1. The family systems perspective is grounded on the assumption that a client’s problematic behavior may be:
a. an individual problem that needs to be resolved before the family can meet in a group.
b. the issue that is keeping the family in crisis.
c. a symptom of dysfunctional patterns handed down across generations.
d. a result of the individual’s maladjustment and psychosocial development.
2. Key values such as collectivism, interdependence, family embeddedness and connectedness, hierarchies of
relationship, and multigenerational perspectives are more familiar concepts in _________ cultures.
a. non-Western
b. Western
c. Northern
d. non-Northern
3. Competence in working with couples and families only comes with:
a. a graduate course in family systems therapy.
b. fully resolving one’s own family-of-origin issues.
c. years of training and supervision.
d. natural ability to think systemically.
Chapter11—EthicalIssuesinCouplesandFamilyTherapy
4. _____________, with regard to family-of-origin issues, is particularly critical for family therapists.
a. Self-knowledge
b. Learning basic counseling techniques
c. Learning and practicing specialties
d. Understanding effective intervention techniques
5. Gender sensitive models of training family therapists are aimed at:
a. raising consciousness concerning the role of cultural and ethnic factors in influencing the outlooks and
behaviors of individuals and families.
b. overcoming trainee gender bias and sex-role stereotyping.
c. understanding the collaborative nature of family therapy.
d. direct clinical contact with all members of the family system.
6. Most family therapy training programs employ both didactic and experiential methods and supervised practice.
Experiential methods include:
a. classroom lectures and readings.
b. both personal therapy and working with one’s own family of origin.
c. films and videotapes of family therapy sessions.
d. discussion.
Chapter11—EthicalIssuesinCouplesandFamilyTherapy
7. Natalie is a marital therapist who believes that marriage is a sacred institution. She is dedicated to preserving marital
relationships whenever possible. She is working with a couple who is attempting to resolve their problems even
though they have also considered the possibility of divorce. One could expect that she:
a. would set her values aside and work with any decision that her clients chose to make about their marriage.
b. would place the primary focus on helping each person examine what is the best course of action for
themselves.
c. might let it be known that she believes in the preservation of marriage and would urge the couple to work on
their issues.
d. would consider divorce as a viable option if the couple is unhappy with their relationship.
8. Most family therapy training programs encourage __________ work and other processes designed to engage
students with their own family-of-origin issues.
a. anagram
b. genogram
c. famogram
d. pathogram
9. Which of the following is a sex-biased response to problems presented in couples’ therapy?
a. Assuming that remaining married may not be the best choice for a woman
b. Demonstrating equal interest in both the woman’s career and the man’s career
c. Encouraging couples to accept the fact that child rearing is primarily the responsibility of the mother
d. Having the same reaction to a woman’s extramarital affair as a man’s affair
10. Which of the following statements about differing perspectives on confidentiality with multiple clients is FALSE?
a. “Hidden agenda” are seen as material that should be brought out into the open during a couples or family
session.
b. Therapists should not divulge in a family session any information given to them by individuals in private
sessions.
c. Therapists should inform clients that any information given during private sessions will be divulged as they see
fit in accordance with the greatest benefit to the family.
d. Family therapists are exempt from reporting information that could harm the family system, including if there
is a concern that a family member will harm him- or herself, or will do harm to another person.
11. In which form of supervision do supervisors watch their trainees conduct family sessions from behind a one-way
mirror and offer feedback and consultation to them?
a. Vicarious supervision
b. Live supervision
c. Family consultation
d. Online supervision
12. Which of the following statements is NOT consistent with the values that create the basis for the feminist
perspective on family therapy?
a. Therapists should empower their clients to make their own choices.
b. Therapists help demystify differences between partners when examining the power differential in their
relationship.
c. Therapists challenge traditional gender roles and the impact this socialization has on relationships and families.
d. Therapists educate clients on the benefits of our patriarchal society and encourage them to continue in these
gender roles.
13. Many believe it is wise to have a __________ when counseling couples due to the complexity of the work.
a. “no secrets” policy
b. attorney
c. hidden agenda
d. three-year contract
14. Charles, a couples’ therapist, recently met with a new couple seeking his services. During their initial meeting,
Charles learned that the wife and husband are both in individual therapy. As an ethical practitioner, he should:
a. ask his new clients’ permission to consult with their individual therapists.
b. not ask to consult with their therapists since it is none of his business.
c. not accept them as clients so as to avoid any ethical conflicts.
d. make it a condition that they stop meeting with their individual therapists if they want his services.
15. Which of the practitioners described below would NOT be an effective family therapist?
a. One who demonstrates acceptance, interest, and caring
b. One who is courageous and a risk-taker
c. One who downplays the influence of diversity
d. One who is assertive and confident
16. A ____________ approach to supervision is a necessary dimension of training for therapists who want to work
with families.
a. Adlerian
b. family-of-origin
c. object relations
d. attachment theory-based
17. Family therapy training programs use three primary methods of training. They include all of the following EXCEPT:
a. didactic course work.
b. direct clinical experiences with families.
c. regular supervision by an experienced family supervisor who, together with trainees, may watch the session
behind a one-way mirror or through videotaped sessions.
d. famogram work.
18. Which of the following is NOT an essential piece of information the family practitioner must provide before each
individual agrees to participate in family therapy?
a. The individual who will be identified as the source of the problems
b. The purpose of therapy, what can be expected, and the option to withdraw at any time
c. Typical procedures, rights and responsibilities, and fee structure
d. Risks of negative outcomes and positive benefits and confidentiality and limits to confidentiality
19. In ____________, sexist attitudes and patriarchal assumptions are examined for their impact on family
relationships.
a. narrative therapy
b. gender-sensitive couples and family therapy
c. reality therapy
d. brief solution-focused therapy
20. Feminists remind us that patriarchy has:
a. positive effects on both women and men.
b. negative effects on both women and men.
c. positive effects on women and negative effects on men.
d. negative effects on women and positive effects on men.
21. Patricia, a family therapist, has adopted an egalitarian philosophy to guide her practice. A Korean couple comes to
her to address concerns they have about their teenage daughter. When asked about their home life, they
acknowledge that they hold traditional roles and values and that the household chores are entirely left to the females
in the family. Patricia should:
a. challenge their values immediately since they are probably contributing to the problems with their daughter.
b. explore with the couple how satisfied they are with the current division of labor.
c. convince the husband to try washing the dishes and cleaning the house.
d. suggest that the females in the family enroll in an assertiveness training group.
22. In the case of domestic violence, clinicians agree that conducting couples therapy while there is ongoing domestic
violence:
a. presents a potential danger to the abused and is unethical.
b. is a clinically sound idea.
c. is about as effective as conducting couples therapy when abuse is not occurring.
d. is illegal, but not unethical.
23. Yolanda is an experienced therapist who seems to always feel more compassionate toward the female members of
the families she counsels. What are the most salient ethical issues involved in this case?
a. Because of her bias, Yolanda may be inclined to collude with some family members against others, or
otherwise contribute to dysfunctional family system dynamics.
b. Yolanda has been practicing for many years, so her competence should not be questioned.
c. Yolanda seems to advocate for those with less power in the family structure, so her stance is actually
beneficial for all members of the families with whom she works.
d. Yolanda must be in a same-sex relationship, which is unsanctioned by the professional organization in which
she is a member.
24. Some people are reluctant to engage in family therapy because:
a. they are not qualified for therapy due to minimal symptoms.
b. they are mandated by law to not attend therapy.
c. they fear they will be the main target of the sessions and will suffer negative consequences from having
divulged certain information.
d. they are difficult people and want to undermine their family.
25. Counselors who work with couples and families can practice more ethically if they are aware of all of the following
EXCEPT:
a. the cultural history.
b. the effects of heterosexism.
c. the impact of gender stereotyping.
d. nontraditional, and possibly unethical, treatments.
26. In working with couples and families, opportunities for ethical practice are increased by combining a systems
perspective with traditional approaches. Due to the paradigm shift in the field of psychology to accommodate the
changing needs of service recipients:
a. the family systems perspective must focus on individualism, autonomy, and independence.
b. systemic approaches must be taught side-by-side with individualistic approaches because many cultural groups are
collectivistic.
c. the idea that the identified client’s problem is a symptom of the individual’s maladjustment and psychosocial
development must be reinforced.
d. the therapist must view the individual’s behavior in the session only.
27. ____________ is raised in establishing criteria of psychosocial dysfunction, assessing the problems of the identified
patient in the family context, and devising treatment strategies.
a. Ethical issues
b. Informed consent
c. A “no secrets” policy
d. Family consultation
28. ____________ views psychological and relational problems as arising from within the individual’s present
environment and the intergenerational family system.
a. Family consultation
b. Informed consent
c. A “no secrets” policy
d. Systems theory
29. _____________ is a critical ethical issue in individual psychotherapy and a necessary part of the practice of
couples and family therapy.
a. Family consultation
b. Informed consent
c. A “no secrets” policy
d. Systems theory
30. Which of the following is NOT an issue that the dynamics of couples therapy often involves?
a. Separation and divorce
b. Education on the best dating habits
c. Gender inequality and cultural biases
d. Parenting styles and emotional abuse