Practice Quiz

Child Psych

Category - Consultation

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When parents accompany a very young child for a psychological consultation to see if the child can benefit from therapy, it is not uncommon for the child to act out. But sometimes it is the parent whose behavior is more of a challenge for the therapist. Which of the following strategies should the therapist use to handle a parent who is not only overly talkative and long-winded, especially on matters irrelevant to the child’s behavior, but seems deaf to the message “Our time is up”?
  1. Begin the session by stating that we only have a limited amount of time, so let’s use it wisely and focus on the real reason we are here.
  2. In addition to suggesting shifting gears when the parent goes off on too much of a tangent, five minutes before the end of the session, announce that we’re almost out of time, so let’s use the few minutes remaining to recap where we go from here.
  3. Set five minutes overtime as the session limit, then get the client’s coat and open the door.
  4. All of the above
  5. None of the above
Explanation
Answer: B - When the client starts getting longwinded about something unimportant, the therapist should suggest shifting gears. Also, if the client is clearly told that there are only five minutes remaining, there is less likelihood of wanting to waste those previous few minutes talking about something trivial. The client must be made to realize that she cannot manipulate the therapist into talking about whatever she wants for as long as she wants. But neither opening the session by specifically restricting the subject matter for discussion nor abruptly declaring the session over is being sensitive to the client’s feelings.
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