Legal and Ethical Consideration for Group and family therapy
Family therapy and individual therapy are virtuous forms of therapy treatments. They create a tactic of understanding and treating human behaviors. The group, family, and individuals forms of treatment are sensitive; they require the therapist to uphold and maintain all the ethics and by-laws according to the medical and mental health professionals. A healthy therapeutic relation upholds confidentiality while effective treatment relies highly on ethical values of autonomy and faithfulness. Also, it partially depends on benevolence and no maleficence. In individual therapy, the most complex dilemma for therapists involves confidentiality. The dilemma becomes more complex when offering a family or group therapy. Family and group therapies are effective and curative ways of psychological treatment; however, cases of confidentiality are more compared to individual therapy. The reason is that information is not only offered to the therapist but also other members of the group. There is no assurance that all group members will uphold the information confidential (Nicholas, 2014).
According to the research, the group therapy members expect it to be 100 percent confidential. However, most of them do not understand how different confidentiality level is different from individual therapy (Hecker, 2014). Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
A process where patients learn about therapeutic confidentiality is called Informed consent. Before a group undergoes a group therapy, they are first taught about secrecy in group therapies. All the potential group members must be informed that the group leader carries the legal obligation to breaking confidentiality in any circumstance. And the circumstances are not just reckless but must be fully explained. Also, the members must understand that the group leader assures to keep all the information confidential as the leader in line with Law constraints. However, there is no promise that other group members will forever hold the information confidential. Before the beginning of the group therapy process, it is critical to encourage group members to uphold the idea of confidentiality and that they should take it personally instead of as a mandate for a group therapist. Once a new member joins a continuing group, they should sign a contract attesting confidentiality and commitment to the group.
In individual therapy, there are less lawful and ethical matters since the specialist is dealing with only one person. It acts as two-way communication, unlike a group that is like an interconnected communication. In the treatment process of a group, confidentiality is a key, and a break or leak of information may damage the treatment aspects, including trust and the progress realized. Also, it is likely to increase anxiety to the group members (Kitchener, 2016). As mentioned, in a treatment process of a group, secrecy is not guaranteed. Therefore, the therapist must ensure group members understand its importance before initiating treatment (Kitchener, 2016).
Family therapy is likely to bring out ethical problems in comparison to individual therapy. More often, it is the most emotional person in a family who will search for therapist help. Nevertheless, such effort is, in most cases, undermined by the negative altitude or considered as a disruption of the family. In such cases, the best thing a therapist should do is to educate the family members on each person’s right about treatment. Moreover, the therapist should point out the fact that the central role of the contact person is to maintain the flow of information or to monitor communication with the family. Also, the therapist should communicate on the Influence of legal and ethical contemplations on therapeutic approaches for all the individuals in family or group therapy. As a PMHNP understanding, the impact of moral and legal implications in a therapeutic plan given to clients will aptly guide us while in practice. It will help in comprehending informed consent as a typical approach in clinics practice. The key consideration for a group and family therapies is that all people who will take part in the process must be aware of the informed consent. It does not matter whether the group members begin the process as it starts or joins later; they must be knowledgeable.
Moreover, the ethical reason for taking time in informed consent for all members of a group or individual person is to pass critical therapeutic messages, ensuring nobody knows what to expect. Besides, ensuring they are aware of the consequences of breaching confidentiality.
Hello James
I approve that the most common difference between individual and group therapy is confidentiality. The confidentiality issues are way more significant in group or family therapy than in individual therapy. In a group session, information is not only revealed to the therapist but also to other group members, which is the main reason the therapist should stress the importance of upholding confidentiality. Yet, the research says that group members expect total confidentiality but are not aware of how different secrecy is in a group to that of an individual client.
(McClanahan, 2014). Therefore, there is a need to educate the clients via informed consent about secrecy in group therapy. Patients in group therapy should be taught about confidentiality before they begin the process. In the course of the treatment period, should anybody join, they should also be informed on the same before they get into the process? Also, all the potential members should be made aware that in some cases, the group member may have a legal obligation to breach secrecy, and the specific circumstances should be wholly elucidated (Hecker, 2014). The group members should seek or opt to making confidentiality a norm. also, the group should openly discuss things or circumstances which constitute confidentiality breaching. (McClanahan, 2014).
Hello, Joan, great post!
As an experienced nurse, ethics is more of the critical and responsible than acquiescence with professional code. In a group, you, as the group leader, has countless ethical responsibilities that affect your role in a group.
The role of the group leader is not only to protect the welfare of the members but also to the entire group functions in a way that benefits all the members (Nicholas, 2014). The most significant ethical matters which pertain to individual therapy also apply to the group. Nonetheless, the matters are more complex in a group because of the substantial variances between the two therapies.
It is the same reason the group leader should remain open to the group members on the importance of confidentiality. He or she should ensure the members are aware of all actions which constitute to breaking of secrecy. Also, he should ensure all the consequences for leaking secrets are discussed and well understood by all group members (McClanahan, 2014)