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Chapter 7- Person-Centered Therapy
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MULTIPLE-CHOICE TEST ITEMS
1. The person-centered view of human nature:
a. views people as basically competitive.
b. states that humans are driven by irrational forces.
c. affirms a person’s capacity to direct his or her own life.
d. assumes that, while humans have the potential for growth, we tend to remain stagnant.
2. Person-centered therapy is best described as:
a. a completed “school” of counseling.
b. a fixed set of therapeutic principles.
c. a systematic set of behavioral techniques.
d. a philosophy of how the therapy process develops.
3. A self-actualized person:
a. welcomes uncertainty in his or her life.
b. has a capacity for deep and intense interpersonal relationships.
c. does not have artificial dichotomies within himself or herself.
d. is spontaneous and creative.
e. all of these.
4. Which of the following is not a characteristic of the person-centered approach?
a. The focus is on the subjective world of the client.
b. It is supported by evidence from ongoing research.
c. Importance is placed on the attitudes and beliefs of the therapist.
d. Emphasis is given to developing a contract for therapy.
e. Attention is directed toward the personal relationship between the client and the therapist.
5. Person-centered therapy is a(n):
a. action-oriented approach to therapy.
b. humanistic approach to therapy.
c. existential approach to therapy.
d. deterministic approach to therapy.
6. The ______________________that recently has come into prominence shares many concepts
on the healthy side of human existence with the humanistic approach.
a. positive psychology movement
b. object relations approach
c. dialectical behavior therapy approach
d. applied behavior analysis movement.
7. What is the most important factor related to progress in person-centered therapy?
a. defining concrete and measurable goals
b. the therapist’s technical skills
c. the relationship between the client and therapist
d. the therapist’s ability to think logically and to scientifically solve problems
e. the client’s motivation for change
8.Carlos, an eight year old boy, was recently removed from his home because he was being
physically and sexually abused by his father. In accordance with Maslow’s framework, which
needs took precedence?
a. physical and safety needs
b. belonging and love
c. esteem from self and others
d. self-actualization
9. Which of the following is not considered a necessary and sufficient condition for change in the person-
centered framework?
a. unconditional positive regard
b. creative expression
c. accurate empathetic understanding
d. congruence
10. Which statement(s) is (are) true of the person-centered approach?
a. Therapists should give advice when clients need it.
b. The techniques a therapist uses are less important than his or her attitudes.
c. Therapists should function largely as teachers.
d. Therapy is primarily the therapist’s responsibility.
11. Which of the following is not a key concept of the person-centered approach?
a. The focus is on experiencing the immediate moment.
b. The person has the capacity to resolve his or her own problems in a climate of safety.
c. The client is primarily responsible for the direction of therapy.
d. The focus is on exploration of a client’s past.
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12. The person-centered therapist is best described as a:
a. facilitator.
b. teacher.
c. human engineer.
d. friend.
13. Which of the statements below regarding Motivational Interviewing is not accurate?
a. MI was initially designed as a brief intervention for problem drinking.
b. MI stresses client self-responsibility and promotes an invitational style for working
cooperatively with clients to generate alternative solutions to behavioral problems.
c. MI was developed by Maslow in the late 70s after he created his theory on self-
actualization.
d. MI therapists avoid arguing with clients and avoid assuming a confrontational stance.
14. In order for a therapist to communicate “accurate empathic understanding” the counselor must:
a. have experienced a situation very similar to the client’s current predicament.
b. clarify details and facts relevant to the client’s experiences.
c. feel a deep sense of warmth toward the client.
d. connect emotionally to the client’s subjective experience.
15. The technique of reflection involves the therapist:
a. restating the client’s words verbatim.
b. sharing his or her genuine emotional response with the client.
c. mirroring the client’s emotional experience of a particular situation.
d. bringing an actual mirror into the session and having a client look at himself or herself in the
mirror.
16. Arguably, the most central limitation of the person centered approach is:
a. their view of assessment and diagnosis.
b. the therapist’s limitations as a person.
c. shortcomings of the studies of the approach.
d. the continual evolution of the approach leads to unclear therapeutic principles.
17. The person-centered philosophy views diagnosis as:
a. a useful tool for case conceptualization.
b. a meaningful way of understanding of a client’s psychological state.
c. a labeling process that diminishes the therapist’s ability to develop a holistic understanding of the
client.
d. a necessary process that does not impact the course of therapy.
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18. In applying the person-centered approach to crisis intervention, therapists:
a. communicate a deep sense of understanding.
b. provide genuine support and warmth.
c. use a more structured approach and provide clients with some direction.
d. all of these.
19. What is a limitation of person-centered therapy?
a. The approach does not make use of research to study the process or outcomes of therapy.
b. The therapist has more power to manipulate and control the client than is true of most other
therapies.
c. The approach does not emphasize the role of techniques in creating change in the client’s life.
d. The client is not given enough responsibility to direct the course of his or her own therapy.
e. It is a long-term approach to therapy.
20. One point of disagreement between existential and humanistic thought involves:
a. a respect for the client’s subjective experience.
b. a trust in the capacity of the client to make positive choices.
c. an emphasis on freedom.
d. the idea of an innate self-actualizing drive.
21. Which of the following is not true about Carl Rogers?
a. He was raised with strict religious standards in his home.
b. He developed cognitive therapy.
c. At one point in his life, he was preparing to enter the ministry.
d. He made a contribution toward achieving world peace.
e. He was a pioneer in humanistic approaches to counseling.
22. Which of the following is the correct order in terms of the historical development of Carl Rogers’s
approach to counseling?
a. client-centered/person-centered/nondirective
b. client-centered/nondirective/person-centered
c. nondirective/client-centered/person-centered
d. nondirective/person-centered/client-centered
e. person-centered/client-centered/nondirective
23. According to Rogerian therapy, an “internal source of evaluation” is defined as:
a. internalizing the validation one receives from others.
b. looking more to oneself for the answers to the problems of existence.
c. going on one’s instincts when judging the behavior of others.
d. a neurotic tendency to be self-critical.
e. a success identity.
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24. Which of the following personal characteristics of the therapist is most important, according to Carl
Rogers?
a. unconditional positive regard
b. acceptance
c. genuineness
d. accurate empathic understanding
e. accurate active listening
25. Which of the following is not true about the most recent trends in person-centered therapy?
a. It could be referred to as holistic therapy.
b. Acceptance and clarification are the main techniques used.
c. It emphasizes an increased involvement of the therapist as a person.
d. It allows the therapist greater freedom to be active in the therapeutic relationship.
e. The therapist is encouraged to bring his or her values to the therapeutic relationship.
26. Carl Rogers’s position on confronting the client is that:
a. confrontation is to be avoided at all costs.
b. confrontation causes clients to stop growing.
c. confrontation reflects that the therapist has a need to be in control.
d. caring confrontations can be beneficial.
27. Carl Rogers drew heavily from existential concepts, especially as they apply to:
a. the transference relationship.
b. countertransference, or unfinished business of the counselor.
c. the client/therapist relationship.
d. guilt and anxiety.
e. death and nonbeing.
28. A consistent theme that underlies most of Carl Rogers’s writings is:
a. the need to find meaning in life through love, work, or suffering.
b. the need for a religion to find meaning in life.
c. the importance of expressing feelings that stem from childhood issues.
d. a faith in the capacity of individuals to develop in a constructive manner if a climate of trust is
established.
e. the need for clients to relive past traumatic situations in the here-and-now.
29. Person-centered therapy is best explained as:
a. a dogma.
b. a fixed and completed approach to therapy.
c. a set of techniques to build trust in clients.
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d. all of these.
e. none of these.
30. The person-centered therapist’s most important function is:
a, to begin therapy with a comprehensive lifestyle assessment.
b. to challenge clients to examine their past.
c. to skillfully confront clients when they engage in self-destructive behaviors.
d. to be his or her real self in the relationship with a client.
e. to be an agent of social change.
31. From Carl Rogers’s perspective the client/therapist relationship is characterized by:
a. a sense of equality.
b. the transference relationship.
c. the therapist functioning as the expert.
d. a clearly defined contract that specifies what clients will talk about in the sessions.
32. The person-centered approach has been applied to:
a. personal-growth groups.
b. education
c. family therapy.
d. foreign relations.
e. all of these.
33. One of the limitations of the person-centered approach is that:
a. its has not been subjected to rigorous research.
b. it is not grounded in personality theory.
c. therapists use vigorous confrontation methods.
d. there can be a tendency to give too much support and not enough challenge.
34. Therapists utilizing motivational interviewing strategies view clients as:
a. opponents to be defeated.
b. allies who play a major role in their present and future success.
c. victims of their own psychopathology who need to be liberated from their pain and
dysfunction.
d. people who are lazy and need a powerful incentive to change their ways.
35. In person-centered group therapy, the leader:
a. displays a sense of trust in the members.
b. uses techniques and exercises to motivate the group.
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c. focuses on making interpretations.
d. sets goals for the group members.
e. facilitates the direction of group discussions.
36. In the 1960s and 1970s Rogers did a great deal to spearhead the development of:
a. organizational management seminars.
b. private colleges aimed at training person-centered therapists.
c. personal-growth groups and encounter groups.
d. the National Training Laboratories and T-groups.
e. registration and certification of person-centered counselors.
37. According to Carl Rogers, the three core conditions that create a growth-promoting climate are:
a. congruence, conditional acceptance, faith in a client.
b. congruence, unconditional positive regard, empathic understanding.
c. total love and caring, therapist transparency, and empathy.
d. realness, objectively viewing the client’s world, full acceptance.
e. commitment, compassion, and confrontation.
38. Concerning research on psychotherapy, it can be said that Carl Rogers:
a. stated his concepts as testable hypotheses and submitted them to research.
b. literally opened the field for psychotherapy research.
c. inspired others to conduct extensive research on counseling process and outcome.
d. all of these.
e. none of these.
39. Person-centered research has been conducted on:
a. treating specific behavioral problems.
b. the hypothesized necessary and sufficient conditions of therapeutic personality change.
c. comparing the outcomes of person-centered therapy with other models.
d. treatment of personality disorders.
e. all of these.
40. Accurate empathic understanding helps clients to:
a. notice and value their experiences.
b. reconceptualize earlier experiences
c. modify their perceptions of themselves, others, and the world.
d. increase their confidence in making choices and in pursuing a course of action.
e. all of these.
41. Adrianne, who is uncertain about her career goals and is afraid to commit to any career path, is
working with a therapist who specializes in using motivational interviewing strategies. What will
her therapist look for in order to assess the success of therapy?
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a. an improvement in Adrianne’s ability to block negative thoughts about her career options.
b. a reduction in Adrianne’s ambivalence about choosing a career path and an increase in her
intrinsic motivation to clarify her direction.
c. progress in working through unconscious conflicts related to commitment.
d. A willingness on Adrianne’s part to examine her family constellation in order to deepen
her understanding of her reasons for her lack of direction.
42. Person-centered expressive arts therapy is founded all of the following notions except:
a. releasing creative energy is based on the principle of regression.
b. the creative process is inherently healing.
c. engaging in expressive art forms connects us to our unconscious.
d. emotions are a source of energy.
e. personal growth is facilitated by self-awareness.
43. According to Natalie Rogers, external conditions that nurture creativity include all of the following
except:
a. psychological safety.
b. psychological freedom.
c. simulating and challenging experiences.
d. negative reinforcement.
44. Patrick has been confronted by family members and friends about his excessive gambling.
Despite their attempts to help him, he insists that they are overreacting and that he has everything
under control. He does not feel the need to alter his behaviors. Patrick is at which stage of change?
a. precontemplation
b. contemplation
c. preparation
d. action
e. maintenance
45. A factor that distinguishes the person-centered approach to group counseling from other approaches is:
a. the therapist’s role as facilitator.
b. the length of treatment.
c. the focus on creating a collaborative spirit.
d. the focus on building genuine relationships among members.
TRUE/FALSE TEST ITEMS
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Decide if each of the following statements is “more true” or “more false” from the person-centered
perspective.
1. Carl Rogers’s original emphasis was on reflection of feelings expressed by the client.
2. Carl Rogers’s approach is based on the assumptions that humans are trustworthy and that clients
desire to grow.
3. The person-centered approach is based on a set of specific therapeutic techniques designed to
promote behavior change.
4. According to Carl Rogers, personality change occurs only when clients develop insight into the
origin of their personality problems.
5. Free association and dream analysis are a typical part of the person-centered therapist’s procedures.
6. Carl Rogers is often called the “father of psychotherapy research.”
7. Congruence is a basic characteristic of effective therapists.
8. Therapists are encouraged to use positive regard for clients only as a means of shaping their behavior.
9. The concept of unconditional positive regard implies that therapists develop an accepting and
approving attitude toward all actions taken by their clients.
10. Therapists who demonstrate little acceptance of their clients can anticipate that their therapeutic
attempts will falter.
11. Accurate empathic understanding implies an objective understanding of a client.
12. Students of the person-centered approach sometimes have difficulty letting clients truly find their own
way and make decisions in an unassisted fashion.
13. The person-centered approach evolved from a nondirective therapy to an experiential therapy.
14. The person-centered model has become stagnant and shows little sign of evolution.
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15. Person-centered expressive arts therapy can be used in both group and individual contexts.
16. When Rogers challenged the basic assumption that “the counselor knows best,” he thought that
this radical idea would affect the power dynamics and politics of the counseling profession, but to
his surprise, it did not.
17. The term “presence” refers to the counselor’s ability to be fully engaged in the therapeutic relationship
with the client.
18. An assumption of person-centered therapy is that the counselor’s presence is far more powerful than
techniques he or she uses to facilitate change.
19. Carl Rogers encouraged counselors to use caring confrontations with their clients.
20. Person-centered therapy groups emphasize self-acceptance and self-reliance.
21. The person-centered approach places emphasis on the necessary and sufficient conditions for change.
22. Natalie Rogers is no longer an active contributor to the person-centered approach.
23. Maslow postulated a hierarchy of needs as a source of motivation, with the most basic needs
being physiological needs.
24. The person-centered approach is not particularly well-suited to multi-cultural counseling.
25. The person-centered model has been widely adapted to include such areas as family therapy, crisis
counseling and classroom education.