Unit 5: Therapeutic Approaches – PYQs & MCQs with Full Explanations Covering All Topics
Q1. In psychotherapy, what does the term “therapeutic alliance” refer to?
Answer – C) The trust and working relationship between client and therapist
Explanation: The therapeutic alliance is the mutual trust, respect, and cooperation between the therapist and the client, which plays a key role in successful therapy.
Q2. Which psychotherapy approach believes that harmful behavior can be learned and also unlearned?
Answer – B) Behavioural
Explanation: Behavioural therapy focuses on changing unhealthy behaviors by applying principles of learning. It works on the idea that what is learned can be unlearned or replaced.
Q3. What is the main aim of psychotherapy?
Answer – C) Help individuals understand themselves and resolve personal issues
Explanation: Psychotherapy is a psychological method that helps individuals explore thoughts, emotions, and behaviors to overcome personal problems and achieve growth.
Q4. If someone is feeling anxious and wants help, who is the right professional to contact?
Answer – C) A clinical psychologist
Explanation: Clinical psychologists are trained mental health professionals who help people with emotional and psychological problems like anxiety.
Q5. What is one essential quality a therapist must have to conduct successful psychotherapy?
Answer – B) Strong observational and listening skills
Explanation: Therapists must carefully observe and actively listen to understand their clients’ feelings and problems, which helps in guiding the therapy process effectively.
Q6. What is the main focus of modern psychotherapy?
Answer – B) Encouraging client’s insight, growth, and behavioral change
Explanation: Modern psychotherapy focuses on helping individuals understand themselves better, grow emotionally, and make positive changes in their behavior and thoughts.
Q7. In a therapy session, what is the person who receives the help called?
Answer – C) Client
Explanation: In psychotherapy, the individual who seeks and receives support is called the client. This term shows respect and equality in the therapeutic relationship.
Q8. What is the bond between therapist and client called in psychotherapy?
Answer – B) Therapeutic alliance
Explanation: The therapeutic alliance is the professional trust, mutual respect, and understanding shared between the therapist and the client. It is essential for effective therapy.
Q9. What does “genuineness” mean in the therapist-client relationship?
Answer – B) Being honest and sincere in interaction
Explanation: Genuineness means the therapist is real and open with the client, which helps build trust and comfort in the therapeutic process.
Q10. Behaviour therapy is based on which of the following principles?
Answer – C) Learning theories
Explanation: Behaviour therapy is grounded in the idea that behavior is learned through experiences. Techniques like reinforcement, conditioning, and modeling are used to change unwanted behaviors.
Q11. What is the first step in the process of systematic desensitization?
Answer – B) Teaching relaxation techniques
Explanation: In systematic desensitization, the first step is to help the client learn how to relax deeply. This helps them stay calm when gradually facing their fears later in the process.
Q12. In which situation is a token economy most commonly used?
Answer – C) Reinforcing desirable behaviors in institutional settings
Explanation: Token economy systems are often used in hospitals or schools to encourage good behavior. Tokens act as rewards that can be exchanged for something the person likes.
Q13. What is the goal of aversion therapy?
Answer – B) It replaces positive feelings with negative ones for harmful behavior
Explanation: Aversion therapy works by pairing a negative stimulus with an unwanted behavior so that the person starts associating that behavior with discomfort or unpleasantness.
Q14. What is the main aim of behaviour therapy?
Answer – B) Changing maladaptive behaviours
Explanation: Behaviour therapy is designed to help individuals identify and change behaviors that are not helpful or healthy. It focuses on current behavior rather than past experiences.
Q15. Who developed the approach known as cognitive therapy?
Answer – C) Aaron T. Beck
Explanation: Aaron T. Beck is recognized as the founder of cognitive therapy. He focused on how negative thoughts can lead to emotional distress and aimed to help clients change these thoughts.
Q16. In cognitive therapy, what is the therapist’s main role?
Answer – B) Identify and challenge irrational thoughts
Explanation: In cognitive therapy, the therapist helps clients notice and question their negative or unrealistic thoughts and replace them with more balanced thinking.
Q17. What is a key aim of cognitive therapy?
Answer – B) Replace irrational thoughts with rational ones
Explanation: Cognitive therapy teaches people to replace harmful thinking patterns with logical, realistic thoughts that support healthier behavior and emotions.
Q18. What core idea does Carl Rogers emphasize in his therapeutic approach?
Answer – C) Unconditional positive regard
Explanation: Carl Rogers believed that people grow best when they feel accepted and valued without conditions. This is called unconditional positive regard, a key feature of his person-centered therapy.
Q19. What is the main focus of existential therapy?
Answer – B) Meaninglessness and responsibility
Explanation: Existential therapy helps individuals explore life’s deeper questions like purpose, freedom, and responsibility, especially when facing anxiety or confusion about existence.
Q20. Which of the following does NOT support a healing environment in psychotherapy?
Answer – B) Judgmental attitude
Explanation: A judgmental attitude creates fear and discomfort. Effective therapy needs trust, warmth, and acceptance to help the client open up and grow.
Q21. A therapist who understands and accepts a client’s emotions without being judgmental is demonstrating which core therapeutic quality?
Answer – B) Empathy
Explanation: Empathy is the therapist’s ability to deeply understand the client’s emotions and experiences from the client’s perspective, without judgment or bias. It is essential for building a strong therapeutic alliance.
Q22. What factor plays the most significant role in determining the success of the healing process during therapy?
Answer – C) Client’s willingness to change
Explanation: The client’s readiness and motivation to change is one of the most powerful predictors of therapy outcomes. No amount of sessions or external fame can substitute for internal willingness.
Q23. Which of the following is considered a core ethical responsibility in the practice of psychotherapy?
Answer – B) Confidentiality
Explanation: Confidentiality is a foundational ethical principle in psychotherapy. Therapists are obligated to keep all client-related information private unless there’s a legal or safety concern.
Q24. What does confidentiality in a therapeutic setting mean for the therapist-client relationship?
Answer – C) Not disclosing client information without consent
Explanation: Confidentiality ensures that therapists respect and protect their client’s personal disclosures. Any sharing of information requires explicit client permission unless there’s a legal obligation.
Q25. What does “informed consent” in psychotherapy primarily refer to?
Answer – C) Client agreeing after understanding all aspects of therapy
Explanation: Informed consent means the client voluntarily agrees to participate in therapy after fully understanding the goals, risks, benefits, and procedures involved.
Q26. Which of the following therapist behaviors is considered unethical during a professional therapeutic relationship?
Answer – B) Entering into a romantic relationship with a client
Explanation: Forming a romantic relationship with a client is a serious violation of ethical boundaries in psychotherapy. It damages trust and can cause psychological harm to the client.
Q27. Which of the following is commonly practiced as an alternative approach in mental health care?
Answer – C) Yoga and meditation
Explanation: Yoga and meditation are considered alternative therapies that promote relaxation, emotional balance, and stress relief. They are often used alongside traditional psychotherapy.
Q28. What is the main purpose of including meditation in alternative therapy practices?
Answer – B) To reduce stress and enhance mindfulness
Explanation: Meditation is widely used in alternative therapy to lower stress levels, calm the mind, and develop present-moment awareness or mindfulness.
Q29. Which system of traditional Indian medicine is often classified under alternative therapies?
Answer – B) Ayurveda
Explanation: Ayurveda is a holistic healing system developed in ancient India, focusing on balance in bodily systems using diet, herbal treatments, and yogic breathing, making it a key form of alternative therapy.
Q30. What is the core technique used in acupuncture as part of alternative healing practices?
Answer – C) Inserting fine needles at specific body points
Explanation: Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese healing technique that involves inserting thin needles at specific energy points to balance the body’s flow of energy (Qi) and alleviate various health issues.
Q31. Which of the following is NOT usually considered an alternative form of therapy?
Answer – A) Cognitive restructuring
Explanation: Cognitive restructuring is a psychological technique used in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), which is part of mainstream, evidence-based psychotherapy—not an alternative therapy.
Q32. Reiki, a technique used in energy healing, originated in which country?
Answer – C) Japan
Explanation: Reiki is a Japanese energy healing method developed by Mikao Usui. It involves transferring universal energy through the hands to support healing and balance in the body.
Q33. What is the primary aim of rehabilitation in the context of mental health?
Answer – C) To help individuals reintegrate into society
Explanation: Mental health rehabilitation focuses on improving the individual’s ability to live independently, manage daily life, and contribute to society, rather than just managing symptoms.
Q34. What is the focus of vocational training in mental health rehabilitation?
Answer – B) To develop skills for employment and self-dependence
Explanation: Vocational training provides individuals recovering from mental illness with skills and support needed to find work, earn a living, and live independently.
Q35. What is the role of halfway homes in the mental health rehabilitation process?
Answer – B) Acting as a transition between hospital care and independent living
Explanation: Halfway homes provide supervised residential settings that support individuals in recovering and adjusting before returning to fully independent living.
Q36. When a person is told to speak freely whatever thoughts come to their mind without filtering or judging them, which therapy technique is being used?
Answer – B) Free association
Explanation: Free association is a classic technique used in psychoanalysis where the client is encouraged to say anything that comes to mind. This helps uncover hidden emotions, unresolved conflicts, or unconscious thoughts.
Q37. The idea that a therapist should fully accept and value the client without judgment is called “unconditional positive regard.” This concept belongs to which type of therapy?
Answer – B) Client-centered
Explanation: Client-centered therapy by Carl Rogers focuses on the therapist creating a warm, accepting environment. Unconditional positive regard means the client feels accepted exactly as they are, which helps in personal growth and healing.
Q38. According to Albert Ellis, what causes most of the emotional problems in people, as explained in Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT)?
Answer – C) Irrational beliefs
Explanation: In REBT, Albert Ellis explains that it is not the situation itself, but our irrational beliefs about the situation that cause emotional distress. Therapy helps people identify and replace these beliefs with more rational ones.
Q39. What is the main difference between psychodynamic therapy and cognitive therapy?
Answer – C) One focuses on unconscious past, the other on present thoughts
Explanation: Psychodynamic therapy focuses on unconscious conflicts and early experiences, while cognitive therapy works on changing current negative thought patterns. Their goals and methods are very different.
Q40. According to modern psychology, which is the best way to manage mental health problems?
Answer – C) Using therapy to get support, insights, and skills
Explanation: Therapy gives people emotional support, helps them understand their problems, and teaches skills to deal with life better. It is one of the most effective and respectful ways to handle mental health issues.
Q41. When a therapist remains neutral and accepting during sessions, what does it help the client do?
Answer – B) Express unconscious conflicts and emotions
Explanation: When a therapist is non-judgmental and accepting, it creates a space where the client feels safe. This helps them open up and share deep, often unconscious, emotions and conflicts — especially in psychodynamic therapy.
Q42. What is the foundation of the professional relationship between a therapist and a client?
Answer – C) Confidentiality and psychological understanding
Explanation: A strong therapeutic bond is built on trust, confidentiality, and empathy. Clients open up because they know their therapist won’t judge or disclose private information.
Q43. What is the first step in the process of systematic desensitization?
Answer – B) Teaching relaxation techniques
Explanation: In systematic desensitization, the first step is to teach the client how to deeply relax. Only after that do they gradually face their fears, starting from the least scary situation.
Q44. Which therapy method works by keeping a person in a feared situation until their anxiety naturally fades away?
Answer – B) Flooding
Explanation: Flooding is a behavioral technique where the person is exposed directly to their fear in full intensity — for a long time — without escape. Over time, the fear reduces because no harm actually occurs.
Q45. Which famous psychologist is best known for classical conditioning, which laid the foundation for behavior therapy?
Answer – C) Ivan Pavlov
Explanation: Ivan Pavlov discovered classical conditioning through his experiments with dogs and salivation. His work formed the base for many behavior therapies, like systematic desensitization.
Q46. What is the main focus of cognitive therapy?
Answer – B) Replacing negative thinking patterns with healthier thoughts
Explanation: Cognitive therapy helps people identify distorted or irrational beliefs and replace them with more balanced, realistic thinking. This shift in thoughts leads to improved emotional responses and behaviors.
Q47. Who is considered the originator of cognitive therapy?
Answer – C) Aaron T. Beck
Explanation: Aaron T. Beck developed cognitive therapy in the 1960s. He believed that distorted thinking patterns were at the core of emotional problems like depression and anxiety.
Q48. In cognitive therapy, what is the method called where clients evaluate whether their negative thoughts reflect reality?
Answer – B) Reality testing
Explanation: Reality testing is a core technique in cognitive therapy. It encourages clients to question their automatic negative beliefs and examine the evidence behind them, helping to reduce anxiety and self-doubt.
Q49. What key idea is at the heart of humanistic-existential therapy?
Answer – B) The power of personal choice and growth
Explanation: Humanistic and existential therapy highlights each person’s ability to grow, make choices, and find personal meaning in life. It emphasizes self-awareness, authenticity, and free will.
Q50. According to humanistic psychology, what is a common reason people suffer from psychological issues?
Answer – C) Feeling that life lacks meaning and purpose
Explanation: In humanistic-existential therapy, psychological distress often stems from a sense of emptiness, lack of direction, or not living a life aligned with personal values and purpose.
Q51. In cognitive therapy, what is the first essential step toward change?
Answer – C) Recognizing distorted thinking patterns
Explanation: The foundation of cognitive therapy lies in identifying the negative or irrational thoughts that influence emotions and behavior. Only after recognizing these distortions can the client work to challenge and replace them.
Q52. The positive expectation that therapy will help is known as:
Answer – C) Placebo effect
Explanation: The placebo effect refers to the improvement in a person’s condition simply because they believe the therapy will work, even before any actual therapeutic technique is applied.
Q53. What is the term for the emotional release during therapy that contributes to psychological healing?
Answer – A) Catharsis
Explanation: Catharsis is the process of releasing strong or pent-up emotions. This emotional outpouring often brings relief and insight, helping clients heal emotionally.
Q54. Which therapy focuses on adjusting the spine and musculoskeletal system to support healing?
Answer – C) Chiropractic treatment
Explanation: Chiropractic therapy uses manual techniques to correct alignment of the spine and joints. It is commonly used to relieve pain and improve body function.
Q55. Which practice is known for helping individuals improve breathing, posture, and bodily awareness?
Answer – B) Yoga
Explanation: Yoga integrates physical postures, controlled breathing, and meditation to enhance body awareness, flexibility, and mental calm. It is widely used in alternative and complementary therapy.
Q56. In the context of mental health rehabilitation, how does the family contribute most effectively?
Answer – C) Offering emotional stability and tracking recovery
Explanation: Families play a vital role in supporting emotional well-being, creating a stable environment, and observing progress during rehabilitation. Their involvement helps prevent relapse and promotes long-term recovery.
Q57. What type of reinforcement increases the chance that a behavior will happen again in the future?
Answer – B) Positive reinforcement
Explanation: Positive reinforcement strengthens behavior by adding a pleasant stimulus after the desired action, such as praise or rewards, making it more likely to occur again.