Ethical and Legal Issues in Group Counseling

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Ethical and Legal Issuesin Group Counseling
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Best Practice Guidelines - ASGW

• Professional competence in group work is not a
  final product, but a continuous process for the
  duration of ones career
• Some suggestions for increasing your level of
  competence as a group leader
• Keep current through continuing education and
  participation in personal and professional
  development activities
• Be open to seeking personal counseling if you
  recognize problems that could impair your ability
  to facilitate a group
• Be willing to seek consultation and supervision
  as needed

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Professional Training Standards for Group Workers

• ASGW (2000) has recommendations for what
  constitutes competence as a group facilitator
• Knowledge competencies course work is essential
• Skills competencies specific group facilitation
  skills are required for effectively intervening
• Core specialization in group work task
  facilitation groups psychoeducational groups
  counseling groups psychotherapy groups

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Ethical and Legal Issues in Group Counseling

• Informed consent
• Provide members with adequate information that
  will allow them to decide if they want to join a
  group
• Some information to give prospective members
• The nature of the group
• The goals of the group
• The general structure of the sessions
• What is expected of them if they join
• What they can expect from you as a leader

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Psychological Risks of Group Participation

• Although there are benefits to participating in a
  group, there are also potential risks that group
  leaders need to monitor
• Members may be pressured to disclose and violate
  privacy
• Confidentiality may be broken
• Scapegoating may occur
• Confrontation may be done in an uncaring manner
• Group leaders may not have the competencies to
  deal with some difficulties that arise in a group

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Confidentiality

• Confidentiality is the foundation of a working
  group
• Leaders need to define the parameters of
  confidentiality including its limitations in a
  group setting
• Members need to be taught what confidentiality
  involves
• Leaders talk to members about the consequences of
  breaching confidentiality
• Leaders remind members at various points in a
  group of the importance of maintaining
  confidentiality

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Guidelines for Using Techniques Ethically

• Your techniques should have a rationale
• Introduce techniques in a sensitive and timely
  manner
• Dont stick to a technique if it is not working
  effectively
• Give members a choice invite them to experiment
  with some behavior
• Use techniques that are appropriate to the
  members cultural values
• Techniques are best developed in response to what
  is happening in the here-and-now

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The Role of Group Leader Values

• Essential that you are aware of your values and
  how they influence what you think, say, and do in
  groups
• Groups are not a forum for you to impose your
  values on members
• Purpose of a group to assist members in
  examining options that are most congruent with
  their values
• Group members have the task of clarifying their
  own values and goals, making informed choices,
  and assuming responsibility for what they do

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Some Legal Safeguards for Group Practitioners

• Take time and care in screening candidates for a
  group and for preparing them on how to actively
  participate
• Demystify the group process
• Strive to develop collaborative relationships
  with the members
• Consult with colleagues or supervisors whenever
  there is a potential ethical or legal concern
• Incorporate ethical standards in the practice of
  group work

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Initial Stage of a Group
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Initial Stage of a Group

• Characteristics of initial stage
• Participants test the atmosphere and get
  acquainted
• Risk taking is relatively low exploration is
  tentative
• Members are concerned with whether they are
  included or excluded
• A central issue is trust versus mistrust
• There are periods of silence and awkwardness
• Members are deciding how much they will disclose
  and how safe the group is

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Common Fears Experienced by Group Members

• Anxiety over being accepted or rejected
• Concern about the judgment of others
• Afraid of appearing stupid
• Concerns about not fitting into the group
• Not knowing what is expected
• Concern over communicating feelings and thoughts
  effectively

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Advantages of Developing a Here-And-Now Focus

• Dealing with the here-and-now energizes the group
• Members are best known by disclosing here-and-now
  experiencing
• Being in the here-and-now serves as a springboard
  for exploring everyday life concerns

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Leader Attitudes and Behaviors That Generate
Trust

• Careful attending and genuine listening
• Empathy
• Genuineness and self-disclosure
• Respect
• Caring confrontation

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Establishing Goals

• Main task helping members formulate clear and
  specific goals
• Absence of goals considerable floundering and
  aimless sessions
• Collaborative process in identifying goals
• Goals lead to contracts and homework
  assignments

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Group Norms

• Norms and procedures enable a group to attain its
  goals
• Examples of group norms
• Expectation of promptness and regular attendance
• Norm of sharing oneself in personal ways
• Expectation of giving meaningful feedback
• Members encouraged to offer both support and
  challenge to others
• Members functioning within the here-and-now
  context of the group

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Member Guidelines to Benefit from a Group

• Express persistent reactions
• Come prepared to group sessions
• Decide for yourself what and how much to disclose
• Be an active participant
• Be open to feedback and consider what you hear
• Experiment with new behavior in group

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Group Leader Issues at the Initial Stage

• Division of responsibility How to achieve a
  balance of sharing responsibility with members?
• Degree of structuring Creating a structure
  that will enable members to make maximum use of
  group process
• Opening group sessions How to best open a
  group and help members gain a focus?
• Closing group sessions How to best bring a
  session to closure without closing down further
  work later on?