Think Like the Test 2 - Simon Says

Remember the key lesson from childhood games like Simon Says and Mother May I -- always listen carefully to the instructions.

This question comes from Ben Caldwell Labs' program for the California LMFT Clinical Exam. (It's not from one of the full-length mocks, we wouldn't want to give the answer to one of those away.)

An MFT in a community mental health center receives a new client. The client reports that her family is having financial troubles because her husband recently was laid off, and they have been relying on her income from cleaning houses. Since the layoff, she has taken on five additional houses a week. She reports that her children have told her that she has become angry and mean, and she does not like the person she has become. She says that when she comes home from work, she is so irritable that she throws things. She also reports that she has been drinking more than usual. How should the MFT conceptualize her symptoms:

1. The client has repressed anger about her husband’s layoff
2. The client may have a problem with alcohol and needs to be assessed for substance abuse
3. The client’s symptoms are largely due to her family’s current economic stress
4. The client needs to be assessed for anger management

Intro/outro music: "Swampy Lands" by Adam Saban, licensed via Soundstripe.