Several features of group work distinguish it from individual counseling and each of these features has ethical implications. Name and discuss two of them

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Several features of group work distinguish it from individual counseling and each of these features has ethical implications:

a . Group members disclose personal information to the counselor and to other group participants. This changes the nature of confidentiality and affects how the counselor deals with privacy issues.
b. The dynamics of therapeutic change are different in group counseling. In individual counseling the mechanism that fosters growth and change is the relationship between the counselor and client, along with the interventions utilized. By contrast, the effectiveness of group work results as much from interactions among the members, including feedback and mutual support among members, as it does from the interventions of the group leader (Welfel, 2016). Thus, the leader has an ethical obligation to screen and select participants who are compatible and can assist each other in meeting their goals.
c. Counselors have less control over events that occur during and between group sessions than they have in individual counseling situations (Remley & Herlihy, 2016; Welfel, 2016). Group members can respond to each other in some unpredictable ways that the group leader may not be able to anticipate. In addition, if some members of the group interact with each other between sessions, this can have a profound impact on the group’s functioning. These factors may make it more difficult for counselors to uphold their ethical duty to protect clients from harm.
d. In an individual counseling relationship, the client has the right to terminate the counseling relationship at any time. Likewise, group participants have the freedom to exit the group at any time, but when group members drop out of an ongoing group, it can have significant effects on other participants and on the functioning of the group as a whole. Thus, group counselors must manage conflicts between the rights of individual group members and the rights of the entire group.
e. Research has demonstrated that group counseling is a powerful intervention. Some writers (e.g., Kottler, 1994; Yalom & Leszcz, 2005) have argued that this creates a potential for greater good or greater harm than may be present in individual counseling. Because such powerful forces are generated in groups, leaders have a complex set of responsibilities.