COMP Exam – Master Study Set (Combined) – Questions and Solutions
– 2025/2026
The therapeutic alliance is thought to consist of all but the following:
a. tasks
b. bonds
c. shared culture
d. goals - correct answer ✔✔ c. shared culture
The therapeutic alliance is especially critical during which stage of therapy
a. beginning
b. middle
c. end
d. equally important throughout - correct answer ✔✔ a. beginning
Which is the correct order of the levels of the therapeutic pyramid, starting from the top (peak)
to ending at the bottom (base)?:
a. Way of Being, Alliance, Techniques
b. Alliance, Techniques, Way of Being
c. Way of Being, Techniques, Alliance
d. Techniques, Alliance, Way of Being - correct answer ✔✔ d. Techniques, Alliance, Way of Being
Thu Hue noticed that her interventions with the Smith family didn't seem to be working
regardless of which techniques she tried. What should she next consider?
a. The strength of the therapeutic alliance
b. The degree to which she regards the Smiths as humans rather than objects
c. Whether working with families are a good fit for her skill set
,d. Her suitability for the profession - correct answer ✔✔ a. The strength of the therapeutic
alliance
You are working with the Nguyen family. The parents are excited to be coming in so their son,
Thomas, can do better in school. Thomas doesn't want to be there and views you as just
another adult telling him what to do. What is an immediate clinical issue for you to address, and
what is one way you address it?
a. Coping skills; assess what they've done so far that has and hasn't worked
b. Adolescent rebellion; work to contain Thomas' acting out
c. Split alliance; validating each person's perspective
d. Controlling parents; work to help the parents loosen their expectations of Thomas - correct
answer ✔✔ Split alliance; validating each person's perspective
Which of the following could be a thesis statement of the common factors argument?
a. If the therapeutic alliance is strong, everything else will fall into place
b. Factors shared across various theoretical models are responsible for most of the change in
therapy
c. Since the therapeutic alliance is so important, there is no need to learn theory
d. The therapist is the most important variable in therapy - correct answer ✔✔ b. Factors
shared across various theoretical models are responsible for most of the change in therapy
Which of the following approaches to theory would be most consistent with a common factors
approach?
a. Learning one theory in depth then moving onto another until you've mastered as many as
possible
b. Learning one theory in depth and staying loyal to that theory throughout your career
c. Disregarding theory in favor of mastering the therapeutic alliance
d. Only learning theories that enjoy empirical validation - correct answer ✔✔ a. Learning one
theory in depth then moving onto another until you've mastered as many as possible
,Which variables are thought to be common factors of effective therapy?
a. Client motivation, therapeutic alliance, client culture, therapist empathy
b. Therapist empathy, client motivation, use of a structured model, therapeutic alliance
c. Client cognitive complexity, match between client and therapist culture, empirically validated
theory, therapeutic alliance
d. Therapist cognitive complexity, match between therapist and client motivation, empirically
validated theory, therapist empathy - correct answer ✔✔ b. Therapist empathy, client
motivation, use of a structured model, therapeutic alliance
The meta-model of change outlined in the Common Factors text outlines the following three
clinical behaviors common to all effective systemic therapies:
a. Slowing down the process, therapeutic alliance, successful completion of homework
b. Therapeutic alliance, standing meta, identification of family member's faults
c. Encouraging responsibility, successful completion of homework, slowing down the process
d. Slowing down the process; standing meta; encouraging responsibility for one's role in the
interactional cycle - correct answer ✔✔ Slowing down the process; standing meta; encouraging
responsibility for one's role in the interactional cycle
All theoretical models of MFT use the following to help clients reach their goals:
a. Emotional Regulation
b Cognitive Reframing
c. Behavioral Shifts
d. All of the above - correct answer ✔✔ d. All of the above
The idea that family interactions had an influence on individual mental health first came about
in part from observing people in which setting?
a. Post-World War II industrial workplaces
, b. Research studies at the National Institute of Mental Health
c. Group therapy
d. Naturalistic home environments - correct answer ✔✔ c. Group therapy
If a behavior persists over time, it is maintained by:
a. Equifinality
b. A feedback loop
c. Positive feedback
d. Cybernetics - correct answer ✔✔ b. A feedback loop
When Bal nags, Mohammed withdraws. When Jose does more housework, Luida does less.
Which systemic concept best describes these patterns?
a. Linear causality
b. Triangles
c. Complementarity
d. Enmeshment - correct answer ✔✔ c. Complementarity
Bob and Leslie pride themselves on being involved parents. Mary, their 10 year old daughter,
has practically never left their side since she was born - she slept in their room until 5, they've
never gone on a vacation without Mary, and they don't let her play at friend's houses. They
come to therapy concerned about her refusal to attend middle school. Which term best
describes the boundaries between Mary and her parents?
a. Resistant
b. Triangulated
c. Enmeshed
d. Rigid - correct answer ✔✔ c. Enmeshed
Which of the following were among the first family therapy theories?
– 2025/2026
The therapeutic alliance is thought to consist of all but the following:
a. tasks
b. bonds
c. shared culture
d. goals - correct answer ✔✔ c. shared culture
The therapeutic alliance is especially critical during which stage of therapy
a. beginning
b. middle
c. end
d. equally important throughout - correct answer ✔✔ a. beginning
Which is the correct order of the levels of the therapeutic pyramid, starting from the top (peak)
to ending at the bottom (base)?:
a. Way of Being, Alliance, Techniques
b. Alliance, Techniques, Way of Being
c. Way of Being, Techniques, Alliance
d. Techniques, Alliance, Way of Being - correct answer ✔✔ d. Techniques, Alliance, Way of Being
Thu Hue noticed that her interventions with the Smith family didn't seem to be working
regardless of which techniques she tried. What should she next consider?
a. The strength of the therapeutic alliance
b. The degree to which she regards the Smiths as humans rather than objects
c. Whether working with families are a good fit for her skill set
,d. Her suitability for the profession - correct answer ✔✔ a. The strength of the therapeutic
alliance
You are working with the Nguyen family. The parents are excited to be coming in so their son,
Thomas, can do better in school. Thomas doesn't want to be there and views you as just
another adult telling him what to do. What is an immediate clinical issue for you to address, and
what is one way you address it?
a. Coping skills; assess what they've done so far that has and hasn't worked
b. Adolescent rebellion; work to contain Thomas' acting out
c. Split alliance; validating each person's perspective
d. Controlling parents; work to help the parents loosen their expectations of Thomas - correct
answer ✔✔ Split alliance; validating each person's perspective
Which of the following could be a thesis statement of the common factors argument?
a. If the therapeutic alliance is strong, everything else will fall into place
b. Factors shared across various theoretical models are responsible for most of the change in
therapy
c. Since the therapeutic alliance is so important, there is no need to learn theory
d. The therapist is the most important variable in therapy - correct answer ✔✔ b. Factors
shared across various theoretical models are responsible for most of the change in therapy
Which of the following approaches to theory would be most consistent with a common factors
approach?
a. Learning one theory in depth then moving onto another until you've mastered as many as
possible
b. Learning one theory in depth and staying loyal to that theory throughout your career
c. Disregarding theory in favor of mastering the therapeutic alliance
d. Only learning theories that enjoy empirical validation - correct answer ✔✔ a. Learning one
theory in depth then moving onto another until you've mastered as many as possible
,Which variables are thought to be common factors of effective therapy?
a. Client motivation, therapeutic alliance, client culture, therapist empathy
b. Therapist empathy, client motivation, use of a structured model, therapeutic alliance
c. Client cognitive complexity, match between client and therapist culture, empirically validated
theory, therapeutic alliance
d. Therapist cognitive complexity, match between therapist and client motivation, empirically
validated theory, therapist empathy - correct answer ✔✔ b. Therapist empathy, client
motivation, use of a structured model, therapeutic alliance
The meta-model of change outlined in the Common Factors text outlines the following three
clinical behaviors common to all effective systemic therapies:
a. Slowing down the process, therapeutic alliance, successful completion of homework
b. Therapeutic alliance, standing meta, identification of family member's faults
c. Encouraging responsibility, successful completion of homework, slowing down the process
d. Slowing down the process; standing meta; encouraging responsibility for one's role in the
interactional cycle - correct answer ✔✔ Slowing down the process; standing meta; encouraging
responsibility for one's role in the interactional cycle
All theoretical models of MFT use the following to help clients reach their goals:
a. Emotional Regulation
b Cognitive Reframing
c. Behavioral Shifts
d. All of the above - correct answer ✔✔ d. All of the above
The idea that family interactions had an influence on individual mental health first came about
in part from observing people in which setting?
a. Post-World War II industrial workplaces
, b. Research studies at the National Institute of Mental Health
c. Group therapy
d. Naturalistic home environments - correct answer ✔✔ c. Group therapy
If a behavior persists over time, it is maintained by:
a. Equifinality
b. A feedback loop
c. Positive feedback
d. Cybernetics - correct answer ✔✔ b. A feedback loop
When Bal nags, Mohammed withdraws. When Jose does more housework, Luida does less.
Which systemic concept best describes these patterns?
a. Linear causality
b. Triangles
c. Complementarity
d. Enmeshment - correct answer ✔✔ c. Complementarity
Bob and Leslie pride themselves on being involved parents. Mary, their 10 year old daughter,
has practically never left their side since she was born - she slept in their room until 5, they've
never gone on a vacation without Mary, and they don't let her play at friend's houses. They
come to therapy concerned about her refusal to attend middle school. Which term best
describes the boundaries between Mary and her parents?
a. Resistant
b. Triangulated
c. Enmeshed
d. Rigid - correct answer ✔✔ c. Enmeshed
Which of the following were among the first family therapy theories?
