NCE Counseling Skills & Interventions Practice Questions
Counseling Skills & Interventions makes up 15 of every 50 questions on a Tigertest NCE practice test. Here are 10 of the 60 questions on it, each with the answer and the reason.
Updated by the Tigertest team. Based on the NBCC NCE content outline, the ACA Code of Ethics (2014) and the DSM-5-TR. Original questions; 50 per test, weighted like the real exam. Not affiliated with NBCC.
1. A client says, "My boss criticized me in front of everyone." Which response is a paraphrase?
- A."That happened to me once, too."
- B."Your boss called you out publicly."
- C."How did that make you feel?"
- D."You should go and talk to HR."
Answer: B. A paraphrase restates the content of the client's message in fresh words. Asking about feelings is a question, and the others are advice and self-disclosure.
2. Which counselor question is open-ended?
- A."Was the argument on Monday?"
- B."Are you still upset about it?"
- C."Did you two argue again later that day?"
- D."What happened after the argument?"
Answer: D. Open questions invite the client to elaborate and usually begin with what or how. Closed questions can be answered with yes, no or a fact.
3. A counselor says, "You say you're fine, yet you've missed work all week." This skill is:
- A.Confrontation
- B.Minimal encouragement
- C.Reflection of feeling
- D.Summarizing
Answer: A. Confrontation points out a discrepancy between what the client says and does, gently and supportively, to promote awareness.
4. A counselor pulls together the main themes from the session before it ends. This skill is:
- A.Probing
- B.Interpreting
- C.Summarizing
- D.Paraphrasing
Answer: C. Summarizing ties together several statements or themes, often at the start or end of a session or when changing focus.
5. A counselor says, "Right now, as you talk about her, I notice you're clenching your fists." This skill is:
- A.Reframing
- B.Advice giving
- C.Immediacy
- D.Self-disclosure
Answer: C. Immediacy addresses what is happening between counselor and client, or in the client, in the present moment.
6. A client calls herself stubborn. The counselor suggests she is determined. This is:
- A.Reframing
- B.Paraphrasing
- C.Probing
- D.Confronting
Answer: A. Reframing offers a new, often more positive, way of seeing the same behavior or situation, which can open new options.
7. A counselor in long-term recovery is asked by a client if she has ever had a drinking problem. What should guide her answer?
- A.Whether the session is nearly over
- B.Whether she feels like sharing
- C.Whether the client seems curious
- D.Whether it serves the client's goals
Answer: D. Self-disclosure is used sparingly, briefly and only when it serves the client, after which the focus returns to the client. The counselor's own wish to share is not a reason.
8. A client pauses for a long time after a painful statement. What is usually the most helpful counselor response?
- A.Fill the gap with some advice
- B.Allow the silence for a moment
- C.Change to a lighter topic
- D.Ask several quick questions
Answer: B. Silence gives the client time to reflect and feel. Rushing to fill it can cut off important processing.
9. A counselor helps a client find the irrational belief behind her distress and dispute it. This approach is:
- A.Classical psychoanalysis
- B.Rational emotive behavior therapy
- C.Person-centered therapy
- D.Gestalt experiential dream therapy
Answer: B. Ellis's REBT uses the ABCDE model: an activating event, beliefs, consequences, disputing irrational beliefs and an effective new belief.
10. In the ABC model of REBT, what is "B"?
- A.The body's stress response
- B.The background history
- C.The behavior that follows
- D.The belief about the event
Answer: D. A is the activating event, B is the belief about it and C is the emotional and behavioral consequence. Ellis argued B, not A, causes C.
Practice all 60 counseling skills & interventions questions, and the rest of the 200-question bank, in the free NCE training sets. Questions you miss come back until you have mastered them.
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