Group and Family Therapy
Group and family therapies are therapy sessions that consist of more than one individual. In group and family therapy sessions, the therapist faces legal and ethical challenges that differ from individual sessions and has to put a lot into consideration during the sessions to ensure that legal and ethical guidelines are adhered to. The legal and ethical differences include confidentiality, informed consent, and responsibility (Wrape et al., 2019).
Confidentiality is key in both individual therapy and group or family therapy sessions. However, unlike in an individual setting, confidentiality in a group setting is hard to achieve. In a family or group setting, the therapist should ensure that confidentiality is ensured between the therapist and individuals. Whatever the therapist has discussed with an individual alone cannot be disclosed to the rest of the people (Ezhumalai, 2018). The therapist also needs to ensure that group members don’t divulge confidential information discussed in the group. Individuals participating in group or family therapy have to be educated on the setting and their expectations. They have to give informed consent. Informed consent will guide the individuals on what they are allowed to share and that whatever is said in the group therapy has to remain confidential and not disclosed outside the group setting (Riva et al., 2018). Responsibility is another issue that faces group therapists. Group therapists have an obligation to each of the individuals in the groups. It is challenging to determine what will be useful and beneficial to everyone in the group at once.
Unlike in an individual setting where the therapist can give several suggestions and monitor their successes, what works for one individual might be detrimental to the other in a group setting. The therapist has to consider every individual in the group. Counseling or the way forward on issues has to be something that works for everyone in the group. This can be challenging to determine because what applies to one individual might be toxic to another, and they might hide that fact because they are afraid to go against what other people may term as successful (Wrape et al., 2019). As such, the approaches taken in a group setting have to be well thought and considered, all parties have to be considered, and attention has to be paid to each individual to determine who is improving and who is not.
The aspect of confidentiality in a group setting may also impact the approaches that a therapist takes in the group setting compared to an individual session. The therapist must continually check to ensure they do not disclose aspects of an individual in a group setting, which might affect the individual’s healing process (Ezhumalai, 2018). Unlike in an individual session where the therapist may refer to an individual’s previous experiences to gauge progress, a group setting restricts the therapist on this aspect. Legal and ethical considerations differ in an individual setting from a group or family therapy setting. The differences also affect how a therapist approaches the sessions and the issues the individuals face. The legal and ethical guidelines for each should be considered and applied to ensure successful therapy sessions are conducted.
References
Ezhumalai, S., Muralidhar, D., Dhanasekarapandian, R., & Nikketha, B. S. (2018). Group interventions. Indian journal of psychiatry, 60(Suppl 4), S514.
Riva, M. T., & Cornish, J. A. E. (2018). 11 Ethical Considerations in Group Psychotherapy. The Cambridge Handbook of Applied Psychological Ethics, 218.
Wrape, E. R., & McGinn, M. M. (2019). Clinical and ethical considerations for delivering couple and family therapy via telehealth. Journal of marital and family therapy, 45(2), 296-308.
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Discussion Week 1
Legal and Ethical Considerations for Group and Family Therapy
Post an explanation of how legal and ethical considerations for group and family therapy differ from those for individual therapy. Then, explain how these differences might impact your therapeutic approaches for clients in group and family therapy. Support your rationale with evidence-based literature.
Psychotherapy is talk therapy that is used to treat a huge range of mental illness. It can be used in both the individual and group setting depending on the needs of the patients. Individual therapy involves using various forms of psychotherapy appropriate for the patient to meet their needs, whereas with group therapy, psychotherapy is administered to more than one person using various forms of psychotherapy to meet their needs. When it comes to both individual and group therapy there are certain legal and ethical considerations that the nurse practitioner must abide by when administering care that differ from individual therapy.
With group and family therapy, confidentiality is paramount to the individuals in the group because the people in the group all come from different backgrounds and require a sense of confidentiality. Confidentiality is so important that “the Code of Ethics includes a section about confidentiality that any type of treatment group that is required to reveal personal information, it is the duty of the leader to maintain confidentiality” (Pepper, 2004). “Anything said between any two or more group members at any time is part of the group and is confidential” (Breeskin, 2011). During the first sessions, some rules are set for the people in the group to maintain confidentiality within the group by not taking information shared by other member of the group to people out of the group. “This is a standard ground rule for any psychotherapy group” (Wheeler, 2014). This differs from individual therapy because with individual therapy, confidentiality is between the individual and the therapist, whereas with groups and families it is between more than two people. “What constitutes a breach of confidentiality should be clearly defined, and consequences for breaking confidentiality should be openly discussed” This will impact my therapeutic approach for clients in group and family therapy by making sure everybody in the group is aware of the confidentiality agreement and constantly voicing it every group session so the members of the group are aware and feel safe in that environment. Clients benefit when information is kept confidential and a trusting relationship can be achieved.
Another legal and ethical considerations for group and family therapy that differ from individual therapy is privacy. Privacy is important in group and family therapy because some member might not be comfortable opening up yet and that should be respected. “No group member is ever required to answer any question, to participate in any activity, or to tell anything” (Breeskin, 2011). If a member of the group or a member of a family session decides they do not want to share any information, they have the right to not share any information. However, the point of group therapy is for each individual to open up and share to benefit from the sessions. This information on privacy will impact my practice by making sure members of the group are aware sharing information is beneficial to their treatment, however their privacy is also important and when they feel uncomfortable they have the right to not share any information if they do not want to.
References
Breeskin, J. (2011). Procedures and guidelines for group therapy. The Group Psychologist, 21(1). Retrieved December 1, 2020, from https://www.apadivisions.org/division-49/publications/newsletter/group-psychologist/2011/04/group-procedures
Pepper, R. S. (2004). Confidentiality and dual relationships in group psychotherapy. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 54(1). Retrieved December 1, 2020, from https://doi.org/10.1521/ijgp.54.1.103.40379
Wheeler, K. (2014). Psychotherapy for the Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurse, Second Edition: A How-To Guide for Evidence-Based Practice. New York, NY: Springer.
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