20 Common Mistakes Most Therapists Make—And What You Should Do Instead

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1. According to the speaker, the primary goal of the first session is*

a. to have a second session

b. to get more referrals from the person who sent us this case

c. to show patients we have all the answers to their problems

d. to show patients we like them

2. What is another goal of the first session?*

a. Figure out which partner in the couple is the problem.

b. Construct a tentative therapeutic contract.

c. Give good advice.

d. None of the above

3. According to the speaker, a common error in early sessions is*

a. doing too much therapy

b. not doing enough therapy

c. focusing too much on content

d. all of the above

4. We can collect information clients consider sensitive, or we can be sympathetic about their difficulty, but not both.*

a. True

b. False

5. According to the speaker,*

a. We should let patients direct our information gathering process.

b. Some patients don’t need therapeutic goals.

c. The best approach is to ask patients what their problems are.

d. The best approach is to ask patients what they’d like to accomplish in their work with us.

6. According to the speaker,*

a. We should challenge many of the ways patients try to control the therapy.

b. We should refuse to work with any patient who tries to control the therapy.

c. We should respect patients’ reality and let them dictate any aspect of therapy they wish to.

d. None of the above

7. We should consult with other providers currently involved in a case because:*

a. Our malpractice insurance carrier requires it.

b. It gives us a broader context for our sessions.

c. It convinces Borderline clients that we care about them.

d. If we don’t, they’ll gossip about us.

8. According to the speaker, *

a. It’s patronizing to talk to adult patients about “curiosity.”

b. Many “communication problems” involve people being insufficiently curious.

c. It’s unreasonable to expect that people will know what their mate is upset about.

d. People who are upset can’t be expected to have much curiosity about their mates or friends.

9. Part of our value is that we can perceive patients making decisions that they don’t realize they’re making.*

a. True

b. False

10. What is an example of a narrative of powerlessness?*

a. The problem is my culture.

b. I’m not that kind of person.

c. The problem is the patriarchy.

d. All of the above

11. When asking about patients’ lived experience,*

a. Don’t expect much cooperation.

b. Ask them to speculate about what their feelings or motivation must have been.

c. We can show how talking in this way can lead to deeper understanding between people.

d. This dismisses cultural issues.

12. According to the speaker, exploring patients’ self-diagnoses:*

a. will usually lead to conflict

b. forces people to get medication evaluations

c. can challenge their sense of identity

d. expects too much sophistication from them

13. According to the presenter, therapists disempower themselves by*

a. not interrupting unproductive conflict

b. getting involved in power struggles

c. needing to be liked

d. all of the above

14. A clinical task that therapists can feel uncomfortable with is:*

a. stting firm treatment conditions

b. facing clients’ existential crises

c. encouraging clients to examine their shame

d. all of the above

15. According to the speaker,*

a. It’s only natural for therapists to feel shame when they confront patients with painful truths.

b. Accepting our imperfections is an important clinical skill.

c. Feeling guilty during a session typically indicates that we’ve made an error.

d. Since every therapist has flaws, it’s inappropriate to point out flaws in patients.

16. Normality Anxiety is*

a. primarily about sexual performance

b. in the DSM-V

c. extremely common

d. primarily a response to trauma

17. According to the presenter,*

a. When possible, we should reassure patients that they’re normal.

b. Reassuring patients that they’re normal relieves us of the pressure to know everything.

c. We should be very slow to gratify patients’ desire to be assured that they’re normal.

d. none of the above

18. As in the rest of life, a therapist’s primary source of empathy will always be their own life experiences.*

a. True

b. False

19. In couples therapy, *

a. There are many ways of unintentionally siding with one partner.

b. We should generally side with the healthier partner.

c. We should tell couples which is the healthier partner.

d. Patients deserve an answer to questions like, “Which of us is right?”

20. In couples counseling,*

a. We should let a couple’s natural tendencies determine the rhythm of sessions.

b. We should criticize any partner who is too bossy in session.

c. To motivate them, we should embarrass a partner who is reticent to speak.

d. We should actively intervene to make sure partners don’t collude to duplicate their dysfunctional communication patterns in the office.

21. According to the speaker,*

a. It’s never a good idea to let couples argue during session.

b. It gets couples’ attention to say “if you’re going to argue, argue with me.”

c. We should challenge couples to explain why they want to fight in the office.

d. We should tell high-conflict couples that working with them is unpleasant.

22. According to the speaker, *

a. It’s crucial to point out any big values differences in a couple.

b. If we’re not committed to a couple staying together, we shouldn’t take the case.

c. Happy couples agree on everything.

d. None of the above

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20 Common Mistakes Most Therapists Make—
And What You Should Do Instead

Please complete and submit this questionnaire. Once we receive your answers we will process your CEUs and email your certificate.

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20 Common Mistakes Most Therapists Make— And What You Should Do Instead

Please complete and submit this questionnaire. Once we receive your answers we will process your CEUs and email your certificate.

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20 Common Mistakes Most Therapists Make—
And What You Should Do Instead