Study Credit Quiz

Christian Counseling Ethics -- A Handbook for Therapists, Pastors and Counselors
edited by Randolph K. Sanders © 1997.
(InterVarsity Press: Downers Grove, IL). All rights reserved.
[Answer 21 of 30 questions correctly to receive 35 hours of Continuing Education Credit].

Embracing Our Ethical Mandate (p 11-24)
1. Most Christian therapists today
a. give verbal assent to a code of ethics but quietly disobey them.
b. react with anxiety toward a code of ethics, always fearful they will
    make a mistake.
c. tend to avoid their code of ethics, seldom consulting it for help when
    questions arise.
d. are trained, service-oriented professionals who honestly try to behave
    ethically in their daily work.

Psychotherapy and Christian Ethics (p 25-40)
2. A Christian therapist who is helping Brad and follows a Christian
ethic would
a. primarily strive to alleviate Brad’s depression.
b. strive to decrease Brad’s suffering and help him achieve his potential.
c. maintain neutrality regarding Brad’s infidelity in order to prevent
    judgmentalism.
d. weigh the importance of Brad’s happiness against the importance of
    Brad’s moral obligations (i.e. fidelity).

Essential Elements for Ethical Counsel (p 43-56)
3. Confidentiality can NOT be broken
a. if the client sues the counselor.
b. after a client dies.
c. when the counselor perceives potential violence toward the client’s
    spouse.
d. when reimbursement requires disclosure.

4. A church member who thinks the pastor’s sermon illustration is
referring to their previous counseling session is an example of
a. the power-prestige differential.
b. the divergence of obligations.
c. paranoia.
d. how dual relationships can lead to potential confidentiality problems.

Qualifications of the Christian Mental Health Professional (p 57-74)
5. Professional competency is best understood as
a. advanced academic degrees.
b. clinical expertise.
c. licensures and credentials.
d. a process of character formation.

6. The ultimate task of the Christian mental health professional is
a. to interrelate Christian belief and practice with the best of
    contemporary scholarship.
b. to study only the Bible as a sufficient means of meeting all human
    needs.
c. to reject secular theories, paradigms, values and culture in the mental
    health fields.
d. to seek rigorous mental health training in a Christian academic
    setting (i.e. seminary).

7. The best way for a Christian mental health professional to
“stay alive” as a person is
a. continuing education.
b. peer review.
c. recredentialing.
d. exposure to diversity.

Pastors Who Counsel (p 75-87)
8. The author limits his pastoral counseling with any church member
to no more than 3 sessions because
a. he has many other duties to perform.
b. it protects church members from feeling too exposed.
c. it reduces the likelihood of sexual involvement.
d. all of the above.

Sexual Misconduct and the Abuse of Power (p 86-102)
9. Baylis (1993) argues that sexual misconduct between a therapy
patient and her doctor is always
a. non-consensual and harmful, no matter who initiates sexual contact.
b. consensual if the patient initiates sexual contact.
c. intentional if the doctor initiates sexual contact.
d. autonomous no matter who initiates sexual contact.

10. The patient most likely to become sexually involved with her
therapist is
a. a woman whose father recently died.
b. a woman who suddenly lost her job.
c. a woman who had been sexually molested by her father.
d. a woman previously diagnosed as “psychotic.”

11. A therapist who establishes clear boundaries to prevent sexual
contact with a patient would
a. schedule a favorite patient in between two other appointments.
b. allow for the exchange of gifts so as not to offend the patient.
c. spend extra time on the phone talking with a “needy” patient.
d. engage in extended self-disclosure to affirm the patient’s “human” side.

Christian Responses to the Unethical Healer (p 103-115)
12. If the initial one-on-one confrontation of a therapist’s unethical
behavior is unsuccessful (i.e. the therapist acknowledges no
wrong-doing), the next step recommended is to
a. take official action and report the therapist to the appropriate
    regulatory board.
b. do nothing because after an initial confrontation your responsibility
    as a Christian fellow-professional goes no further.
c. anonymously threaten to report the behavior to the licensing board.
d. use a team approach to confrontation including colleagues, family
    members or friends.

Ethics in Marital Therapy and Premarital Counseling (p 119-138)
13. If a female client in a miserable marriage (with children) believes
that divorce will end all conflict with her husband, the Christian
therapist
a. should not challenge such idealism in order to not interfere with client
    autonomy.
b. should maintain a pro-marriage ethic and factually challenge this
    idealistic thinking.
c. should maintain a position of neutrality if the client is not a Christian.
d. should adopt a utilitarian ethic of seeking the greatest good for all
    involved.

14. Ethically, a Christian counselor’s first action after discovering
physical abuse in a marriage is to
a. promote better communication as a way of eliminating the abusive
    behavior.
b. promote conflict resolution as a way of eliminating the abusive behavior.
c. contract with the abuser to immediately end the abusive behavior.
d. protect the abused through temporary separation or legal recourse.

The Homosexual Client (p 139-160)
15. It is the ethical responsibility of every Christian therapist toward each homosexual client to
a. define their professional competency more in light of their Christian
    orthodoxy than in light of their education, training and supervised
    experience.
b. help educate and encourage the client with the vast body of research
    that greatly clarifies the origin and development of sexual orientation.
c. offer extraordinary treatment interventions which, although not
    grounded in scientific findings, are compatible with Christian orthodoxy.
d. make professional judgments based upon scientifically derived
    knowledge and be sensitive to the stigma and feelings of self-contempt
    which often accompany a homosexual orientation.

16. It is the ethical responsibility of every non-Christian therapist toward each homosexual client to
a. conclude that the removal of homosexuality from the Diagnostic and
    Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders (DSM IV) is an
    endorsement of the healthiness and wholesomeness of homosexual
    behavior.
b. discourage clients seeking to change their sexual orientation from doing
    so, arguing that their desire to change is simply a manifestation of
    internalized homophobia.
c. assist the client in diminishing the influence of their personal moral
    beliefs in order to achieve a more value-neutral attitude toward their
    own behavior.
d. maintain concern for the welfare of clients by including the moral beliefs
    that govern the clients’ lives as part of the total assessment and
    treatment strategy.

The Child Client (p 161-181)
17. The Christian author Ross Campbell (1992) states that “______ is
the first and most important part of good discipline.”
a. establishing parental authority
b. communicating clear boundaries
c. making a child feel loved
d. following through with consequences

Clients with Chronic Conditions (p 182-200)
18. The current prognosis for those diagnosed with schizophrenia is
not positive because
a. the majority of schizophrenics live unproductive lives and depend upon
    others for support.
b. schizophrenia is compounded by the debilitating effects of long-term
    demon possession.
c. there have been no significant advances in the treatment of
    schizophrenia with prescription medications.
d. research has found that schizophrenia is primarily caused by specific
    patterns of family interpersonal relationships that are difficult to change.

Deprogramming (p 201-216)
19. The author believes that a Christian professional counselor can
be of great help to the parents of an adolescent who has joined an
NRM (New Religious Movement) by
a. arranging for a systematic and forcible deprogramming of the teen’s
    newly acquired beliefs and practices.
b. explaining the historical tendency of NRMs to quickly wither and disband.
c. reassuring the parents that rather than having been brainwashed,
    their teen might be freely asserting independence to express spirituality
    in a different form than the parents’ religion.
d. joining with the parents in seeking to expose the NRM as dangerous,
    destructive, and manipulative.

Business Ethics in Mental Health Services (p 219-234)
20. For clients of limited financial means but who truly need therapy,
the author recommends that the Christian mental health professional
a. bill the client’s insurance company at a higher rate so that the
    reimbursed amount is equal to the therapist’s full fee.
b. refer all non-paying clients to local social service agencies.
c. perform a portion of their services “pro bono” or on a “sliding scale”
   to fulfill the biblical mandate for helping the poor.
d. engage in the practice of “cream skimming.”

21. If a managed care company denies further treatment to a client suffering from chronic depression, a Christian therapist’s first step
should be to
a. write a forceful letter to the managed care company, reminding them
    of their “so-called personal commitment” to the client who is “paying
    their premiums.”
b. appeal the managed care company’s decision even if it means
    extended paper work re-justifying a treatment plan.
c. change the client’s diagnosis to one that would influence the managed
    care company toward reauthorization.
d. advise the client to change managed care companies.

Lay Counselor Training (p 235-245)
22. Unlike most therapists in private practice, church lay counselors
will often
a. counsel peers and friends.
b. be exempt from adhering to professional ethical guidelines.
c. ask for “donations” for their counseling services.
d. break confidentiality in the case of disciplining a church member.

23. As a mental health professional in a military setting, Dr. Price
says that his most significant source of help in dealing with ethical
issues has been
a. his senior commander.
b. his written code of ethics.
c. current professional literature.
d. his wife.

Forensic Psychology (p 258-273)
24. The use of “addiction” as an explanation for so many different
types of pathological behaviors today is
a. based largely on unproved assumptions.
b. thoroughly grounded in scientific research.
c. a modern breakthrough in explaining difficult behavior.
d. supported by medical research concerning chemical changes in the
    brain.

Training Programs (p 277-296)
25. In moments of crisis, the therapist’s _______ will largely determine
the response he or she will have to a client.
a. clinical technique
b. character
c. theoretical orientation
d. training

A Model for Ethical Decision-Making (p 297-312)
26. In “Case One: Temptation,” what did Dr. Anthony Case do after the fourth session?
a. terminated counseling with the client.
b. told the client about his attraction to her.
c. called his old mentor and brainstormed about several ways to
    ethically respond.
d. ignored his feelings and scheduled a fifth session.

Christian Codes: Are They Better? (p 313-325)
27. In contrast to Christian ethical codes, the APA Code(1992) anchors
its philosophical foundations in
a. faith in God.
b. love for one’s fellow man.
c. concern for the welfare of the individual.
d. a blend of scientism, humanism and pragmatic values.

28. Christian ethical codes sufficiently address the issue of
a. the competency of a therapist.
b. the personal problems of therapists.
c. the inner life of the therapist.
d. the victim of a therapist’s ethical lapse.

The Ethical Behavior of Christian Therapists (p 326-331)
29. Concerning “Dual Relationships with Clients,” the results of a
survey of Christian psychologists (Oordt 1990) showed that 90 percent
or more rarely or never engaged in
a. accepting or giving gifts over $50 in value.
b. selling goods to clients.
c. asking favors of clients.
d. all of the above.

Ethical Guidelines for the Christian Association for Psychological Studies (CAPS) (p 348-352)
30. In extending grace toward an unethical offender, “the CAPS
Pastoral Network Protocol for Giving Service to Troubled Members” recommends the following approach:
a. “If you have violated the CAPS ethical standards, your membership
     may be terminated.”
b. “How have you thought through for yourself this behavior which seems
     contrary to our understanding of biblical ethics?”
c. “Make a public statement about the possible or actual ethical
     misconduct by a member.”
d. “Threaten the member with loss of CAPS membership, media publicity
     or revelations to that individual’s employer or clients.”