Ethical and Legal Considerations of Group Therapy

As a group therapist, you are going to encounter some challenging ethical dilemmas. At times, the ethical approach will be clear, but, at other times, there will be no single “right” or “wrong” answer. When no clear path presents itself, you must consider many factors, including an ethical code, a “standard level of care,” dignity and respect for others, best practices/professional decorum, and, of course, the law. There also will be times when the population being treated will impact your decisions. For example, therapists who work with prison inmates might operate under different confidentiality rules than those who work with the general public. In the case of prisoners, law enforcement agents and parole board members might have full, or partial, access to therapy group files.