Every profession needs a code of conduct so that professionals can serve their clients diligently. Licensed counselors are under the American Counselling Association code of ethics, which promotes the development of counselors. It also ensures that counselors serve their clients with respect and dignity without considering their cultural background. Therefore, this ethical code ought to be adhered to by counselors.
An overview of the ACA Code of Ethics for group counseling and its purpose.
Group counseling is beneficial especially those who feel alone; however, it is the counselor’s duty to maintain ethical standards even in such circumstances. A counselor’s adherence to ethics communicates to group members the boundaries they should comply with during the session (Words &Ruzek, 2018). Limits ensure the reliability of the group where a person could easily express themselves without feeling that they will be wrongfully judged. The American Counselling Association code of ethics ensures that group sessions effectively help clients cope with their tiresome situations by providing ethical standards that counselors are expected to comply with. It is affirmative on ethics such as confidentiality, informed consent, and group work that guarantee that a counselor meets the client’s demands (ACA, 2014). Confidentiality ensures that trust is the cornerstone of all relationships during the sessions. Informed consent gives the client freedom to choose whether they want to join the group or not. Group work works to ensure that a counselor pairs the right people in one group. That is, people with similar situations are paired together so that they can feel more comfortable when they are airing out their grievances. Therefore, the American Counselling Association’s ethical code is essential for group sessions.
Ethical implications of group counseling.
Ethical standards at group sessions ensure that everyone has a seat at the table. Ethical requirements in a group are a combination of in born ethics, knowledge and skills acquired through learning, laws, and professional standards (Conyne, 2011). If ethics are not considered in group sessions, the session will be deemed flawed, and it means that not all needs of the members will be catered for. Some ethical standards considered in group meetings include fiduciary relationship, equal access to services, self-determination, professional competence, and appropriate termination (Gumpert & Black, 2006). These ethical standards guarantee a safe environment for the clients, access to necessary resources such as research material that would help in solving their issues, a competent and trustworthy counselor who will direct them and make corrections where necessary it ensure a smooth transition to everyday day life after the termination of the group sessions. Therefore, ethical standards are essential in group sessions as they ensure that the needs of the group members are catered for.
Rights of Group Members.
The rights of group members give them a say in the direction the group should take. Several rules, such as the right to privacy, dignity, exclusive relationships, confidentiality, and rightful termination, assure the client receives the best services a group session could offer (Breeskin, 2011). The right to privacy ensures that a client is not pressured to answer any question or participate in a session they do not feel comfortable with. The group member has the right to refuse a question, and they also should not force any member to participate in the group. The right to dignity suggests that not at any one time that a member should be humiliated or abused. They also expected not to harm anyone. During the counseling session, group members should not engage in any sexual relationship. Such relationships could undermine the group’s progress as the rest of the group members would feel left out. Group members have the right to ensure that their names or activities in a group are kept secret. Group members also have to keep secret anything that occurs within the group. The group members have the right to be included in whether the session should be terminated. A session is terminated when the clients’ needs are terminated or when the counselor feels that they could not help meet them. If a member leaves the group unexpectedly, the rest of the group members have the right to be notified. Therefore, group members’ rights need to be respected and adhered to as they protect all group members.
The group leader’s values and the psychological risks of groups should be understood when leading groups.
At times group psychotherapy may fail to provide positive feedback, and therefore the group counselor should be aware of such risks. Counselors should ensure that they are aware of forming biases toward their clients, as this could worsen the clients’ problems (). A psychologist’s bias will be viewed as adverse domination over the client, and therefore during the therapy sessions, the client will reserve their issue from the group. Consequently, the members will not receive the much-needed help from the group. Counselors should also be aware of clients who have severe social phobia. These people find it difficult to talk in front of a group. Therefore if such a person experienced a traumatic event, speaking in front of a group could be a trigger. The person will end up experiencing panic attacks in front of the group members. This could have adverse effects on group members who do not know about panic attacks, and therefore they will be left scarred. Accordingly, the counselor should formulate an effective way of dealing with such circumstances and inform group members beforehand about what could occur during the sessions.
Confidentiality is a value that is held dear in group therapy. However, there are instances when confidentiality is broken, like when insurance companies are billing their clients’ sessions (Donner et al., 2008). This could harm the client, such as the fear of being labeled according to the psychological problem one is suffering from. A person who suffers from depression may want to hide their details from the insurance companies because they fear being labeled. This could be considered insurance fraud, and therefore, the client will be served with criminal charges. To avoid the costs, some fail to attend group sessions, thus undermining their progress with therapists. Therefore therapists should be aware of such risks and forward them to the group to avoid reparations.
In conclusion, group therapy is helpful for most clients as it helps create social relations between the group members, therefore, alleviating the feeling of loneliness when tackling a specific situation. However, a counselor should ensure that they uphold the American Counselling Association code of ethics that provides the professional standards held by both the counselor and group members during the session. It also provides group members’ rights that should be adhered to by both the members and the counselors. Not all group therapies are a success, and therefore, counselors should be aware of the risks and communicate them to their clients.
References
American Counseling Association. (2014). 2014 ACA code of ethics. Retrieved from, https://www.counseling.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/2014-code-of-ethics-finaladdress.pdf
Breeskin, J. (2011, April). Procedures and guidelines for group therapy. The Group Psychologist. http://www.apadivisions.org/division-49/publications/newsletter/group-psychologist/2011/04/group-procedures
Conyne, R. (2011). Group Counseling: Oxford Handbooks Online. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195394450.013.0031
Donner, M., VandeCreek, L., Gonsiorek, J., & Fisher, C. (2008). Balancing confidentiality: Protecting the privacy and protecting the public. Professional Psychology: Research And Practice, 39(3), 369-376. https://doi.org/10.1037/0735-7028.39.3.369
Gumpert, J., & Black, P. (2006). Ethical Issues in Group Work: What Are They? How Are They Managed? Social Work with Groups, 29(4), 61-74. https://doi.org/10.1300/j009v29n04_05
Woods, J., & Ruzek, N. (2018). Ethics in group psychotherapy. In M. D. Ribeiro, J. M. Gross, & M. M. Turner (Eds.), The college counselor’s guide to group psychotherapy (pp. 83–100). Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group
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