achieve greater wellness.
Answer Key