Chapter 11—Reflection of Meaning and Interpretation/Reframe: Helping Clients
Restory Their Lives
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Choose the BEST method for formulating and responding to the client with an interpretation / reframe.
a.
Match the client’s behavior with the most appropriate microskill.
b.
Draw conclusions from the client’s nonverbal expression of feeling.
c.
Provide a fresh look at the issue and link ideas or information.
d.
Consider the ethnic and cultural background of the client.
2. Meaning ____.
a.
often is found at the more implicit level in client conversation
b.
often is found at the more explicit level in client conversation
c.
is the most important counseling skill
d.
is favored by cognitive-behavioral therapists as it gets at deeper issues
3. Which one of the following is an expected result when using reflection of meaning?
a.
The client will experience their feelings and emotions more deeply.
b.
The client will discuss stories, issues, and concerns in more depth.
c.
The client will role-play personal stories and conflictive issues.
d.
The client will analyze deep-seated memories.
4. Which one of the following is NOT a predictable result when using reflection of meaning?
a.
The client will experience their feelings and emotions more deeply.
b.
The client discusses stories, issues, and concerns in more depth.
c.
There is special emphasis on deeper meanings, values, and understanding.
d.
Clients may be able to discern life goals and visions for the future.
5. Which key words are MOST closely associated with probing for meaning?
a.
Values, purpose, vision
b.
Emotion, affect, feelings
c.
Do, doing, acting
d.
All of the above
6. Which is believed by the authors to be most central?
a.
Thoughts
b.
Feelings
c.
Behaviors
d.
Meanings
7. Which of the following is TRUE about thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and meanings?
a.
These dimensions operate independently, and the counselor must clarify each one.
b.
Thoughts and meanings are the most important dimensions.
c.
Behaviors and feelings are the most important dimensions.
d.
Any change in one dimension affects other dimensions.
8. Reflecting meaning involves ________, while the interpretation/reframe implies ________.
a.
interviewer direction; client direction
b.
client direction; interviewer direction
c.
client topics; interviewer topics
d.
interviewer topics; client topics
9. Linking:
a.
provides clients with new insights.
b.
helps clients experience their feelings.
c.
presents clients with a specific plan for action.
d.
connects clients with social networks.
10. What, if any, is the difference between interpretation and reframe?
a.
There is no discernable difference.
b.
Both focus on providing a new way of thinking for the client.
c.
Interpretation reveals new ways of thinking beneath client conversation; reframe defines a
new frame of reference for considering issues.
d.
Interpretation is new ways of thinking provided by the client; reframe is a new frame of
reference provided by the interviewer.
11. Interpretation / reframing and reflection of meaning ____.
a.
are both a skill and a strategy
b.
seek implicit issues and meanings below the surface of conversation
c.
are designed to help clients examine themselves from a new perspective
d.
all of the above
12. Which of the following is TRUE about Travis’s divorce?
a.
He was clear about the meaning of his divorce.
b.
He would never make any mistakes in future relationships.
c.
He could benefit from further counseling.
d.
All of the above.
13. The counselor used ____ during the interview with Travis.
a.
reflection of meaning
b.
key word encouragers
c.
open questions
d.
all of the above
14. “I‘ve been able to survive AIDS now for three years and my friends have been the thing that have kept
me going. Being with them and their support and smiles has been the most important thing in the
world for me.”
Which of the following focuses most on meaning?
a.
“It’s been hard, but you have been able to make it.”
b.
“Sounds like you have many friends who have been truly helpful.”
c.
“Friends make all the difference.”
d.
“Being with friends and having their support has been the most important thing for you
over these past three years.”
15. Spiritual issues in interviewing, counseling, and therapy are often rooted in ____.
a.
thoughts
b.
feelings
c.
behaviors
d.
meanings
16. Which of the following is most closely associated with values and beliefs?
a.
Paraphrase
b.
Reflection of feeling
c.
Reflection of meaning
d.
Summarization
17. Which of the following is most closely associated with thoughts?
a.
Paraphrase
b.
Summarization
c.
Reflection of feeling
d.
Reflection of meaning
18. Which of the following is most closely associated with emotions?
a.
Paraphrase
b.
Reflection of feeling
c.
Reflection of meaning
d.
Summarization
19. Which of the following is not a question primarily oriented to meaning?
a.
“Could you give me a specific example?”
b.
“What sense do you make of it?”
c.
“What values underlie your actions?”
d.
“Why is that important to you?”
20. Which skill is most useful in working with an implicit level of speech and action?
a.
Reflection of feeling
b.
Reflection of meaning
c.
Summarization
d.
Confrontation
21. “What significant life events have shaped your beliefs about life?” In which of the following constructs
does this interviewer response BEST fit?
a.
Paraphrase
b.
Reflection of feeling
c.
Reflection of meaning
d.
Eliciting meaning
22. A reflection of meaning looks very much like a(n) ________ and ________ beyond what the client has
to say.
a.
question; discerns
b.
summary; looks
c.
encourager; moves
d.
paraphrase; focuses
23. Which of the following questions would NOT be used as part of the discernment process?
a.
“What sense do you make of your illness and the future?”
b.
“What’s been missing for you in your present life?”
c.
“What is the purpose of you working so hard?”
d.
“How does this rejection make you feel?”
24. Discernment ____.
a.
is a value clarification process in which the client seeks to find meaning in life
b.
is “sifting through” our interior and exterior experiences to determine their origin
c.
describes what helping professionals do when they work with clients at deeper levels of
meaning
d.
all of the above
25. Discernment is a strategy that may enable clients to ____.
a.
develop a more positive attitude toward their past problems
b.
discover deeper meanings and purpose in their lives and find a clearer direction for the
future
c.
empower them to make decisions
d.
discover the underlying meaning of their problems
26. The vision quest is to Native Americans as ____ is to any client seeking meaning of their current life.
a.
hoping
b.
discernment
c.
career planning
d.
resolving problems
27. The process of discernment is ____.
a.
completely unrelated to the microskills
b.
a more systematic approach to finding meaning and purpose
c.
another term to describe reflection of meaning
d.
another term to describe interpretation / reframe
28. Individuals do not make meaning by themselves; they make meaning:
a.
with the aid of a skilled counselor or interviewer.
b.
in spite of their multitude of problems and issues.
c.
with the aid of their significant other.
d.
in a broader multicultural context.
29. Which of the following is a key word used by interviewers to elicit meaning?
a.
Intent
b.
Reasons
c.
Cause
d.
All of the above
30. The founder of Logotherapy is:
a.
Sigmund Freud.
b.
Carl Rogers.
c.
Albert Ellis.
d.
Viktor Frankl.
31. Reflection of meaning is most often associated with which theory?
a.
Behavioral
b.
Person-centered
c.
Logotherapy
d.
Psychodynamic
32. Which of the following best applies to Frankl’s Logotherapy?
a.
Focus on the cultural / environmental / contextual issues.
b.
Seek to discover how to deal with major life challenges.
c.
Search for meaning wherever we can find something important.
d.
Search for meanings under thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
33. Which of the following behaviors best describes the client who “hyper-reflects?”
a.
Thinks about things too much
b.
Focuses on the negative meaning of life experiences
c.
Overeats, drinks to excess, or wallows in depression
d.
All of the above
34. To “hyper-reflect,” one ____.
a.
reflects too many feelings and/or meanings to the client’s detriment
b.
thinks carefully about many alternatives thus demonstrating intentionality
c.
transcends suffering through thinking of positive aspects of life
d.
thinks of negative meanings of events in one’s life and may overeat, drink to excess, or
wallow in depression
35. Taking action on life’s meaning, according to logotherapists, is ____.
a.
central to the theory
b.
not important as what we think of things is most important rather than the way things
really are
c.
a way to avoid facing the real meaning of what we do
d.
something that requires constant careful thought and monitoring by the therapist
36. If you help your clients find a “why” through exploration of meaning, ____.
a.
the “how” will often be discovered by the following session
b.
finding the “how” is automatic
c.
they will often find their own “how” or way to achieve their objectives
d.
they will be open to the “how” directed by the interviewer
37. Which question is most likely to bring out underlying client meaning issues?
a.
“Could you tell me more?”
b.
“Could you share some specifics of what occurred?”
c.
“Could you share what sense you make of it?”
d.
“Could you explore that in more detail?”
38. Which one of the following client responses indicates that the client is considering life meaning?
a.
“How will I resolve this issue?”
b.
“I’m so confused; which plan should I follow?”
c.
“What should I really be doing?”
d.
“I am hurt and I am angry.”
39. Reflection of meaning and exploration likely would lead to ____.
a.
an increased awareness of the importance of meditation
b.
the development of new neural connections in the brain
c.
increase in neurons and neural connections in the specific place in the brain where we find
morality and spirituality
d.
none of the above
40. Which of the following best represent the contrast between interpretation and paraphrase, reflection of
feeling, focusing, and reflection of meaning?
a.
In interpretation the interviewer remains in the client’s own frame of reference; in the
others the interviewer uses an external theory as a reference.
b.
In interpretation the interviewer uses his/her own frame of reference; in the others the
interviewer uses the client’s frame of reference.
c.
In interpretation the interviewer uses the client’s frame of reference; in the others the
interviewer uses his/her own frame of reference.
d.
In interpretation the interviewer uses the client’s own frame of reference; in the others the
interviewer uses his own frame of reference.
41. Interpretation / reframing is useful in understanding what is going on in the client’s mind and/or
linking the client to how the environment affects thinking and behavior in which of the following
theories?
a.
Decisional Theory
b.
Cognitive Behavioral Theory
c.
Psychodynamic Theory
d.
Person-Centered Theory
42. Interpretation / reframing helps clients find new ways of thinking about their alternatives for action in
which of the following theories?
a.
Decisional Theory
b.
Cognitive Behavioral Theory
c.
Psychodynamic Theory
d.
Person-Centered Theory
43. Reflection of meaning helps clients find alternative ways of viewing the situation in which of the
following theories?
a.
Decisional Theory
b.
Cognitive Behavioral Theory
c.
Psychodynamic Theory
d.
Person-Centered Theory
44. Interpretation / reframing link ideas and enable the client to understand how unconscious past and
long-term, deeply seated thoughts, feelings, and behaviors frame the here and now of daily client
experiencing in which of the following theories?
a.
Decisional Theory
b.
Cognitive Behavioral Theory
c.
Psychodynamic Theory
d.
Person-Centered Theory
45. Which of the following is a key consideration of intentional interpretation/reframing?
a.
Client’s situation
c.
Client focused purpose
b.
Supporting client
d.
All of the above
46. The skill of reflection of meaning is generally for ____.
a.
less verbal clients
b.
verbal clients
c.
clients who have a history of needing deeper understanding and emotional expression of
relevant feelings, thoughts, and attitudes which in turn may be manifested by unusual
language patterns
d.
severely disturbed clients
47. Which question would most effectively probe for meaning?
a.
“Why do you do that?”
b.
“Does it really matter?”
c.
“How could it be that way?”
d.
“Why is that important for you?”
48. Questioning the client may lead to discernment. Which emotional style is best supported by these
questions? “Get in touch with your body.” “What is your gut feeling?” “What are your instincts?”
a.
Sensorimotor
b.
Concrete
c.
Formal
d.
Dialectic / systemic
49. Questioning the client may lead to discernment. Which emotional style is best supported by this
question? “How have various significant others related to your experiences?”
a.
Sensorimotor
b.
Concrete
c.
Formal
d.
Dialectic / systemic
50. Questioning the client may lead to discernment. Which emotional style is best supported by this
question? “Can you tell me a story that relates to your goals / vision / mission?”
a.
Sensorimotor
b.
Concrete
c.
Formal
d.
Dialectic / systemic
TRUE/FALSE
1. Only reflection of meaning can help clients find their “center of being in the world.”
2. When clients explore meaning issues, they struggle with defining the almost indefinable.
3. Both the interpretation/reframe and reflection of meaning are central skills in helping clients take a
new perspective on themselves and their world.
4. In linking, two or more ideas are brought together, providing the client with a new insight.
5. In interpretation/reframing the frame of reference comes from the client.
6. There seems to be a part of the brain that identifies spiritual experience, according to Ratey.
7. According to the authors, reflection of meaning and interpretation/reframing are influencing skills that
greatly facilitate the creation of new client perspectives.
ESSAY
1. Write three probes that might elicit client meaning in the following client statement.
“I feel lost right now, terribly confused. I’ve done well in philosophy, but somehow the new course
material is terrifying to me. I almost hate to go to class.”
2. Note the following client statement. Select what, in your opinion, are the key words. Generate a list of
opposite words. If you find client opposite constructs, note them by underlining.
“It’s difficult for me to talk about my fears. I just get so upset when I’m put on the spot by anyone. I
feel like I’d just like to make some changes, but I’m too scared to try. I don’t know what sense to make
of it. It seems I’m a person who believes justice and fairness are important. I try to be fair to everyone,
but I don’t succeed. That’s when I get frightened. I see myself as a little person who is trying very hard.
Why are others so unfair to me?”
Again, as you make your list of important key words/constructs, generate a list of opposites and
indicate which of the opposites are yours and which are the client’s.
3. Outline how different theories use interpretation/reframe. Provide examples for each.
4. Discuss the relationship between thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and meanings as outlined by the
authors. Which counseling skills is/are most likely related to each?
5. Point out by examples from your own experience how different people may view the same event, but
still have a different meaning attributed to that event. Make your examples specific and concrete.
6. Discuss how the skill of reflection of meaning might be made useful to people of varying cultural and
religious traditions.
7. How might you use discernment with clients in your professional work in interviewing and
counseling?