Ethics of Group Counseling Group counseling is a viable new option emerging in the school setting. It can be effective and cost-effective for the schooling system by addressing a larger number of students and can be used to address a multitude of topics that children often face. One benefit of group counseling in the school setting is that it teaches children important socializing skills with their peers, as students often learn best from each other (Pérusse, 2009). It provides support, assists with emotional and problem-solving skills, and empowers children to be help each other as well as receive help from their peers (Thompson, 2012). The group setting may be perceived as less threatening, it helps bridge the gap in trust for children by providing a safe environment in which children can connect with others, and it allows for interactions that builds on social skills and the development of empathy for others (Thompson, 2012). Although there is value in group counseling at school, some of the problems that surface include scheduling issues, teacher resistance, and ethical concerns as well (Pérusse, 2009). Leading group counseling requires highly specialized skills (Pérusse, 2009). It is important for the counselors to have a solid foundation in group counseling theory and practice to be effective (Pérusse, 2009). As with individual counseling, counselors in this setting struggle with issues of confidentiality from parents wanting to know details of what was said but also with the issue of other students breaking confidentiality outside of group (Crespi, 2009). Record Keeping Another concern that counselors struggle with for both individual and group counseling, is maintaining appropriate records (Crespi, 2009). State... ... middle of paper ... ...or mental health counselors. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 17(1), 63-81. Huey, W. C. (1986). Ethical Concerns in School Counseling. Journal Of Counseling & Development, 64(5), 321. Lawrence, G., & Robinson Kurpius, S. (2000). Legal and ethical issues involved when counseling minors in nonschool settings. Journal of Counseling & Development, 78, 130-135. Meade, M. & Slesnick, N. (2002). Ethical considerations for research and treatment with runaway and homeless adolescents. Journal of Psychology, 149(4), 449-463. doi: 10.1080/00223980209604171 Pérusse, R. V. (2009). Group counseling in the schools. Psychology In The Schools, 46(3), 225-231. http://www.ncsl.org/research/human-services/homeless-and-runaway-youth.aspx Reamer, F. G. (2013). Social work in a digital age: Ethical and risk management challenges. Social Work, 58(2), 163-172, doi: 10.1093/sw/swt003
Have you ever heard the statement, “Whatever is said in this room, stays in this room.” As a group leader working with minors, one must make every effort to make certain student information is kept private and confidential. Group leaders are held to ethical, legal and clinical professional standards and are required to make decisions that protect all members from harm. According to ASCA Ethical Standers (A.2.a), “the professional school counselor, informs the counselee of the purposes, goals, techniques and rules of procedures under which she/he may receive counseling at or before the time when counseling relationship is entered.” When a leader becomes aware that rules are being violated or broken, one should address the whole group.
A professional school counselor is skilled and trained to use his/her best judgment when it comes to students’ rights and confidentiality. One should behave as a professional at all times and be mindful of their behavior. One not only have to be aware of professional values they should also be knowledgeable of applying these standards as they apply to the role of the school counselor. The professional school counselor is responsible for removing barriers to learning and to advocate for change for all students. In the case study assigned for review, I will examine ethical violation as it contains to student rights, confidentiality and professionalism relationships. The school counselor lives and works in a community where one socializes
283). Therefore; any counseling program wanting to make a real change should be held to the highest standards and be evaluated for current and future progress (Houser, 2015). As applied to this paper the population and the goals of the group counseling program should be clearly laid out. The definition of progress should be defined and if a specific timeline for progress is desired it should be made clear. Ultimately; conducting a program evaluation of the proposed program in this paper will demonstrate if the existence of such a program is working and if so then the evaluation can serve as a platform to ensure its
Similarly, inferiority feelings may be challenged to offset the negative concepts and values that form the roots of social and emotional issues. Group therapy can facilitate the social context in which the participants may develop the sense of belonging and community. Some of the beneficial dynamics of the group are the identification between group members’ behavior, participants can benefit from others group members’ feedback, ability to help other and receive support from others members. The group enables the possibility of trying new behaviors and encourages the other students to take action over their lives. There are four stages in group therapy that correspond to four goals in counseling: first establishing and maintaining interconnected relationships with another student of the group; the therapy is based on the idea of equality between members, mutual respect, and identical involvement. The introduction of self-rule bases from the counselor, who is the mediator, is important. Both, students and counselor work together in the process to explore and look for positive change during the sessions (Corey,
Jacob, S., Decker, D. M., & Hartshorne, T. S. (2010). Ethics and law for school psychologists
Many of people around the world find group counseling beneficial, but still there are some that disagree. The prediction of a person’s behavior in the group counseling process is important for the sake of both the group and the individual. This article covers the behind the scenes look at each of these behaviors and what role it has in a group. They wanted to examine whether a person’s behavior in a counseling group can be explained by means of self disclosure and attachment. I think that a person’s behavior can be explained in any setting based upon disclosure and attachment.
Jacobs, E. E., Masson, R. L., Harvill, R. L. & Schimmel, C. J. (2012). Group counseling: Strategies and skills (7th ed.), Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole
Ethics is important for both group and individual counseling, especially group counseling. Both are beneficial; however, group counseling allows a counselor to work with a small-to-medium size group of people who share similar struggles. Members have the ability to learn from one another. Ethics in group counseling is crucial because the counselor or group leader is not only responsible for one person’s personal struggles, but the struggles of multiple people within the group. Counselors and group leaders must emphasize confidentiality in group counseling sessions, unless what a person is sharing is a danger to themselves or others, or against the law. Group counseling has many positives; however, it is important
Group therapy is considered one of the most resourceful forms of therapy. The benefits to group therapy can be both cost-effective and a great means of support (Corey, Corey & Corey, 2014). The process of experiencing ideas and viewpoints expressed by your peers allows group members to become more susceptible to the counseling procedure. Group counseling also helps individuals to feel a sense of belonging due to similar situations and experiences shared by the group. The sense of support from group members can be an excellent means towards developing long-lasting relationships and developing communication skills needed to move forward during the counseling phase. In this paper, I will discuss my experiences throughout the group-counseling phase.
Whether in school settings or other contexts, dealing with ethical and legal issues can be challenging for counselors. In many instances, the practitioner meets individuals from different backgrounds in terms of age, culture, religion, economy, and education among other factors. Each of these people have problems or needs that may be unique to their origins or not. In order to come up with effective solutions, a counselor needs to interpret the problem using the different world views including those of the clients. The counselor also needs to incorporate the underlying principles, policies or procedures in these interpretations as well as in the generation of the possible courses of actions. In fact, the proposed solutions need to be evaluated
Forming a counseling group may seem simple, but it’s not. A “major issue in putting a group together is screening it for potential members” (Gladding, pg. 212). The reason it can be a complicated task to complete is because members are not always volunteers. Screening members for a “group counseling session, is a three step process” (Gladding, pg. 212). We’ll discuss how these steps are an important component of having a successful group.
Throughout the course of a Master’s counseling program, moments of doubt, and a lack of working knowledge are bound to play a major role in the confidence a future counselor will posses in effectively implementing interventions early on in the instructional phase of his or her career. Corey (2010) states that an effective group leader, is able to become aware of their own vulnerabilities, and take responsibility in their responses. To become aware of a possible vulnerable area, a counselor must first take a concise look into their personal strengths and weakness, and then decide to actively seek out assistance with working on vulnerabilities. In exploring the roles of an effective group leader, I have realized that within the group process, I most fear the roles of a group leader that pertain to direct confrontation of a client, I also fear that the improper implementation of a intervention could lead to potential harm of the client. Attending to these fears I hold regarding group member confrontation, and intervention implementation is the key to gaining further understanding into how I can become comfortable with these essential functions of a group leader. The current paper will take a closer look into my vulnerabilities, using current research to gain insight into how I can overcome fears, when facilitating a task, psycho-educational, counseling, and psychotherapy group.
To begin to understand we must explore the differences between group counseling and individual counseling. By better understanding its structure a clearer picture is shown on the necessities of ethics within its environment.
In group counseling a group leader needs to continually make decision, thus there are ethical considerations that need to be taken into account. Establishing the group’s procedures and guidelines is very important. Ethics are an important component of the group process, “possession of ethical and legal knowledge, technical skills, and personal qualities predisposing him or her to strive to achieve moral excellence in his or her group psychotherapy practice” (Corey, Corey, & Corey, 2010, p. 71). A big part of effective group work is confidentially, because this helps group members to feel comfortable and to discuss their problems.
There are many different techniques and approaches to group counseling. The approach that I found to be the most interesting is the existential approach. “The existential perspective holds that we define ourselves by our choices” (Corey & Corey, 2014, p.114). This approach can be successful in therapy because it allows one to oversee one’s future. In this paper, I’m going to generally discuss the existential approach to therapy and where it can be used.