Final Exam for the Stress Reduction Consulting Certification Workshop
Please check the best answer:
1. What would be an example of your body’s physical response to stress?
A. Getting upset with your roommate for moving your cheese
B. Breaking out in hives
C. Going down to the bar after work and getting roaring drunk
D. Writing an angry letter to your congresswoman
2. What would be an example of an internal emotional response to stress?
A. You feel depressed and hopeless
B. You cuss out your boss, and tell him to take this job and shove it
C. You detonate a car bomb to show your dissatisfaction with the government’s policies in the Middle East
D. You take up golf, with an aim to meet influential and powerful people
3. What would be an example of a mental response to stress?
A. You begin thinking about taking a vacation in Bermuda
B. You consider the best option to invest for your retirement
C. You play bingo at the senior center
D. You begin planning ways to more efficiently manage your work load, and which part of the tasks assigned to you can delegate to one of your staff
4. Which best describes the role of stress in your life?
A. Experiencing stress is highly abnormal. It means you are seriously mentally ill, and you should go to a psychiatrist for medication
B. My parents, spouse, traffic, and my boss are to blame for my stress
C. Stress is a normal part of life.
D. I don’t feel no stress—I just smoke de spliff
5. Stress can sometimes be positive. Which is an example of a positive stress?
A. You take up long distance running and become physically strong and fit
B. You work 65-hour weeks for five years and you get promoted. You now earn $10,000 more, and have greater responsibility.
C. You go sailing on a boat in the springtime, but unfortunately, you are in boarded by the Coast Guard, and are questioned about smuggling contraband
D. You enroll your daughter in the after school soccer team, but you discover that the other parents are always arguing, swearing at the umpire, and spilling their beer on your clothes
6. When does stress become a negative experience that can harm your health?
A. When it is short in duration and easily manageable.
B. When it is not severe, but continuous and unrelenting.
C. When you don’t feel it because the doctor gave you tranquilizers.
D. When you are able to relax and recuperate between exposures to stress
7. What is NOT a physical symptom of distress?
A. Problems sleeping (insomnia)
B. Headaches
C. Hypertension
D. In-grown toenails
E . Chest pains
8. What is likely true about psychoactive substances in relieving stress?
A. Drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, and using cocaine and marijuana after they get home from work, help millions of people relieve their stress
B. Psychoactive substances have no effect on stress
C. If I get drunk or stoned, this is my own business, and the government has no right to interfere with what I do in the privacy of my own home
D. Alcohol, drugs, and tobacco often make the problem worse.
9. According to Jerome Kiffer, what percentage of adults suffers adverse effects from stress?
A. 34%
B. 47%
C. 43%
D. 53%
10. What is the likely range of doctor’s office visits attributed to stress-related ailments and complaints?
A. 15% to 30%
B. 35% to 50%
C. 60% to 75%
D. 75% to 90%
11. Stress is linked to linked to the six leading causes of death. Which is NOT one of the leading causes of death negatively influenced by stress?
A. Accidents
B. Heart disease
C. Infectious diseases and waterborne illness
D. Cirrhosis of the liver
E. Heart disease
F. Cancer
12. When Jerome Kiffer wrote his monograph on stress, what was OSHA’s estimate of about how much stress cost the American taxpayer each year?
A. $60 billion
B. $200 billion
C. $300 billion
D. $600 billion
13. Untreated stress reactions play a role in emotional disorders. What is the prevalence of emotional disorders attributable to stress?
A. 15%
B. 35%
C. 50%
D. 65%
E. Up to 90%
14. Hans Selye, MD was
A. A psychiatrist
B. A psycho-biologist
C. An endocrinologist
D. A physiologist
E. A physiatrist
15. Dr. Selye described what he called the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS). Which is NOT a stage of GAS?
A. Exhaustion
B. Alarm
C. Arousal
D. Resistance
16. The hypothalamic pituitary axis (HPA) is involved in the body’s response to stress. Which is NOT involved in this internal feedback cycle?
A. The adrenal glands secrete adrenaline and cortisol
B. The pituitary gland secretes ACTH into the bloodstream
C. The pineal gland secretes melatonin
D. The hypothalamus signals the pituitary gland
17. Which is NOT true about Local Adaptation Syndrome (LAS)?
A. It cannot lead to General Adaptation Syndrome, as its effects are localized
B. It is characterized by an inflammatory response, followed by tissue repair
C. Reddening of the skin in response to exposure to an allergen is an example of LAS
D. If the agent causing LAS is severe enough, it can lead to General Adaptation Syndrome
18. What is NOT typical of the alarm phase of the GAS?
A. It mobilizes the flight or fight response
B. The parasympathetic nervous system becomes aroused
C. The sympathetic nervous system becomes aroused
D. The adrenal glands release adrenalin and cortisol into the bloodstream
19. Which is NOT part of the resistance phase of the GAS?
A. Heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure increase
B. Blood glucose, cortisol, and adrenalin levels remain high
C. The organism exhausts its resources and become more susceptible to disease
D. The parasympathetic nervous system returns many processes to normal levels
20. What would likely be true if a person was in the exhaustion phase of the General Adaptation Syndrome?
A. They will likely easily recover with a good meal and a good night’s sleep
B. Their symptoms of the exhaustion phase can be readily overcome with stimulants like coffee, tea, or amphetamines
C. A good tranquilizer like Valium will bring the person quickly back to normal functioning, and they’ll be their cheerful self again
D. The person would be at increased risk for having a heart attack, or contracting cancer
Match the letter of the correct definition to the terminology listed in questions 21 to 31
21. Stress
A - Contributes to resolution of the stress response
22. Stressor
B - This is a balancing act between biological, psychological, and social processes
23. Eustress or positive stress
C - Refers to a steady state within the body—various physiologic mechanisms within the body respond to internal changes to maintain a relative constancy in the internal environment
24. Distress or Negative stress
D - Strategies that cause further problems
25. Adaptation
E – This is a condition in which the human system responds to changes in its normal balanced state
26. Coping
F – A resistant quality that permits a person to recover from stress quickly, and thrive in spite of adversity.
27. Adaptive Coping
G – Manageable stress, which can lead to growth and enhanced competence
28. Maladaptive Coping
H – This any thing that is perceived as challenging, threatening or demanding
29. Active Coping
I - Uncontrollable, prolonged, or overwhelming stress that is destructive
30. Homeostasis
J - This is the change that takes place as a result of the response to a stressor
31.Resilience
K - Actively seeking resolution to the stress
Please check the best answer:
32. What is NOT true about adaptation?
A. Adaptation occurs when a person successfully copes with stress
B. Appraisal of the stressors and the situation aids in adaptation
C. Receiving daily medication from a psychiatrist helps in the process of adaptation
D. People compensate for stress through physiological and psychological means
33. Your client, a 45-year-old male businessman, has just taken your assessment test, and is recounting to you some of his recent health issues. Which symptom would NOT likely be due to stress?
A. Chest pains
B. Recurrent headaches
C. Indigestion
D. Forgetfulness, hard to concentrate
E. Increased frequency and severity of colds
F. Losing his hair (family history of male pattern baldness)
G. Difficulty in sleeping (insomnia)
H. Hard to concentrate
I. Blood pressure has been high
J. Starting to get arthritis
K. Worries a lot about his future (anxiety)
34. When this same client has finished doing his assessment test and has recounted to you the symptoms in question 33, you ask him about the chest pains he reported. What would be an appropriate question for a stress reduction consultant to ask him?
A. Have you talked to your doctor about the chest pains?
B. Have you ever tried hawthorn, cayenne pepper, red rice yeast, garlic, and serrapeptidase? You know, a lot of people get good results with chest pain using these supplements.
C. Have you made out a will?
D. Have you been eating while you are rushed? I’ll bet you’re not digesting your food properly. Don’t worry about the chest pains. It’s probably just gas.
35. Your client learns you do stress reduction consulting. He states he has taken a stress reduction test on-line that has 44 questions, and he scored a 20. He says that according to the evaluation key on this test, this places him in the high category, and it concerned him enough to seek out help. What might you do next?
A. Tell him that on line tests are unscientific, and he needs to use a real assessment test You pull out yours and have him answer the questions.
B. Ask him if he remembers the questions he answered. If he cannot recall, offer to have him do an SFS test where he can give you more information about his symptoms.
C. Tell him that that puts him in severe risk for heart attack, stroke, and cancer—and other horrible diseases—and he needs to learn stress reduction methods from you right now!
D. Tell him that since these tests are so general, he probably shouldn’t be worried. You point out to him that 20 different things might cause the symptoms that are listed there, and they might not have anything to do with stress. Ask him if he would like to learn stress reduction methods, anyway, which will help him with any of his symptoms that are due to stress.
E. Tell him that it does sound like he is under stress, and it would be a good idea for him to get some medication from his doctor to help him cope with life.
36. The Holmes Rahe Stress Scale measures Life Change Units. If a client scores above 300 on the test, what would be an appropriate response?
A. You are under a lot of life stress. You may be at higher risk for stress related illness. I would recommend that you learn how to deal with stress, and I can help you.
B. The test results suggest that you can optimize your health by learning to deal with stress before it reaches crisis levels.
C. The test suggests it would be valuable for you to inoculate yourself for future stressful situations in your life, so you can avoid compromising your sanity and health.
D. You are under a lot of stress, and those dirty, rotten bastards are to blame! Let’s you and I identify who has been ruining your life, and we’ll hold them accountable!
37. Blaming others is not a productive strategy for dealing with stress. What is the way in which you, as a stress reduction consultant, can help your client cope with stress?
A. Teach them skills to deal with the behavior of other people
B. Teach them methods to change the way they internally react to stress
C. Teach them ways to escape the stress by leaving the situation or the person
D. Teach them how to make the other person do their bidding by teaching them strategies for intimidation, lethal techniques from martial arts, and recommend weapons they can use
38. You client signs up for a stress management program with you. What would be the appropriate steps for working with your client?
A. Give recommendations for stress prevention, begin stress reduction training, get feedback on how the techniques you decided upon for your client are working, identify what else your client wants to work on, teach them additional techniques
B. Assessment, identify what your client wants to work on, get their agreement to work with you, train them in stress reduction methods, get their feedback on how the techniques worked, introduce alternative techniques if necessary, and finally, facilitate your client to do stress prevention planning
C. Assessment, identify what your client wants to work on, teach them pre-established modules for stress reduction and stress prevention
D. Identify what your client wants to work on, introduce a standard repertoire for stress reduction and tell you client when to do them, and discuss methods that have worked for you for stress prevention
39. What is NOT a stress prevention strategy?
A. Simplifying your life style
B. Take vacations in a natural setting
C. Scheduling stress breaks during the day
D. Watch your reactions to situations and people
E. Soak in a hot tub
40. What would be an appropriate statement of your scope of practice, once you have completed this training?
A. I’m a counselor
B. I’m a stress reduction coach
C. I’m a stress reduction consultant
D. I’m a psychotherapist
E. I’m an expert on stress reduction
41. A potential client approaches you and tells you that they want to learn how to deal with their stress. What would be appropriate to say?
A. If you work with me, I guarantee you will get results!
B. I can teach you stress reduction methods that many people have found helpful, and I believe that they will also be helpful for you
C. I am an expert on stress reduction, and I can definitely help you!
D. Just trust me… I’ll show you the way to serenity.
E. It’s essential that you work with me; otherwise, your stress will kill you. If you work with me, you are going to save your life! And what is that worth to you?
42. Which of the following is NOT a common stress reduction method?
A. Self hypnosis
B. Visualization
C. Kundalini Breathing using hyperventilation
D. Vipassana
E. Thought Bubble Technique
43. In the Progressive Muscle Relaxation with Soothing Imagery method, what is NOT a helpful measure to aid your client achieve an optimal state of relaxation?
A. Play classical or New Age music in the background
B. Have your client relax their muscles from the feet up to the head
C. Turn on heavy metal music to get them viscerally involved with the meditation
D. Have them visualize they are walking in a forest in the Springtime, with rich sensory descriptions
44. What would be an appropriate application of the Tense and Release method?
A. When your client is in good health with no injuries to the muscles or spine; avoiding pressure to the abdomen if the client is pregnant
B. Electrocute the stress by maximal tension to each muscle group, held for as long as possible
C. Instruct your pregnant clients to send extra energy as they tense their abdomen to charge up their fetus
D. Have you clients say the word “Raaaa” as loud as they can as they tense their muscles to get the stress out
45. Which of the following is NOT a common benefit of the watching the breath method for stress reduction?
A. It calms your emotions
B. It allow you to find stillness and harmony within
C. It allows you to astral travel to the higher Planes
D. It releases tension in our body
46. What is NOT an instruction you would give to your clients if you were coaching them in watching their breath?
A. See how long you can wait between each breath before inhaling again
B. Gently open your throat so you can hear the sound of your breath
C. Let your attention drop into stream of the breath
D. With each breath, let your awareness open to a deeper level of your mind
E. Continue to deepen until you gain union with the still center of the Self
47. In the deep slow abdominal breathing exercise, clients should do all of the following EXCEPT:
A. Place their right hand on the diaphragm area to feel their breathing make their hand rise and fall
B. Breathe out tension, making the sound AAAH
C. Breathe in peace and calmness, breathe out tension
D. They should visualize they are laying on the beach on the French Riviera, listening to the sound of the waves, wearing a very small, tight-fitting bathing suit and wrap around sunglasses, smelling fragrant suntan lotion, and looking their best
E. Have your client focus on how it feels to feel calm
48. In the method of mantra on the breath, what affirmation would NOT be good to use as a mantra for your client to repeat?
A. It’s your fault! You’ve ruined my life! I hate you! I hate you!
B. Om Shanti
C. I am calm
D. I am peace
E. I am relaxed and calm
49. Before using hatha yoga stretches, what is NOT something you need to check for?
A. Ensure that your client does not have any back injury or other medical condition that precludes them from stretching their back, leg, or arm muscles
B. Find out if your client has any religious reservations about using a method drawn from a Hindu religious tradition
C. Determine if your clients can put their right leg behind their head, and ask them to demonstrate—ask them to ignore the pain, and help them to do this, if necessary, by pulling their leg until it is locked behind their head
D. As your clients are doing the exercise, coach them to not stretch so that they are feeling pain, just their comfort level and then slightly beyond
E. Make sure that you are very knowledgeable about using hatha yoga and how to guide others in postures before using any advanced technique
50. If your client states that she feels uncomfortable doing hatha yoga because she believes the Hindu religion is evil, you could use techniques from any of the following alternate methods EXCEPT:
A. Alligator wrestling
B. Tai Chi Chuan or Chi Gung
C. Dance
D. Stretching exercises from athletic warm-up routines
51. Which of the following hatha yoga exercises would you NOT typically use as a beginning exercise for training your client to relieve stress through stretching?
A. The Crescent Pose
B. The Forward Bending poser
C. The Half Spinal Twist
D. The Triangle Pose
52. You have decided that you are going to use an autohypnosis technique to help your clients relax. What is NOT something you should you do to prepare for working with your clients?
A. Practice the auto-hypnosis techniques first until you are comfortable doing them yourself, and you can give suggestions to others to also guide them into this state
B. Explain what the technique is for to your clients, and get their permission to train them in this method
C. Offer to make a self-hypnosis tape for your clients, or get their permission to tape your session together
D. Tell your client you are a powerful hypnotherapist, and you are going to put them into a healing state of deep trance
E. Use progressive muscle relaxation or tense and release to help your client enter a light hypnotic trance
F. Learn more about hypnosis and neurolinguistic programming to build your skills assisting others to learn self-hypnosis
Match the letter of the correct hypnosis method to the result your client seeks listed in questions 53 to 59
53. Client wants to gain better control over his or her behavior
A. Opening chakras method
54. Client has issues with fear or trauma
B. Reflected image in a pond method (hypnotic centering)
55. Client has issues trusting his or her own intuition (gut level feelings)
C. Magic television method
56. Client is scattered and is out of touch with his or her Self
D. Safe beach method
57. Client states he or she needs to be relieved of physical pain and tension
E. Guru in a cave method
58. Client lacks inner peace, feels out of touch with their true nature
F. Bringing in the healing Light method
59. Client has a sense of inner emotional burden, or a core of emotional pain
G. Magic elixir method
60. What might NOT be an example of a good image for visualization?
A. A beautiful rose
B. An image of the goddess Kali, with bulging red eyes and skulls around her neck, with razor sharp daggers in her hands in each of her eight arms
C. The interior of a cathedral or temple
D. An image of a loving Jesus for a Christian
E. A serene mountain lake
61. What is NOT a recommended approach to using visualization with your client?
A. Say to your client, “Here is an image that I think will take aware your stress. Now close your eyes and imagine this image.”
B. Check with the client, “How does this image make your feel?”
C. Show your client your collection of images. Ask her, “Is there any image here that makes you feel tranquil that you would like to use in meditation.”
D. Ask your client, “Are there any places you have been where you felt especially serene and peaceful? Can you recall that image? Can you visualize yourself being in that place again now?
62. What would NOT be a good recommendation to give your clients when you are leading them in the “Relaxing into the Self” exercise?
A. Remove your shoes, loosen or remove your belt and necktie
B. Do this exercise right before you are ready to go to sleep at night
C. Relax your muscles and scan to see your are not holding on to any tension
D. Visualize that you are relaxing into the chakras, and then gentle deepen in meditation until you are reposing into the Self
63. What is NOT an example of mindfulness?
A. You notice what is arising within your body in the present time
B. You allow each sensation to arise, then pass away
C. You note—mentally label—each sensation as it arises
D. You are watching something on the stove, while you are listening to the television playing in the other room, talking on your cell phone, and checking your e-mail on your computer
64. What is NOT a common focus for Vipassana?
A. Tension in your body (body scan)
B. Feelings arising in the present time
C. Thinking about your problems and worries
D. Thoughts arising in the present time
E. Monitoring breathing
65. When you train your clients in the thought bubble technique, what is NOT one of the key points you should observe about this method?
A. Your clients with whom you use this method optimally should have meditated before and be comfortable going into deep levels of their mind
B. Your clients should follow the mantra with their attention, as if the sound was already inside of them
C. They should chant aloud the word, “Coca Cola,” which will produce the relaxation response, and put their brains into an alpha rhythm
D. They should follow the mantra until they reach a place of inner stillness, peace, and silence
66. Each of these suggested guidelines for guiding others in meditation is something that will help you, EXCEPT:
A. Tell your clients to do the meditation the way you tell them to do it, while you remain in your waking state of awareness and check your text messages on your cell phone
B. Journey with your client while they are in meditation, so you give them the sense that you are there with them, they are not alone, and you are modeling for them the state of consciousness they need to be in
C. Give them suggestions as to where to focus their attention
D. Clarify the technique if your clients are not clear about where to focus<
E. Guide your clients back the waking state of awareness after they have entered an altered state of consciousness, and ask them what they experienced
F. Train your clients in how to do the technique so they can do it on their own
67. Your client feels stress and physical pain. What is a technique you would use for this condition?
A. Breathing with affirmation, “I AM peace”
B. Bringing in the Light autohypnosis method
C. Magic elixir hypnosis method
D. Mental Vipassana
68. Your client feels afraid. What method might you use for this condition?
A. Magic television autohypnosis technique
B. Visualize a powerful ally and take their hand
C. Relaxing into the Self
D. Thought bubble technique
E. Breathing the affirmation “I love myself and I take care of myself”
69. Your client feels agitated and irritable. What would be a recommended way to help him with this condition?
A. Opening chakras autohypnosis method
B. Breathing the affirmation, “I find the way to become free”
C. Progressive muscle relaxation and the slow abdominal breathing exercise
D. Visualizing a serene image
70. Your client is uncertain of what to do. How might you work with her?
A. Reflected image in a pond autohypnosis method
B. Guru in a cave autohypnosis method
C. Body scan Vipassana technique
D. Progressive muscle relaxation
71. Your client feels out of control in his life. How might you use a stress reduction technique to help him?
A. Thought bubble technique
B. Hatha yoga or stretching methods
C. Breathing with affirmation, “I am peace”
D. Magic television autohypnosis method
72. Your client feels pressured to please other people and feels out of touch with her authentic self. What stress reduction method might you use?
A. Reflected image in a pond autohypnosis technique
B. Breathing with affirmation “I am guided to right activity”
C. Progressive muscle relaxation and watching the breath
D. Safe beach autohypnosis technique
73. Your client says he feels trapped by the circumstances of his life and he wants to break free. What technique might help give him perspective?
A. Vipassana on feelings
B. The safe beach autohypnosis method
C. Thought bubble technique
D. An advanced hatha yoga stretching method
74. Your client discloses that she can’t deal with life anymore and she is feeling like killing herself. What is NOT a recommended practice to deal with her distress?
A. Tell her, “Snap out of it. Everyone has bad days. Look at all the good things in your life. This is just a bad day, and you’ll get over it. Just go and treat yourself to your favorite dessert tonight after our session.”
B. Disclose your concern about her depression and suicidal ideation
C. Terminate the session and refer her to a mental health professional
D. Offer to continue to support her after she gets some professional help
E. Give a referral if your client does not have a therapist
75. Your client is in meditation and suddenly cries out, “Space aliens are sending gamma X-rays through your television and implanting thoughts into my brain.” He is beginning to look terrified. What should you do?
A. Bring your client out of meditation. If the delusional thinking continues, call your local psychiatric emergency team.
B. Tackle your client while he is in an altered state of consciousness and tie him up, then call the police.
C. Disclose your concern that he has been acting in a very bizarre manner, and offer to do a free therapy session
D. Yell at your client to stop acting like an insane idiot in your office, to get his act together, and to act appropriately.
76. You now have a general knowledge of what stress is, and its potential impact on health; and how to do assessment of stress, plus you have learned some techniques to help you and your clients lower stress. What would NOT be a beneficial next step for you after you complete the class?
A. Continue to learn about stress, and increase your knowledge about methods that lower stress.
B. Learn from your clients to see what helped them.
C. Learn more about hypnosis and counseling methods to improve your ability to serve your clients
D. Practice any technique you intend to use with your clients first, so you know what it does; use it only when you have mastered the method and can guide others in how to do it
E. Begin teaching your clients to do advanced hatha yoga postures to reduce their stress, for you have seen pictures of them in your workbook and on the internet
77. Your client requests a consultation to help her deal with stress at work. You agree to assist her. What might NOT be a particularly helpful way to approach her problem?
A. Identify the sources of her stress at work, and find out what she can and can’t control
B. Train her in practices that will lower her stress, when she is at work
C. Show her stress reduction methods that will help her lower her stress when she comes home
D. Tell her to quit her job and find a less stressful place to work
78. Your client says he feels pain in his neck and headaches after a few hours at work. What would NOT be an effective response to what your client tells you?
A. Ask your client if he feels pain and headaches when he is not at work
B. Find out if your client has gone to the doctor to rule out any medical reason for the pain and headaches
C. Tell your client to take a Tylenol and do some deep breaths
D. Do progressive muscle relaxation and see if this lowers the pain
79. A client engages your services, because he has heard that meditation helps with stress. The following methods would be helpful EXCEPT:
A. You sit down with your client and identify the sources of his stress using an interview and an assessment tool
B. You match his particular stress symptoms to methods you know that help lower that type of stress
C. You ask him if he would be willing to try a meditation technique that could help. If he gives you permission, you guide him in that technique. After he finishes, you get feedback on how he feels, and determine whether this technique helped him lower his stress.
D. You tell your client, “Meditation will absolutely lower your stress!” You begin demonstrating the breath of fire, and ask your client to do it with you for 15 minutes.
80. You give your client recommendations for homework after your first session. All of the following are useful tips for your client EXCEPT:
A. Tell you client, “If you don’t do your homework, I’m going to be mad, very, very mad!”
B. Encourage your client to use the tapes you made for her to help her meditate.
C. Suggest to your client that she needs to schedule a time to do the practices you taught her during the day.
D. Ask your client to write down which meditations were especially helpful to lower her stress, and to record any insights or discoveries she had as a results of her meditation.
You must pass this test with 70% or better, which means you must answer 42 of these 60 questions correctly. Review your test, and when you are satisfied, click the submit button below.
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