The University

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Ethical and Professional

Issues in Group Practice
NURAIHAN M NOORDIN

1
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The Rights of Group Members
• Members need enough information about a group to be
able to make informed choices

• Educate members about their rights and responsibilities

• Confidentiality is essential but not absolute

Theory and Practice of Group Counseling—Chapter 3 (1) 2

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Ethical Issues in Group Membership.
1. Screening and selection of group members
- Difficult task: determine who should be included in a
group and who should not.

2. Preparing group participants

- Exploring group members’ misconceptions and
expectation, predicting early problems, and providing
a conceptual framework that includes guidelines for
effective group behavior.

Theory and Practice of Group Counseling—Chapter 3 (3) 3

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3. Involuntary participation
- People can be forced to attend but not to learn.

4. Freedom to leave group

- Procedures for leaving a group should be explained
to all members during the initial session

5. Psychological risks
- No guarantee all members will respect confidentiality
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The Rights of Group Members
 Exceptions to confidentiality:

 The client poses a danger to others or self

 A minor, elder, or dependent adult is victim of abuse or

neglect
 The client needs to be hospitalized

 The information is made an issue in a court action

 The client requests a release of record

Theory and Practice of Group Counseling—Chapter 3 (2) 5

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Some Critical Ethical Issues
• Protecting members from psychological risks in
groups

• Ethics of group leaders’ actions

• Subgrouping and out-of-group contact

Theory and Practice of Group Counseling—Chapter 3 (4) 6

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The Group Leader’s Values
• Be aware of how your values influence your group
interventions and recognize that you are not value-
neutral

• Assist members in finding answers that are most

congruent with their own values

• Find ways to manage value conflicts between you and

the members

Theory and Practice of Group Counseling—Chapter 3 (5) 7

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The Group Leader’s Values
• Recognize that much of group members’ exploration
involves clarifying their values

• Monitor any members who may attempt to impose

their values on other members

Theory and Practice of Group Counseling—Chapter 3 (6) 8

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Ethical Issues in Multicultural Group
Counseling
• Become aware of your cultural values

• Come to know and challenge your biases; confront

stereotypes

• Promote sensitivity and competence in addressing all

forms of diversity

Theory and Practice of Group Counseling—Chapter 3 (7) 9

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Ethical Issues in Multicultural Group
Counseling
• Transcend cultural encapsulation and avoid imposing
your worldview on members

• Recognize differences among and within groups

• Align the values of the group process with the cultural

values of your members

Theory and Practice of Group Counseling—Chapter 3 (8) 10

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Using Group Techniques
of Choice

 Have a rationale for all techniques

 Avoid misusing techniques to impose your agenda

 Use techniques to foster self-exploration and self-

understanding

 Modify techniques based on cultural and ethnic

backgrounds of members

Theory and Practice of Group Counseling—Chapter 3 (9) 11

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Group Leader Competence of Choice

• Determining your level of competence:

– How can I assess my level of competence?

– How can I upgrade my knowledge and skills?

– What techniques can I successfully employ?

– How can I make use of consultation and supervision?

– How can personal counseling be a route to competence?

Theory and Practice of Group Counseling—Chapter 3 (10) 12

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Training of Group Counselors
• Adjuncts to training of group counselors:

– Participation in one’s own personal therapy

– Participation as a member of a group

– Participation in a training group (for skills)

Theory and Practice of Group Counseling—Chapter 3 (11) 13

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Training of Group Counselors of Choice

• Ethical issues in training group workers:

– Combining experiential and didactic approaches in

training

– Informed consent

– Importance of professionalism of group trainer

Theory and Practice of Group Counseling—Chapter 3 (12) 14

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Liability and Malpractice
• Group leaders:

– are subject to civil penalties if they fail to do right or

actively do wrong to their members

– are on firmer ground legally if they follow accepted

standards and practices of others in their
profession

Theory and Practice of Group Counseling—Chapter 3 (13)

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Liability and Malpractice
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• Group leaders:

– need to keep up to date with state laws that pertain

to their professional practice

– should take preventative measures in order to

avoid malpractice suits

Theory and Practice of Group Counseling—Chapter 3 (14)

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