NCE-ABE Exam Dumps - National Counselor Examination

In Counseling and Helping Relationships, especially in systemic and family counseling, Minuchin’s structural family therapy focuses on:

Family structure (patterns of interaction),

Subsystems,

Boundaries,

Rules and norms that govern behavior.

The “standards that govern behavior” in a family—what is acceptable, expected, or prohibited—are best described as family norms (Option B). These norms shape how members interact, how power is distributed, and how roles are carried out.

Family hierarchy (D) is one important aspect of structure (who has authority over whom), but the broader phrase “standards that govern behavior” aligns more directly with norms and rules across the whole family system.

Genetics (A) and socioeconomic status (C) may influence the family, but they are not Minuchin’s primary explanatory construct for behavioral standards.

Thus, B. Family norms is the best answer.

The Social and Cultural Diversity core area emphasizes understanding of acculturation, cultural identity development, and multicultural concepts. Within common acculturation and identity frameworks used on the NCE:

Acculturation (A) is a broad term for the overall process of adapting to a new culture; it does not, by itself, specify whether individuals maintain their original culture, adopt the new one, or both.

Biculturalism (B) describes people who identify with and competently navigate two cultures, maintaining their original culture while also actively participating in and identifying with the new/dominant culture.

Marginalization (C) occurs when individuals do not strongly identify with either the original or the new culture.

Separation (D) refers to maintaining strong identification with the original culture while rejecting or minimizing identification with the new culture.

The question specifically describes identifying with both the original and the new culture. This is the definition of biculturalism, making B the correct answer.

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Within the Career Development core area, counselors are trained to view work, career, and leisure as integrated components of overall life satisfaction and well-being. A foundational assumption is that:

Individuals can meet psychological needs (e.g., achievement, affiliation, autonomy, creativity, meaning) through both work roles and leisure activities.

Satisfaction in life may arise from a combination of paid employment, unpaid roles, and leisure pursuits, depending on the client’s values and circumstances.

Thus:

Option C reflects the principle that personal need satisfaction and fulfillment can come from either or both work and leisure, which guides holistic counseling around lifestyle, not just employment.

Options A and D overemphasize a rigid “work-first” ethic and are more value-laden than is appropriate for ethical, client-centered counseling.

Option B assumes that leisure is “preferable” for most adults, which is not supported as a universal counseling assumption and may conflict with many clients’ values around meaningful work.

Therefore, the assumption most aligned with CACREP-based career counseling concepts is C. Personal need satisfaction may be derived from either work or leisure activities.

In Counseling and Helping Relationships, counselors are trained in behavioral and cognitive-behavioral interventions such as systematic desensitization. This technique involves:

Developing a fear hierarchy (e.g., levels of anxiety for social situations),

Teaching relaxation or coping skills, and

Gradually pairing relaxation with exposure to feared situations.

Client progress is often measured using Subjective Units of Discomfort/Distress (SUDS) ratings. When the intervention is effective, the client’s SUDS ratings for the same stimulus (e.g., attending a social event) decrease over time.

A decrease from 70 to 60 (Option A) indicates that the client experiences less anxiety in that situation, which is evidence that systematic desensitization is working.

An increase from 60 to 70 (Option B) shows worsening anxiety.

Reactivity due to being observed or keeping a diary (Options C and D) refers to measurement reactivity or the Hawthorne effect, not to successful treatment outcomes.

Therefore, the best indicator that systematic desensitization is working is the decrease in SUDS rating, making A the correct answer.

In the Assessment and Testing core area, CACREP expects counselors to distinguish between different categories of instruments, including interest inventories, personality tests, aptitude tests, and self-concept measures.

Interest inventories are designed to assess a person’s likes and dislikes regarding activities, subjects, and occupations. They are widely used in career counseling to help people explore suitable fields based on what they enjoy.

They directly ask about preferences—which is exactly what the question describes.

Why the others are not best:

Likert-type scale (B): This is a response format (e.g., strongly agree to strongly disagree), not a type of test by itself. It can be used in many kinds of instruments (attitudes, beliefs, etc.).

Self-concept inventory (C): Focuses on how people see themselves (self-image, self-worth), not primarily on their likes and dislikes about activities or careers.

Projective technique (D): Uses ambiguous stimuli (inkblots, drawings, etc.) to explore personality dynamics, not straightforward preference ratings.

Therefore, an instrument that indicates likes and dislikes is A. An interest inventory.

The Group Counseling and Group Work core area covers stages of group development. In many commonly taught models:

Stage I (initial/orientation): Members are cautious, often rely on the leader, and seek structure.

Stage II (transition/storming/conflict):

Members may show resistance, anxiety, and testing of limits.

Conflict and even hostility toward the leader or other members often emerge.

This stage is normal and necessary for working through tensions and moving toward cohesion.

Only after working through this conflict do groups typically develop greater trust, cohesion, and emotional closeness in later stages.

The Social and Cultural Diversity core area requires counselors to:

Develop multicultural counseling competence,

Recognize their limitations and biases, and

Engage in ongoing professional development specifically in multicultural issues.

Ethical and training standards emphasize that when counselors recognize gaps in their cultural knowledge or skills, they should:

Seek supervision, consultation, or training to improve their competence with those populations.

Looking at the options:

A. Focus on global concepts and ideas.This can make counseling more abstract and may overlook specific cultural contexts and lived experiences.

B. Disclose any lack of knowledge or awareness to the client.Limited, thoughtful self-disclosure may sometimes be appropriate, but it is not, by itself, sufficient or the most helpful global strategy.

C. Seek supervision and training on multicultural issues.This aligns directly with CACREP’s expectation of ongoing multicultural competence development and is the best answer.

D. Work to assimilate clients who are culturally dissimilar.This is contrary to multicultural principles; counselors should honor and respect clients’ cultural identities, not pressure them to assimilate.

Therefore, the most appropriate and CACREP-consistent action is C (seek supervision and training on multicultural issues).

In the Group Counseling and Group Work core area, CACREP emphasizes the importance of group leadership skills, including self-awareness, emotional regulation, and the impact of the leader on group dynamics.

A central principle is that affect in groups is contagious:

When leaders are visibly anxious and do not manage or contain that anxiety, members often mirror or absorb it, leading to increased tension, defensiveness, or withdrawal.

Effective leaders are aware of their own emotional reactions and manage them so the group environment remains safe, stable, and facilitative of growth.

While:

Ethical and professional standards (option A) do require competence and self-monitoring, the primary reason in group dynamics terms is the direct effect on members.

Option C (improving cohesion and effectiveness) is a positive outcome but is more general and indirect.

Option D (member expectations) may be true, but expectations alone are not the main professional rationale.

The most direct and group-dynamics–based reason is B. Their anxiety can increase that of members.