Legal and Diversity Issues in Group Counseling - Research Paper Example

? Ethical, Legal and Diversity Issues in Group Counseling Ethical, Legal and Diversity Issues inGroup Counseling Introduction Group counseling is a process where individuals come together regardless of their diversity and differences in problems, concerns and attitudes with a common goal of improving their mental state and general well being with the help of a counselor (Dandrea & Heckman, 2008). There are ethical and legal components in counseling which must be recognized and adhered to by the counselor. More significantly, counselors are mandated to respect and appreciate the diversity among members of a group so that they would amalgamate them into the session. This research paper gives a critical analysis and discussion of the key ethical, legal and diversity components in counseling in relation to a counseling case study of Beth M. The impact of the abilities of the counselor on the diversity and counseling process is also discussed in addition to self evaluation of personal abilities in practicing culturally compliant counseling. Components of Ethical, Legal and Diversity in Group Counseling Within group counseling, a counselor is mandated to respect the rights of the group members (Clinical Law Review, 2010). The adherence to these rights by the counselor includes his or her legal obligations of practice. Therefore the rights for orientation, informed consent and screening must be prioritized by the counselor during group counseling or therapy (Clinical Law Review, 2010). Orientation means that each and every member of the group regardless of the economic, social, political, cultural or racial orientation must be introduced to other group members and the group counseling program in general (Furr & Barret, 2008). Furthermore, each and every member of the group must be screened by the counselor with a view of understanding the nature of the problem which warrants their decision to seek counseling. More importantly, counselors must acquire informed consent from every member of the group regardless of their age or gender. Furthermore, the ethics of group counseling mandates counselors to have undivided respect for the needs and rights of every member of the group in spite of their differences or diversity. More specifically, the counselor must recognize that the participation of the group members is voluntary. Therefore it would be against the legal and ethical practice of counseling to pressure or force members of the group to contribute into the discussion. Case study of Beth M The case of Beth M. presents a counseling scenario which reveals aspects of legal, ethical and diversity within a counseling session. The fact that Beth M is an American-Indian woman reflects the diversity which would be expressed in a group. This diversity includes gender, nationality, culture, age and ethnicity (Clinical Law Review, 2010). The social cultural diversity within a counseling group implicates on counseling session because the counselor must value the culture and beliefs of each client for effectiveness in his or her practice. The cultural implications in counseling also reflect that counselors must be able to include the values of each and every client into the therapy session. Ethical considerations in counseling must be nondiscriminatory in regards to the differences which exist among members of a group counseling session (Dandrea & Heckman, 2008). Beth M. provides the counselor with private information about her drug problem. The ethics of practice in counseling mandates the counselors to keep the information of the clients confidential and treat such information as privileged. The ethics of professional practice in counseling also directs counselors to play their roles effectively (Weinrach & Thomas, 2006). In the case of Beth M. the counselor failed to play the role of exploring the psychological risk that the patient had in relation to her suicidal tendencies. Legal implications would easily emanate from counseling and they include failure of a counselor to acquire informed consent from the client. Informed consent within counseling sessions is usually implied by the fact that the client visits the counseling center as exemplified by the case of Beth M. The actions of clients after a counseling session may also raise legal concerns. For example the suicide attempt that Beth M. demonstrates soon after the session with the counselor may be attributed to what transpired between her and the counselor. It is in this regard that a professional relationship between a counselor and the client is provided within the legal framework of counseling (Weinrach & Thomas, 2006). This is because, if counselors and clients get too personal or emotional in their exchange, the client may exhibit behavior that would be reflected as a legal concern. Legal liability to any form of malpractice in counseling is usually held by the counselor concerned (Furr & Barret, 2008). Even though there is no evident legal malpractice in the case of Beth M. there would be some failures on the side of the counselor such as poor communication and evaluation of the psychological state of the patient that may have led to her suicide attempt after the session. Impact of Professional Abilities of a Counselor The personal abilities of a counselor have a significant implication on the cultural diversity and the process of counseling within a group (Corey, Williams & Moline, 2005). For example the courage which the counselor demonstrates would be encouraging to the members and enable them to be determined in the achievement of the goals of the counseling session and their needs for healing and change. More specifically, the ability of the counselor to achieve awareness of the differences among the members of the group is very important in counseling. This is because such ability will act to define the success in treating clients indiscriminately even though they have apparent differences, abilities and values (Weinrach & Thomas, 2006). Additionally, the ability of a counselor in communication both verbally and non-verbally is important in the group therapy session. It is through communication abilities that the counselor is able to encourage members of the group to communicate their thoughts, feelings which are used in evaluating their condition and ascribing the mode of treatment. More significantly, the ability of attention to details within a counselor is important in ensuring that all forms of non verbal expressions such as posture, attitude, relationship, space, dressing and eye contact can be observed and translated into the definition of the problem (Furr & Barret, 2008). Assessment of Personal Cultural Competence The personal competence which I have gained through my training makes me convinced that I have the desired abilities, knowledge and skills which make me a culturally competent counselor. This is because I am a good communicator and a keen individual which helps me to identify differences in communication and expressions of people from diverse cultures. This is due to the appreciation of how differences in culture can cause diverse understanding of something which actually means the same. The lack of biasness and professionalism which defines my qualities as a counselor is important in ensuring that I would appreciate the differences among people in terms of beliefs, values and attitudes and amalgamate them into a group therapy session. More importantly, I treasure my high cognitive and critical thinking abilities which are important in understanding the social, psychological and economic complexities which affect different people. This is important in understanding the problems of each and every individual within a group and their problems regardless of the differences therein. Conclusion The major legal and ethical components involved in counseling include professionalism, prevention of malpractice, confidentiality and privacy, lack of biasness, adherence to standards of the practice in counseling and respect for the rights of clients such as informed consent and orientation. The case of Beth M is used to show a counseling process in which the legal and ethical obligations of a counselor in proper evaluation of clients failed. The social cultural, age, gender and behavior as presented in the case of Beth M. acts to demonstrate the diversity which is inevitable in counseling. The abilities of a counselor such as courage, communication, critical thinking, and attention to detail, cultural awareness and adherence to the standards of the practice of counseling define the success of counseling clients in achievement of the goals of the session. References Clinical Law Review (2010). Counseling Community Groups, Clinical Law Review. 17(1), 389-468 Corey, G., Williams, G. T., & Moline, M. E. (2005). Ethical and Legal Issues in Group Counseling. Ethics & Behavior, 5(2), 161 Dandrea, M., & Heckman, E. F. (2008). A 40-year review of multicultural counseling outcome research: Outlining a future research agenda for the multicultural counseling movement. Journal of Counseling and Development: JCD, 86(3), 356-363 Furr, S. R., & Barret, B. (2008). Teaching Group Counseling Skills: Problems and Solutions. Counselor Education & Supervision, 40(2), 94 Weinrach, S. G., & Thomas, K. R. (2006). The Counseling Profession's Commitment to Diversity-Sensitive Counseling: A Critical Reassessment. Journal of Counseling & Development, 74(5), 472-477. Read More