Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Practice Examination

What does the technique known as paradox in strategic therapy involve?

1. Directly confronting the client's issues

2. Encouraging clients to engage in the behavior they want to change

3. Offering insight into unconscious processes

4. Facilitating group dynamics

The correct answer is: Encouraging clients to engage in the behavior they want to change

The technique known as paradox in strategic therapy involves encouraging clients to engage in the behavior they want to change. This approach is grounded in the idea that by confronting their behaviors directly, clients may become more aware of the underlying motivations for those behaviors, which can ultimately lead to change. Strategic therapy often seeks to shift clients’ perspectives on their problems by presenting them with a paradox in their actions, encouraging them to embrace or exaggerate the behavior they wish to modify. This can help disrupt the cycle of resistance and promote self-reflection, thereby facilitating genuine change over time. The other options do not align as closely with the concept of paradox. Directly confronting a client's issues may not involve the nuance of encouraging participation in unwanted behavior, and while insight into unconscious processes is relevant to psychodynamic therapies, it doesn’t encapsulate the essence of the paradox technique. Facilitating group dynamics pertains to group therapy practices rather than individual strategic interventions. Therefore, the focus on engaging in unwanted behaviors as a route to awareness and change defines this technique effectively.