The basic purpose of professional codes of ethics is to:
a. educate professionals about sound ethical conduct, provide a mechanism for
professional accountability and serve as a catalyst for improving practice.
b. protect professionals from lawsuits.
c. set standards that will be understood and enforced across all cultures.
d. enhance the image of the helping professions.
In this role, counselors assist clients in recognizing oppressive forces in the community
as a source of their problem and teach their clients strategies for developing political
power to bring about change in the clients’ social and physical environment:
A.change agent.
B.consultant.
C.adviser.
D.ombudsman.
Social justice addresses issues of
A.oppression.
B.privilege.
C.social inequities.
D.All of the choices.
Even though mental health professionals may not intend to harm clients,
________________________ often is a major contributing factor in causing harm.
a. lack of competence
b. unconscious impulses of an aggressive nature
c. participation in a training program that is not CACREP accredited
d. a decreased emphasis on ethics in training programs
Fran has decided to start an online counseling practice. Which of the following have the
potential to result in unethical behavior?
A.Accepting psychotic/seriously disturbed individuals as clients
B.Charging fees that may not be covered by insurance companies
C.Providing inaccurate diagnoses due to lack of behavioral clues
D.Promising confidentiality and privacy
E.All of the choices
_________________________ are essentially the same as psychotherapy notes. They
address the client’s transference reactions and the therapist’s subjective impressions of
the client.
A.Process notes
B.Progress notes
C.Diagnostic notes
D.Treatment summary
Some professionals believe that self-care is a ____________________________ for
mental health practitioners.
A.luxury
B.moral imperative
C.legal requirement
D.waste of valuable time
Of the following, which is an example of a behavior that might leave a mental health
practitioner vulnerable to a malpractice suit?
A.Used a procedure within the realm of accepted professional practice
B.Employed a technique that he or she was not trained to use
C.Used a procedure to which the client did not respond favorably
D.Explained the possible consequences of treatment and the client still wanted to
participate in the process
When a counselor works in a managed care system, client’s goals need to be:
a. long-term and all encompassing.
b. aimed at character reconstruction.
c. geared towards the client gaining insight into his or her problems and movement
towards self-actualization.
d. highly specific, limited to reduction of problematic symptoms, and often aimed at
teaching coping skills.
When practitioners devote a portion of their professional time and skills to services for
which there is no expectation of significant financial return, they are
A.using a sliding scale.
B.being financially irresponsible.
C.providing pro bono services.
D.suffering from a martyr complex.
In Chapter 6, a six-step ethical practice model for protecting confidentiality rights that
places legal mandates in an ethical context is presented. The six steps include all except
A.Preparation.
B.Tell clients the truth “up front.”
C.Obtain truly informed consent before making a disclosure.
D.Have your attorney respond to legal requests for disclosure.
E.Avoid the “avoidable” breaches of confidentiality.
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.both b and c
The following is true concerning dual relationships:
A.There is a clear consensus among practitioners regarding nonsexual relationships in
counseling.
B.Due to the fact that there are clinical, ethical, and legal risks, all blending of roles
must be avoided.
C.Objectivity in counseling is enhanced with dual relationships.
D.Counselors need to make every effort to avoid dual relationships with clients that
could impair professional judgment or increase the risk of harm to clients.
Shania is seeking counseling to resolve her feelings about the ending of an extramarital
affair. Her boyfriend who is married broke up with her and she is very angry about this.
She informs her therapist that she plans to contact the wife in order to “ruin” their
marriage. The therapist should
a. allow Shania to carry out her plans and deal with the consequences of her actions.
b. impose her values on Shania in this particular instance since the consequences might
be devastating if she carries out her plan.
c. discuss alternative options with Shania, so that she is aware of some other ways of
dealing with her anger.
d. contact the boyfriend out of her duty to warn.
All of the following professional associations except _____________ oppose
physician-assisted suicide:
A.American Psychiatric Association
B.American Medical Association
C.National Association of Social Workers
D.a and c
In the event that a practitioner is sued he or she should:
a. try to resolve the matter directly with the client.
b. destroy or alter files or reports that may be incriminating.
c. enter into personal therapy.
d. promptly retain an attorney.
This principle refers to providing equal treatment to all clients, regardless of age, sex,
race, ethnicity, disability, cultural background, religion, or lifestyle:
a. autonomy.
b. beneficence.
c. nonmaleficence.
d. justice, or fairness.
e. fidelity.
The professional practice of couples and family therapy is influenced by:
a. state laws.
b. professional specialty guidelines and ethics codes.
c. continuing education requirements.
d. all of the above.
Which of the following situations has the potential to harm or exploit a client?
a. Entering a business venture with a client.
b. Developing a sexual relationship with a client.
c. Establishing a social relationship with a client.
d. All of the above.
Which of the following personal characteristics and orientations are NOT associated
with being an effective family practitioner?
a. presence
b. acceptance, interest, and caring
c. aggressiveness
d. working in patterns
The following is true in regards to group ethics:
a. As a rule, group leaders should conduct only those types of groups for which they
have been trained.
b. The legal concept of privileged communication applies in group settings the same as
it applies to individual sessions.
c. Group leaders are not obliged to inform psychiatric hospital patients that they are
documenting group sessions.
d. Parents and guardians have the legal right to all communications that have occurred
in groups for minors.
Responsible practice requires that you
a. exercise informed, sound, and responsible judgment.
b. demonstrate a willingness to consult with colleagues.
c. keep yourself up to date through reading and continuing education.
d. all of the above.
Working effectively with cultural diversity in the therapeutic process is
A.a requirement of good ethical practice.
B.a skill that some clinicians may choose to develop.
C.not related to ethics, but is related to professionalism.
D.is neither related to ethics nor professionalism.
A counselor is likely to adopt stricter social boundaries and will be concerned about
polluting the transference relationship if he/she is:
A.psychoanalytically oriented.
B.behavioral therapists.
C.working with culturally diverse clients.
D.already engaged in an active social life.
___________ is concerned with perspectives of right and proper conduct and involves
an evaluation of actions on the basis of some broader cultural context or religious
standard.
a. Ethical conduct
b. Community standards
c. Morality
d. Professionalism
The freedom of individuals to choose for themselves the time, place, manner, and extent
of sharing oneself with others is the definition of:
a. confidentiality.
b. privileged communication.
c. privacy.
d. informed consent.
In the case of disclosing confidential information when working with an HIV-positive
client, several writers state that the therapist has a duty to protect when the following
condition exists:
a. the client is engaging in safe-sex with a committed partner.
b. clear and imminent danger must exist.
c. all potential victims must be warned, even if there have been multiple sexual partners
over the years.
d. all persons who have exchanged needles with the client must be found and warned of
possible danger.
The following action would maximize the risks inherent in dual or multiple
relationships:
A.Setting healthy boundaries from the outset.
B.Securing informed consent of clients and discuss with them both the potential risks
and benefits of dual relationships.
C.Documenting any dual relationships in clinical case notes.
D.Becoming romantically involved with the client.
Chaka, a new counselor trainee, appears to be emotionally stable and well-adjusted.
One might say that she demonstrates:
a. character.
b. psychological fitness.
c. borderline personality disorder.
d. resilience.
Departures from commonly accepted practices that could potentially benefit clients are
referred to as:
A.unethical boundaries.
B.boundary crossings.
C.boundary violations.
D.interpersonal boundaries.
The community mental-health worker focuses primarily on:
a. the early crises in an individual’s life and how they were resolved.
b. the person-in-the-environment.
c. the quality of the bonding that took place between the child and the mother.
d. using traditional approaches to bring about changes with at-risk clients.
e. finding ways to include the family of origin in any individual’s therapeutic plan.
___________ is concerned with perspectives of right and proper conduct and involves
an evaluation of actions on the basis of some broader cultural context or religious
standard.
A.Ethical conduct
B.Community standards
C.Morality
D.Professionalism