Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CAADC) Practice Exam

What is one of the primary skills used for gathering information in a therapeutic session?

1. Summarizing

2. Paraphrase

3. Reflection

4. Questioning

The correct answer is: Questioning

Gathering information in a therapeutic session is crucial for understanding a client's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. One of the primary skills used for this purpose is questioning. Effective questioning allows the counselor to elicit detailed responses from clients, encouraging them to share their experiences, perspectives, and emotions. Open-ended questions, in particular, are valuable as they promote discussion and provide a deeper insight into the client's issues. While summarizing, paraphrasing, and reflection are also important therapeutic skills, they serve different functions in the therapeutic process. Summarizing condenses what has been discussed, paraphrasing restates the client’s words in a different way to show understanding, and reflection involves mirroring the client's emotions or thoughts. However, without effective questioning to initiate and guide the conversation, the session may not yield the necessary information for effective assessment and treatment planning. Thus, questioning stands out as a primary skill for gathering essential information during therapeutic sessions.