NBCC NCE Exam Questions

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81.

A married couple with two school-aged children gets divorced, which drastically reduces the amount of conflict in the home. All of a sudden, however, the younger child starts throwing temper tantrums, whereas before he was perfectly well-behaved. What phenomenon might explain this child's change in behavior following the divorce?

  • Homeostasis

  • Enmeshment

  • Permeability

  • Cybernetics

Correct answer: Homeostasis

Family counselors often see families as systems that aim to maintain homeostasis, or balance. When one change in the system takes place, it is typical for another change to take place as a way of balancing out the changed dynamics. This family system might be used to conflict, and when the conflict is taken away (due to the parents' divorce), the child unknowingly takes it upon himself to express distress.

82.

A graduate student earning his counseling degree wants to conduct a research study examining the relationship between educational level and substance abuse. What type of research would be most helpful in this situation?

  • Non-experimental correlational design

  • Quasi-experimental design

  • Experimental comparative design

  • Non-experimental survey design

Correct answer: Non-experimental correlational design

There are many types of quantitative research that can provide tentative explanations for relationships between factors. A non-experimental correlational design uses a correlation coefficient to describe the relationship between variables. The student in this question could gather information about individuals' current substance use and level of education, then calculate the relationship between the two without using any type of experimental design.

83.

Which of the following is the function of a positive-feedback loop in family therapy? 

  • To induce change to the family system

  • To prevent change in the family system

  • To let family members engage in positive interactions

  • To encourage family members to criticize each other 

Correct answer: To induce change to the family system

Feedback loops, in the language of family therapy, are the product of interlocking systems within the larger family system. There are two kinds of feedback loops: a positive-feedback loop, which induces change in the family system, and a negative-feedback loop, which is the family system in its natural (likely pathological) state attempting to preserve homeostasis and prevent change.

The function of positive feedback loops is not to facilitate certain family interactions.

84.

Which of the following characterizes the group stage of termination?

  • Ending the business of the group

  • Forming connections within the group

  • Resolving conflict within the group

  • Working on new group issues 

Correct answer: Ending the business of the group

Groups can go through discrete stages: an initial stage of acquaintance, followed by a stage of conflict, then a stage where productive work is done, and finally a termination stage when the group's main function is to end the business of the group. 

It is not the time to form new connections, address new issues, or engage in conflict resolution.

85.

Historically, intellectual assessments consistently found differences between cultural and racial groups. What is the best explanation for these differences?

  • Assessment instruments were targeted to favor Whites

  • Men were smarter and better educated than women

  • Blacks were less sophisticated and savvy than other racial groups

  • Cognitive assessments were rarely given to minorities

Correct answer: Assessment instruments were targeted to favor Whites

Historically, intellectual assessments indicated that Whites had higher cognitive abilities than other racial and ethnic groups. However, more recent research demonstrates that differences between cultural and racial groups on cognitive and intellectual evaluations are most often a function of the assessment instruments themselves, which were targeted (often unintentionally) to favor Whites.

86.

What is an ideal length of time for outpatient counseling group sessions with adults?

  • 90 minutes

  • 30 minutes

  • One hour

  • Two and a half hours

Correct answer: 90 minutes

When forming a group, the counselor should be sure to take into consideration the duration that the group will run and how long sessions will be, depending on the group membership. For outpatient group sessions with adults, usually an hour and a half is an appropriate length of time. Inpatient adult group sessions may be shorter, and those for children may be even shorter.

87.

Which of the following is an example of a unit that might be used in cluster sampling?

  • All residents living in one city block

  • All female students enrolled in a statewide university system

  • Children whose parents have divorced in the past 10 years

  • Because 25% of the population in a city is Hispanic, 25% of the study subjects are Hispanic as well

Correct answer: All residents living in one city block

There are many types of sampling, which refers to the selection of subjects from a part of the population. Cluster sampling refers to samples that are not individuals but are units of individuals in the same physical area that are selected randomly. Examples of cluster samples include residents in a city block or students in a classroom.

88.

John Crites' model of career counseling includes three factors when diagnosing the career problem. What are these three components?

  • Differential, dynamic, and decisional

  • Synthesis, prognosis, and follow-up

  • Analysis, collection, and synthesis

  • Dynamic, motivational, and synthesis

Correct answer: Differential, dynamic, and decisional

John Crites' model of career counseling is a comprehensive approach that requires the counselor to make three diagnoses of the problem. These diagnoses include differential (what are the problems?), dynamic (why have the problems occurred?), and decisional (how are the problems being dealt with?). Crites also believed that once the career problem has been diagnosed, the counselor should provide client-centered counseling, psychodynamic techniques, and trait-factor and behavioral approaches.

89.

What do all of the disorders in the disruptive, impulse-control, and conduct disorders section of the DSM-5 have in common? 

  • Problems with emotional or behavioral regulation 

  • Traumatizing events in early childhood 

  • Failure with standard treatments of psychopharmacology

  • Medical interventions as the treatment of choice

Correct answer: Problems with emotional or behavioral regulation 

The section on disruptive, impulse-control, and conduct disorders in the DSM-5 details such things as conduct disorder, kleptomania, and intermittent explosive disorder. These disorders have one major issue in common: emotional or behavioral regulation. 

These persons may or may not have had traumatizing events in early childhood, and standard treatments with psychopharmacology may or may not have failed in individual cases. Medical interventions are not usually the treatment of choice by themselves; parent/family interventions are usually a part of treatment. 

90.

An African-American counselor has recently noticed that he feels increasingly irritated after sessions with a particular client, a white middle-aged man. After consulting with a colleague, the counselor realizes that he feels resentful toward the client because of his own resentment toward white individuals in general for oppression and discrimination against minorities.

The counselor is experiencing what phenomenon during his sessions with this client?

  • Countertransference

  • Transference

  • Personalism

  • Acculturation

Correct answer: Countertransference

In cross-cultural counseling, in which the counselor and client(s) are of different races, ethnicities, or cultures, several concepts should be examined. One of these is countertransference, in which the counselor experiences feelings toward the client(s) that can be attributed to the cultural dynamic. For example, an African-American counselor may feel resentful or angry towards a white client due to the historical context of discrimination and oppression that has existed in American society. If this occurs, the counselor should consult with peers or a supervisor to become more self-aware and find ways to address his concerns without harming the relationship with the client.

91.

What is meant by the concept of a critical period in child development?

  • A sensitive learning or growth period

  • A period of physical transformation

  • A personally defined period of growth

  • A socially defined period of change

Correct answer: A sensitive learning or growth period

Within child development, a critical period is one in which some process or behavior must be successfully completed, or else it is much more difficult to achieve later. Such things as language and some kinds of social learning must be completed at certain ages, or they will become much more challenging to develop at a later time.

A critical period in this context does not refer to physical transformation only, nor is the period personally or socially defined. 

92.

Which of the following would be characteristic of the preparation stage of change? 

  • Coming up with a list of options 

  • Being unaware that change is necessary

  • Trying to figure out whether one wants to change 

  • Taking the beginning steps of change 

Correct answer: Coming up with a list of options 

Prochaska postulated a structured, stepwise model of change that is widely used in therapeutic contexts. It contains five stages. The first, precontemplation, is one in which a person may or may not know they need to change. The second, contemplation, is when a person is most ambivalent about whether to change. 

Preparation, as seen in this example, is when a person is gathering resources and information for change. Action is the stage in which change begins, and maintenance is the habitual realization of the changes that have begun.

93.

What is an example of nominal data?

  • An individual's race

  • A student's numerical score on an exam

  • The Fahrenheit temperature scale

  • The percentage of individuals who live in rural versus urban areas

Correct answer: An individual's race

There are four levels of measurement: nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio. Nominal data refers to numbers that represent categories or qualities of the variable, such as race, gender, and age. Nonparametric statistical measures, which are often used with descriptive data, should be used with nominal data.

94.

Which of the following questions would likely be practiced by a group leader using a linking technique? 

  • "Did you notice you described your accident the same way your colleague did?"

  • "How do you think your personal narrative has changed since the last time you brought this up?"

  • "Who do you think you can reach out to if you need help after the group?"

  • "Is there anyone in your life who you can depend on for support in any circumstance?"

Correct answer: "Did you notice you described your accident the same way your colleague did?"

In the context of group work, linking refers to the practice of referring similar conditions or experiences within the group to each other. In other words, linking occurs when one group member finds their issue directly resonating with that of another. Directly eliciting this connection is the technique of linking. 

The other statements do not consist of a group member linking their experience with another directly. 

95.

The concept of splitting in object relations means assigning "all good" or "all bad" statuses to a person depending on the circumstances. Psychologically, how does this benefit the individual who engages in splitting? 

  • It reduces anxiety by predicting behavior

  • It increases anxiety by predicting behavior 

  • It boosts self-esteem by making others predictable

  • It boosts self-esteem by differentiating the self from others 

Correct answer: It reduces anxiety by predicting behavior

The mind engages in many strategies, conscious and unconscious, to preserve its homeostasis and reduce discomfort. One of these is splitting from the field of object relations. In splitting, an "all good" or "all bad" assignment is made to people based on current circumstances. In adults, it is a way of describing the personality of others that in effect reduces anxiety by predicting behavior and making it knowable. The phenomenon suggests an intolerance for the ambiguity and unpredictability of human behavior.

Splitting is not meant to increase anxiety or self-esteem.

96.

In successful groups, what are the three distinct sections of each group counseling session?

  • Warm-up, action, and closure

  • Basic, advanced, and termination

  • Self, others, and group

  • Confinement, sharing, and closure

Correct answer: Warm-up, action, and closure

There are many group dynamic issues for counselors to remember in terms of group content and process. The content and process are often organized into three distinct group sections: warm-up, action, and closure. In well-functioning groups, there is a smooth transition from one section to the next, and there is a balance between content and process in each section.

97.

For which of the following populations would paradoxical interventions be contraindicated? 

  • Homicidal and/or suicidal clients 

  • Clients in family therapy 

  • Clients in marriage therapy 

  • Clients with severe depression

Correct answer: Homicidal and/or suicidal clients 

Paradoxical interventions can be described as therapeutic modalities that run counter to the expectations of the client. One example is prescribing the symptom, in which the client is asked to exaggerate the symptom from which they are suffering to help the client understand their level of control. Paradoxical interventions can be controversial, as they seek to disrupt productively what the client likely expects from treatment. 

However, these modalities should not be used with homicidal and/or suicidal clients. This is true both in terms of the specific pathology presented and the acuity of these two presentations; paradoxical interventions assume that the client is not acutely ill and a danger to self or others. 

Paradoxical interventions can be used with the other client types listed. 

98.

What is the purpose of establishing a feedback loop throughout the planning of a counseling program?

  • To make sure development is proceeding appropriately

  • To provide a system of checks and balances to show insurance companies that their money is well-spent

  • To assess various areas of need in the program

  • To help establish goals and objectives for the intervention

Correct answer: To make sure development is proceeding appropriately

An important step in the counseling program planning process is processing information as the planning moves forward. It is best to have a clear structure of individuals who can obtain and relay feedback about goals, objectives, needs, philosophy, and the broader system to the planning team to ensure that the planning process is as relevant and thorough as possible.

99.

In addition to themselves, about how many people on average are affected by a person with a substance use problem? 

  • Four

  • Six

  • Two

  • Ten

Correct answer: Four

Substance use issues are prevalent, difficult to isolate in individuals as opposed to families, and widespread in the culture. One fact that complicates the diagnosis of a substance use issue is that the clinical literature does not pay close attention to those outside the individual who manifests the main substance use issue. 

People with substance use issues affect a constellation of people around them who are forced to deal with the use and its consequences. Research suggests that up to four people are affected by an individual's substance use. 

100.

In terms of counseling, what is the difference between sympathy and empathy? 

  • Sympathy places distance between individuals, while empathy encourages engagement 

  • Empathy places distance between individuals, while sympathy encourages engagement 

  • In current counseling practice, the terms are equivalent 

  • Sympathy implies deep understanding, while empathy implies shallow pity 

Correction: Sympathy places distance between individuals, while empathy encourages engagement 

In the practice of counseling, it is important to draw a distinction between sympathy and empathy. Sympathy tends to be an expression that places a distance between individuals and is mainly a way to avoid engagement; in most cases, it expresses pity and seeks to end dealing with the presented circumstance. Empathy is an actual engagement with the feelings of the individual and is seen as far more desirable in a therapeutic context. 

The terms are not equivalent.