Due to the prevalence of moral difficulties in social service settings, it can be particularly challenging to uphold ethical norms when working with a group and providing individual therapy. Even though the concern is restricted to the confines of the group, therapy counselors occasionally worry about their capacity to give enough care. Each provider of human services has a fundamental ethical obligation to behave in the client’s most significant interests while acting on their behalf. If the therapist lacks the training to lead a group psychotherapy session, the fundamental principle of serving good and inflicting no damage will be compromised. Group counselors may encounter confidentiality as a professional or ethical challenge in their practice, which has a more significant impact on group counseling than individual treatment.
Group therapy presents a number of ethical issues for counselors. For instance, certain group members might know details about specific participants but not others. The same is evident with couple counseling, in which either partner could indicate to the counselor that they are HIV positive, although the other is unaware. Similarly, the partner may reveal to the psychotherapist a number of infidelities that the spouse is unaware. These disclosures raise various moral dilemmas that therapists must decide whether to disclose. The American Psychological Association’s (APA) code of ethics does not spell out how counselors should address these matters of privacy (Nathynie et al., 2020). However, before beginning their sessions, the counselors and their clientele should discuss the boundaries of secrecy.
When therapists run into confidentiality problems at work, they have various legal and ethical options. Since this tactic positions therapist as trustworthy individuals, they may keep their clients’ secrets private. The biggest drawback of this approach is that it might place individuals in a risky situation when they notify the counselor about potentially harmful facts while continuing to act normally (Hajja et al., 2019). Therapists may see instances where clients behave a certain way in secret and another in public. Additionally, counselors could embrace an open information approach and not keep any information from group members private. Although this tactic helps foster group cohesion, it might discourage members from disclosing sensitive information.
Therapists may select an interim option, deciding what details to divulge to fellow group members and what to keep private. The types of information that should be shared and those that should be kept confidential are typically left up to the counselor’s judgment. In a couple’s therapy session, for instance, disclosing facts about a violent relationship could place one partner in jeopardy of additional abuse (Hajja et al., 2019). Counselors can therefore choose to keep this information secret. However, there are times when clients require therapists to violate confidentiality agreements. They claim counselors can act this way, for instance, when group members endanger themselves or others. Many people interpret this violation as the responsibility to protect. Nevertheless, counselors and their patients should create guidelines for such transgressions to prevent misunderstandings.
When therapists must divulge material from the psychotherapy session to a third entity, confidentiality problems may also arise. This ethical dilemma arises especially when group members are juveniles and their parents or legal custodians wish to hear specifics of the counseling process. Parents are typically asked to give consent on behalf of minors because they are frequently not deemed mature enough to do so. Despite this ethical conundrum, counselors are responsible for informing third parties concerning what transpired throughout the therapeutic sessions. However, for minors 13 or older, therapists ask the parents for their consent to keep counseling confidential in order to foster trust with children in the session (Nathynie et al., 2020). These interactions demonstrate that maintaining secrecy in group therapy is a severe ethical dilemma.
Counselors must adhere to strict legal and ethical requirements regarding confidentiality. Therapists must maintain this level of conduct while protecting the privacy of any information given in a group setting. Additionally, counselors are expected to alert group members when they believe anything will hurt their or another person’s well-being. As members of the group follow instructions, this encourages candid communication and group trust. Systemic group therapy is embodied by the integrative method known as open discourse, which also consists of some psychodynamic ideas (Nathynie et al., 2020). To promote the continuation of psychological care beyond service borders, open dialogue also incorporates a network perspective, combining social and professional networks. In order to discuss difficulties honestly and regularly after counseling sessions, the group is encouraged to maintain confidentiality and engage in open discourse among themselves.
In conclusion, there are several circumstances where confidentiality is required, but it conflicts with other values like law and ethics. Clients must comprehend state regulations governing when counselors violate privacy and why they might be compelled to do so. Counselors are supposed to uphold confidentiality to preserve the authenticity of their engagement with their clients. In order to prevent future instances of compromising confidentiality, the therapist should inform the individual before they start counseling. Before beginning, the counselor must get each group participant’s written approval. The written permission will be kept in the client’s database, thus guaranteeing informed consent. Although the form’s wording should be flexible, it should still be friendly and straightforward to comprehend.
References
Hajja, R. D., Sudarwan, D., Hadi, W., & Wayan, D. I. (2019). The development of group counselling assessment instruments. International Journal of Scientific & Technology Research, 8(10), 141-156.
Nathynie, A., Noor, Z. S., & Neerushah, S. (2020). Ethical issues in counselling: A systematic review of literature. Journal of Critical Reviews, 7(13), 585-590.