CCE CPCE Exam Questions

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81.

Which of the following is the most concerning result of counselor insensitivity to issues of diversity? 

  • Gaps in competence 

  • Further social injustice and oppression 

  • Reimbursement issues 

Correct answer: Gaps in competence 

Counselors have an ethical mandate to address issues of diversity in practice. As research indicates, harm can occur when such issues are not treated with due importance and focus. In essence, cultural insensitivity results in gaps in competence in serving such clients, which might result in actual harm. 

Individual counselors likely do not add much to the scales of social injustice and oppression through individual insensitivity. Though this is a concern, the issue of lack of competence is more immediate and impactful to clients. Reimbursement may or may not be affected by this insensitivity, but competence in serving clients appropriately should be the focus of all counseling practice.

82.

With which of the following are concerns about physical contact with clients most concerned?

  • Legal considerations

  • Ethical considerations

  • Diversity considerations

Correct answer: Legal considerations 

Though various concerns present themselves when considering the issue of physical contact with clients, it seems that the current concern with this issue is more driven by legal considerations than any other. The practice of touching clients in any way at all seems loaded with many kinds of legal risks, as the standard of acceptable touch seems highly variable among professionals.

83.

What is a subsystem in family counseling?

  • A smaller system than the main system

  • A larger system than the main system

  • A conflicted relationship within the family system

  • A cooperative relationship within the family system

Correct answer: A smaller system than the main system 

Though there are specific subsystems that emerge during the development of a family, such as parent-child or sibling-sibling, the concept can be used to describe any smaller system within a larger family system. 

As the entire family system depends, in part, on the operation of its subsystems, often the subsystems are the focus of family therapy, such as when a given relationship, whether cooperative or conflicted, is creating larger dynamics within the whole.

84.

How much time should be allotted for formal closure of a group session?

  • About 10 minutes 

  • About 20 minutes 

  • No formal closure is necessary 

  • Formal closure should only be a part of inpatient treatment groups 

Correct answer: About 10 minutes 

In most therapeutic group contexts, there should be some allotment of time at the end of the session for people to be able to comment in some way. This comment can have to do with perceived positives and/or negatives, what they personally got out of the session, and so on. This more formal closure helps end the group in a way that leaves fewer loose ends and encourages even more participation.

85.

Which of the following is the best way to advocate for the counseling profession? 

  • Provide competent services within the scope of practice 

  • Seek out opportunities to defend the profession against misinformation 

  • Engage in public discourse about the primacy of the counseling profession 

Correct answer: Provide competent services within the scope of practice 

Every member of a profession should advocate for their profession; in this regard, counseling is no different. Ethically, however, the best way to advocate for the counseling profession is to provide competent services within the scope of practice of the counseling profession. In this way, the profession's reputation is established and defended through performance rather than vocal advocacy. 

Defending the profession in some way may sometimes be necessary, but the most stable and professional way to advocate for the profession of counseling is to perform the profession well.

86.

If an instrument can be said to have good inter-rater reliability, which of the following would be true about that instrument?

  • The instrument is evaluated similarly by different raters 

  • The instrument is evaluated differently by different raters 

  • The instrument measures what it intends to measure 

  • The instrument is free of error 

Correct answer: The instrument is evaluated similarly by different raters 

Reliability is the characteristic of instruments that describes the integrity of the instrument itself. In this regard, inter-rater reliability describes the consistency of the evaluation of the instrument from rater to rater. In other words, if a variety of students score wildly different scores on the same instrument, there might be an issue with the design of the instrument. 

Validity is the term used to describe whether or not a given instrument measures what it is designed or intended to measure. 

87.

If deception is used in a research design, what is ethically necessary?

  • The deception must be revealed after data collection

  • The deception must be revealed before data collection

  • Deception is not permitted in research design

Correct answer: The deception must be revealed after data collection

Deception in mild and harmless forms is often used in research design with prior approval of an institutional review board. However, the ACA stipulates that after the data has been collected for which deception was deemed necessary, the deception must be revealed to the participants in full (ACA, 2014). 

The deception, in most cases, cannot be revealed to the participants before data collection as, presumably, the deception is in place for a reason related to the nature of the data being collected.

88.

Which of the following is false about a summative evaluation? 

  • It is performed throughout the life of a program

  • It is performed at the end of a program or process

  • It is meant to help drive decisions about effectiveness

  • It can help drive decisions about resource allocation

Correct answer: It is performed throughout the life of a program 

One of the most basic questions about a program or process is whether or not it works. This is, in essence, the goal of a summative evaluation, which is performed at the end of a program or process, or at a specific point chosen, in order to evaluate the whole effectiveness of that program or process up to the point chosen for evaluation. Thus, it is not a continuous evaluation performed constantly throughout the life of a program or process. Such evaluations are often used to drive funding decisions.

89.

What is the overall pattern of wealth inequity in the United States?

  • The gap between the wealthy and everyone else is increasing

  • The wealth gap between classes is very slowly decreasing

  • The wealth gap between middle and lower classes is decreasing

  • The wealthy are becoming less wealthy, though large gaps exist

Correct answer: The gap between the wealthy and everyone else is increasing 

For some time, the overall wealth gap between the wealthy and everyone else in the United States has been increasing. The net worth of middle-income families decreased by 20% and lower-income families lost 45% during the period from 2001 to 2016, while the wealthy increased their wealth by approximately 33% during the same period.

90.

Which of the following is the main consequence for counselors of heightened anti-violence efforts in schools?

  • Confidentiality issues

  • Treatment issues

  • Parental rights issues

Correct answer: Confidentiality issues 

With the increase of violence in schools, it becomes more and more necessary for districts to implement measures in an attempt to prevent it. Some of these measures involve obligations on a counselor's part to report thoughts that are deemed indicative of violent intention. However, these thoughts are not generally precursors to violence in their own right, and in immediately reporting them, a counselor risks the confidentiality and trust of their school-age client. 

Anti-violence measures have an impact on treatment and on parental rights issues, but the main consequence for counselors is this confidentiality issue.

91.

How does the Strong Interest Inventory (SII) work?

  • By comparing established occupational members with unsure individuals

  • By comparing established occupational members with interested individuals

  • By comparing new occupational members with unsure individuals

  • By comparing new occupational members with interested individuals 

Correct answer: By comparing established occupational members with unsure individuals 

Over the years, it has become clear that interest rather than aptitude is the main useful indicator of whether or not a person enters a given profession. To this end, various instruments have been created that take established members of a given occupation who are happy in those contexts to people who are unsure of their occupational direction. Such instruments include the Strong Interest Inventory (SII) and the Kuder DD. 

92.

Why must researchers keep their research data after the project is complete?

  • To allow replicability of results

  • As a courtesy to publishers

  • As a matter of state law

Correct answer: To allow replicability of results 

It is the obligation of researchers in psychology to retain their records of that research, including raw data, so that other researchers can replicate the results. 

This is done to ensure the ongoing integrity and validity of the research and not as a courtesy to publishers. This is a directive of the ACA and not a matter of state law. 

93.

Historically, how involved have counselors been in research?

  • Counselors have been underrepresented in research

  • Counselors have been highly active and engaged in research

  • Counselors are ethically prohibited from participation in research

Correct answer: Counselors have been underrepresented in research 

Counseling practitioners have been underrepresented in research historically, taking little part in either forming or even reading it (Astramovich, 2016). For the most part, counselors have seen research as something for professors or doctoral-level practitioners in the strict discipline of psychology to perform. Counseling practitioners have tended to see research per se as irrelevant to their daily work.

94.

Which of the following accurately describes the two sometimes conflicting components of culture?

  • Group versus individual 

  • Self versus other 

  • Race versus ethnicity 

Correct answer: Group versus individual 

Culture can be said to contain two distinct components that sometimes come into conflict; that of the group, with all of its norms and rules, and that of the individual, which is likely in a state of constant identitarian movement in relation to numerous factors within the wider culture. This tension results in much wider categories of difference than one might expect if one simply examines the major groups in a society. 

Though race, ethnicity, and self are all part of this tension, the central issue remains the dialogue between the individual and the wider culture.

95.

What is the guidance of the ACA with respect to informed consent for mandated clients? 

  • Informed consent must be obtained 

  • There is no need for informed consent 

  • The issue is settled by the court orders involved 

Correct answer: Informed consent must be obtained 

Though jurisdictional requirements vary, the guidance of the ACA is clear with respect to the services provided to mandated clients. The ACA stipulates that informed consent must be obtained from these mandated clients in most ways similar to non-mandated clients, including consent for services and release of information.

Obviously, this puts the counselor in a bind with respect to court orders that may be the source of such mandation; the best course of action is to adhere to the agency policy or court provisions from local jurisdictions that will no doubt address the issue in its full complexity. 

96.

Are women treated differently in psychiatric contexts than men?

  • Yes, they are diagnosed and prescribed medication differently

  • There is no research to support this conclusion

  • Yes, they are diagnosed differently but prescribed medication equally

Correct answer: Yes, they are diagnosed and prescribed medication differently 

Research indicates that women are treated differently in current psychiatric culture than men. The result is that women tend to receive more prescriptions than do men, especially with regard to psychotropic medication. They are also diagnosed differently, as their symptoms are evaluated differently than those of men. Feminist researchers tend to identify some of this symptomology as non-pathological and a reaction to male oppression.

97.

Is it possible for an instrument to be reliable for one client and not another?

  • Yes, due to instrument bias

  • No, this would indicate an error

  • Yes, this is common in research

  • No, unless the instrument has different forms

Correct answer: Yes, due to instrument bias 

Instrument bias, or the way in which a given data-gathering instrument can be flawed and yield inaccurate data, can take many forms. One indicator that such bias is present is when an instrument seems reliable for one client and not another. This will likely be due to a flaw in the instrument that does not account for some client-based factor, such as issues related to culture, ethnicity, or gender.

98.

Which of the following is a major concern about the variety of technological career assessment instruments?

  • Validity

  • Availability

  • Reliability

  • Ethics

Correct answer: Validity 

As Barak (2003) points out, there are now two broadly differentiated types of technologically-based career assessments. Many of these have been validated by professionals in the field and backed by research; however, many of the more commonly available instruments are not. These have been composed by amateurs in many cases, illegally adapted from established sources, and have undergone virtually no rigor in evaluating them for use. 

This is an ethical concern, but the more pressing concern is that the instruments in question may or may not be valid at all in measuring what they claim to measure.

99.

What is the proper way to handle reluctance to self-disclose in a therapeutic group? 

  • Remind the reluctant member of their control

  • Assess that member's suitability for the group 

  • Meet with the reluctant member privately

  • Encourage the reluctant member to leave 

Correct answer: Remind the reluctant member of their control 

Most issues that arise within a therapeutic group are best handled within the context of the group for a few reasons. The group can offer support for members who are experiencing similar issues, such as a reluctance to self-disclose if self-disclosure is considered a necessary element of the group. Similarly, handling the issue within the group teaches the group that they can accomplish this. Perhaps the best way to handle reluctance to self-disclose, in particular, is to remind the group member that it is within their control to decide what and how much to share. 

100.

How would role reversal work as a technique in a group context?

  • By having a client take on the part of another person

  • By encouraging productive conflict among participants

  • By having a client take on the role of group facilitator

  • By having a client "become" an illness

Correct answer: By having a client take on the part of another person

Role reversal as a therapeutic technique can be valuable in many contexts. It amounts to a role-playing exercise in which a given client is encouraged to take on the role of another person. This allows the client to experiment with different perspectives and plans of action around the issue that brought them into treatment by "stepping outside" their own frame of reference. 

The technique does not usually involve conflict among participants, though conflict may be a theme of the roleplay. Role reversal does not ask clients to become facilitators or take on the role of an illness, but encourages the client to alter their way of thinking.