Counselor Edward tells his 14-year-old client Erica, 'You don't really want to get mixed up with a gang, do you?' This is an example of:

• A. A leading question
• B. Open-ended question
• C. Reflective question
• D. Probing question

Answer: (A)

Leading questions push a person toward a specific answer by embedding an assumption in the question. In this case, saying “You don’t really want to get mixed up with a gang, do you?” suggests the expected response is that Erica doesn’t want gang involvement, nudging her toward agreeing with that premise rather than honestly exploring her own thoughts and feelings. This biases the reply and can undermine her sense of autonomy in the conversation. It’s not open-ended, which would invite a fuller, self-directed explanation; it’s not reflective, which would restate what she’s feeling to encourage deeper exploration; and it isn’t a neutral probing question aimed at gathering information. The strength of a counseling approach is to use questions that keep the client’s perspective central and allow genuine expression.