A family system resists change and returns to its usual patterns after a disruption. This tendency is best described as which foundational systems concept?

In a family where the parents argue, the child acts out, the parents stop arguing to focus on the child, and conflict temporarily decreases, the child’s behavior is functioning as part of which type of feedback loop?

A couple presents where the more the wife pursues emotional closeness, the more the husband withdraws, which leads her to pursue more intensely. A systems therapist would conceptualize this pattern using which concept?

A therapist is conducting an initial intake with a couple. To complete a comprehensive biopsychosocial assessment, which of the following should the therapist prioritize alongside relationship history?

During a first session with a family, a therapist notes that the father answers every question directed at the teenage daughter. From a relational assessment perspective, what does this pattern most immediately suggest?

A therapist is assessing a three-generation household that includes a grandmother, a single mother, and two children. The grandmother reports that the mother is irresponsible and the mother reports feeling undermined. What is the most clinically relevant focus for the therapist’s initial relational assessment?

A therapist meets with a couple for their second session to develop a treatment plan. Which approach to goal-setting is most consistent with best practices in MFT?

A therapist is writing a treatment plan for a family with an adolescent who is frequently defiant at home. Which goal statement is most measurable and clinically useful?

During the goal-setting phase, a wife states she wants her husband to be “more emotionally available.” The therapist’s best next step is to:

A therapist and couple establish a goal at intake of reducing weekly arguments from five to one. Six weeks into treatment, the therapist reviews session notes and finds the couple is still averaging four arguments per week. What is the most appropriate immediate clinical action?

Which of the following best describes the primary purpose of setting measurable, behaviorally specific treatment goals in MFT?

A family has been in treatment for eight weeks targeting improved communication between an adolescent and the parents. The parents report improvement, but the adolescent consistently says things are “still the same.” How should the therapist respond to this discrepancy?

A therapist is conducting a suicide risk assessment with a client who has expressed passive suicidal ideation. Which of the following factors would MOST significantly elevate the client’s acute risk level?

During an initial session, a new adult client discloses that they took a handful of pills two days ago in a suicide attempt and have not yet received any medical attention. What is the therapist’s FIRST priority?

A therapist is assessing a 28-year-old client who reports suicidal ideation with no current plan. Which combination of historical factors most increases concern for a future attempt?

A marriage and family therapist is treating a couple together in conjoint therapy. During a session, the therapist learns information from one partner that, if used or disclosed, could be damaging to that partner. According to AAMFT ethical standards, how must the therapist handle information obtained in the course of treating multiple people in the same therapeutic relationship?

A marriage and family therapist concluded therapy with a client 18 months ago. The former client now contacts the therapist asking to begin a personal friendship. Which consideration is most consistent with AAMFT ethical standards in deciding how to respond?

A colleague proposes that a marriage and family therapist receive a set payment for each client the therapist refers to the colleague’s practice, describing it as a routine networking arrangement. How should the therapist respond under AAMFT ethical standards?