...Ethical Issues in Group Counseling Introduction Group counseling offers multiple relationships to assist an individual in growth and problem solving. Groups are an excellent treatment choice for numerous intrapersonal and interpersonal issues, and in helping people to change. Groups provide a sense of community to its members allowing them to see that they are not alone. In group therapy sessions, members are encouraged to discuss the issues that brought them to therapy openly and honestly. It is the responsibility of the counselor to work to create an atmosphere of trust and acceptance that encourages members to support one another. This atmosphere is developed and maintained from the initial intake of a client to the close of group. Many ethical dilemmas and questions arise for group therapists, a few of which will be addressed here: group work with diverse populations; rights of clients, informed consent and confidentiality; and involuntary clients. Description of Topic More recently group therapy has been widely used in the mental health field. There is a natural power in a therapeutic group that helps to bring about personal change for group members (Corey, Corey & Corey, 2010). Groups are designed to remediate specific problems or even prevent problems. It is the responsibility of the group leader, or counselor, to consciously acknowledge human diversity in society and the group setting. If a therapist ignores basic differences in people, they are not doing...
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...Why I chose to become a mental health counselor Counseling others is a difficult job that requires people to listen, take notes, and respond in ways that are positive and helpful. It is important that trust be built between the counselor and the patient so that the patient will feel comfortable speaking about issues that are private or embarrassing. There are many different types of counselors including drug counselors; marriage counselors, grief counselors, job counselors, diet and exercise counselors, and others that can help people improve their lives in different ways. Counselors are trained to offer advice and listen to issues that may be bothering other people. They are not allowed to prescribe medication or expected to provide medical advice. Approximately 25 percent of North Americans suffer from diagnosable mental health issues each year. With the increasing awareness of the related social, political and economic impacts of these problems, there is a greater need for professional mental health counselors. Additionally, health care insurance providers, driving the demand for more qualified professionals, recognize most mental health counseling. After earning a master's degree in mental health counseling, most people choose to get licensed or certified in a specialty such as: • Rehabilitation counseling • Substance abuse counseling • Marriage and family counseling Mental health counselors work with individuals, groups and communities on a variety of mental health...
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...deals with a Marriage and family therapist who might need to seek appropriate processional help for personal problems and conflict that might occur or may impair work performance. (AAMFT) This has to deal with a therapist who might have an issues that is brought up during a session, if a Marriage and Family therapist is working with a client and an issue dealing with adultery comes up the counselor might have had a similar situation that causes a reaction. It is important for the counselor to understand that these emotions might come up and the appropriate way to address them. Seeking assistance in this profession is an important especially if they plan on continue counselor with the set clients. Often times even a therapist attends a counseling just to help sort out some emotions that might arise. 3.10 Gifts: This ethical code has to do with a therapist receive or giving gifts of substantial value, or a gift that might impair the integrity or efficacy of the therapeutic relationship (AAMFT). Often time’s clients want to show appreciation for the healings that they have experienced. Some of the time a simple thank you is not enough, in some cultures it is custom to give a gift. One suggestion that a therapist might try is to place the “no gift giving” in the informed consent. This way the client will have a hard copy of the understandings. Another options is to send out a kindly reminder during the holidays that gift are not needed, all though this practice might be presumptuous...
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...Marketing task As I stated on the phone, nominal marketing will be a peripheral aspect of the position. While I do not expect a formal marketing proposal, I am looking for someone that can think outside the box and help me to grow the practice through various marketing tools, as well as manage the day to day scheduling and office duties more typical of an administrative assistance. I recognize that I am asking the person that assumes this position to wear multiple hats, mostly because I have been wearing those multiple hats myself for the past 9 years of my independent practice. I have included some basic information about my practice, applications of my services, as well as typical fees for service. Think outside the box and be creative in developing a few potential marketing strategies that you think might work well for my practice. Please recognize that I am critiquing you more on work product (accuracy of information and thoughtfulness of proposals, along with your creativity) in addition to your writing and organizational skills on this exercise. I look forward to seeing what you develop and to meeting you during our interview time next week. My practice is typically composed of 10-12 sessions per week. Sessions are a mixture of individual, couples, and family sessions. I am looking to develop a greater basis for psychological evaluations and potential forensic involvement in custody evaluations for divorcing families. I have developed evaluations that focus on...
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...Tsunami – Natural Disaster – Effects on the Survivor Tsunami is a sea waves that is caused by an underwater earthquake. The water quickly move under water until it reaches land with waves reaching 50 feet or higher resulting in individuals losing their family members, home, money or business from the tsunami. People who encounter a Tsunami event struggle with psychological problems days and weeks after the traumatic event such as depression and different levels of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Survivors constantly experience feelings of anxiousness and stress because of the fear of danger from another tsunami. Murdered Child – Personal Trauma causing Crisis - Effects on the Survivor The murder of a child can be devastating especially when it’s your own. The hurt and pain can be compound when the death is determined by a heartless human being. Parents and the family faces complicated issues such as trying to understand “why” someone would want to kill their child who they love and will miss. Coping with the “miss” is the challenging part. A parent of a murdered child handles grief differently. Some parents try to continue normalcy while others have extreme difficulty coping with the lost such as obsessive thinking, suicide, anger, fears and anxiety. The hard part is grieving; however; everyone grief’s differently must. Effects on First Responders First Responders are vulnerable to stress and trauma as they are exposed to events every day in their work lives...
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...Mental Health Counseling The reason I chose to obtain a MS in Mental Health Counseling is because I have already obtained a MS in Criminal Justice and learned why individuals commit crimes and the different theorist that have studied to criminal mind to try to find an answer to this age old questions, why do individuals commit crimes? Which many has come to conclusions but the end results is many have been incarcerated when they needed medical attention. I have obtain many reasons as to why individuals commit crime but I want to get to point of knowing what influenences are there are mental health issues one of the reasons why our prison system is being overflowed and are these individuals being overlooked. These factors motivates me as an individual which I believe will prepare me to become a competent counselor. I feel as though we are not in the individuals life to judge but to motivate, to achieve a common goal of seeking and resolving a issues/problem that he/she is conflicted with. I intend continue to grow within the counseling field by continuing to research issues that effect society today, such as mental health and seeking solutions for these individuals to be able to live normal lives without the ridicule or label. Being able to write about mental issues and ways to resolve it is a lifelong dream but I feel as though with any profession comes experience and the more experience one has the more knowledgeable one becomes and it is at this point that I feel as though...
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...Accomplished, achievement-driven and results oriented individual, seeking entry into Masters of Science in Mental Health Counseling with a Forensic Counseling specialization. Personal/Professional Goals I am interested in furthering my degree, so I can advance in my career and more effectively help people with mental health disorders within the judicial system. After I earn a Master’s of Science in Mental Health Counseling I want become a licensed clinician. My focus primarily will be on helping youth that are court adjudicated into residential therapeutic facilities, such as KidsPeace. At KidsPeace they accept adjudicated clients but there is not a specific program in place to effectively treat these individuals. It is my goal along with the program director of the organization for myself to develop and pioneer a conduct disorder program and establish it within the KidsPeace organization. The reasoning behind choosing this field is my work experience and some of the population I have been exposed to. Through my observation violence is a learned behavior, and unfortunately young victims of violence generally become perpetrators of crime and develop mental health disorders. Many times if juvenile offenders are not adjudicated to the correct residential therapeutic facility; that specializes in conduct disorder programming. When this happens these individuals are more likely to cycle through the judicial system and become career criminal, which leads to over populated correctional...
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...Multicultural Awareness Multiculturalism has a vital role in counseling. According to Hays (2010) this type of counseling pays attention to the cultural diversities of clients in order to offer better services. To achieve multicultural awareness, the counselor has to know his or her own cultural characteristics. This article will contain the results of the multicultural-assessments I completed, my reflection on being “other,” as well as my statement of counseling identity and the explanation why multicultural awareness is important in the mental health counseling profession. Results of Self-Assessment Completing Petrone’s (2004) multicultural self-assessment was interesting and eye opening. In this test, choice number 1 means seldom, if ever; number 5 means almost always. Most of my scores were either fours or fives; these results tell me that I am interested in other people, paying attention to listen, and I am comfortable with new situations. I scored three threes in the following subjects: 1) I ask questions until I am sure I understand what others are saying; 2) If I were at an event with people who differed from me, I would make every effort to talk with them; 3) I try not to assume anything. Reaction to Self-Assessment After I finished the self-assessment, I immediately started thinking about the results. I realized that my not asking questions until I understand what others are saying is connected to the lower score about not assuming anything. Levitt (2010) talked...
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...The objective here that is seeking to be answered is, "If a counselor is an associate Pastor on staff or even just solely a counselor should the Senior/Sole Pastor be made aware of details on every client, since it is important for the Pastors to know their flock in order to best know how to lead and tend them, or does confidentiality apply always strictly between counselor and counselee". It is important to start off understanding what Counselor confidentiality is at its most fundamental nature. It is the responsibility of a therapist or counselor to hold any proprietary or personal information supplied by a patient in the strictest of confidence. It is a generally accepted ethic that breaking counselor confidentiality by revealing the type of information stated above, without the expressed permission of the patient, is considered highly unethical. Keep in mind, however, that in Standards B.1.d, the ACA Code of Ethics requires counselors to fully inform their clients of the limits of confidentiality (ACA, 2005). Also, HIPPA- Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act-actually gives a list of nearly two pages of things where confidentiality may be breached legally (hhs.gov). Counselor confidentiality in a "classical" setting, which is the viewpoint we have been speaking from thus far, is designed to allow patients the freedom to share information about themselves that is private in nature, but is important to the process of helping the individual...
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...PERSON-CENTERED THERAPY Most important person and what they believed: Carl Rogers created Person-Centered Therapy in the 1940’s. Rogers humanistic approach was revolutionary in shifting the mainstream ideology of psychoanalytic and behavior counseling modalities to a client-based approach. Although this counseling modality was initially called nondirective counseling and underwent four main development/evolutionary stages, Rogers maintained his belief that it is ultimately up to the client, not the therapist, to become the agent needed for self-change. Rogers was a humanist who believed that people are ultimately trustworthy, they have the potential to understand themselves and resolve their own problems, and much of the clients’ ability to change lies in the relationship found between they client and the counselor. Philosophy: The main philosophy behind Person-Centered Therapy is that the client is capable of becoming fully functioning individual, whom is responsible for creating change to help resolve issues they face in their lives; people can worked toward self-awareness and self-healing, without the direct influence and techniques used by a therapist. Person-Centered Therapy treats every client as a unique individual and has respect for the client’s subjective world. This approach also believes if a person enters into a positive, genuine relationship with a counselor, every person attains a natural potential to actualize and finding meaning in their life. The client-therapist...
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...- School Supplies – delivery for Seniors – Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas Meal Boxes - Adopt-A-Family for Christmas gifts. WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE FROM OPEN ARMS MISSION? Anyone expressing a need from our townships is eligible for 2 days of food per family member on a weekly basis. OAM has served 20,257 individuals between the months of January and June 2012. The items we provide at no cost may be supplementing SNAP (food stamps) or assist in reducing the cost of groceries allowing an individual/family purchase medication or pay rent, gas, utilities, etc. Counseling Each week our intake counselors listen in an effort to service our clients in a holistic way. When a need for counseling is identified, the client talks with a director to determine a plan. The majority of our clients are without medical insurance; counseling is one area they cannot afford. We are fortunate to have two local counseling practices that partner with us, allowing us or the client to pay a subsidized amount. Senior Mobile Support Program Many of our older neighbors struggle...
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...Core Conditions & Core Skills According to Clinton, Ohlschlager, & Centore, building an effective caring and counseling ministry starts with the counselor. As well, a Christian counselor that demonstrates spiritual maturity, and emotional health possess certain characteristics that reflect “core conditions” and “core skills” such as: * Genuineness. The Christian counselor must live out the change he/she desires to see in a client. We must practice what we preach, so to speak. * Warmth. The ability to promote a sense of comfort in the client”. A gentle and caring approach helps to establish a rapport with the client. * Positive regard. The Christian counselor listens in a non-judgmental warm way to the client. The counselor knows when to “hold-off” on conviction, and just console a grieving client for the time. * Support and challenge. The Christian counselor support clients through tough circumstances they are dealing with, while at the same time challenging their destructive behavior and lifestyle. The “core skills” demonstrated are noted in the way the Christian counselor: * Urge the counselee through responsive behaviors that range from “comforting,” “consoling,” “encouraging,” and “beseeching,” or “admonishing.” * Warn the client through a “confrontational style of directive challenge to root out sin and follow the right path” (as sited in Clinton & Ohlschlager, 2005). In other words help point the counselee in the right...
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...Introduction This book “The War at Home” by Shawn J. Gourley is a great book to read because it reveals the hardship of one family’s fight against PTSD. Over the years, soldiers have struggled with PTSD that not only affects them, but their families, friends, and the surrounding communities. This book sheds light for everyone to actually read and know the signs and symptoms of PTSD. Furthermore, you will actually feel how one’s family had the strength and determination to find their path to recovery. To know that anyone can overcome the devastating obstacles they had to encounter. This family’s struggle learned to find peace with the effects of PTSD and cope with these symptoms throughout their lives. This story was mainly about Shawn and Justin going through the struggles of PTSD and dealing with these hardships throughout the years. Although they had met prior to Justin joining the military in 2000, their life was as normal as any other couple would experience. It wasn’t until Justin joined the service and had re-classed into being an Operation’s Specialist where he was trained to react and secure the dead no matter the cost. His rigorous training had so much impact that when he was in the service, he endured many obstacles to include seeing dead bodies, securing them, keeping everyone calm as stress levels were high, and reacting with hostile intent where his sense of death and danger were heightened. This was not Justin’s primary job as his...
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...The educational process of counseling involves the counsellor providing information to employee about the nature of the problem, prevalence, likely causes, and ways in which the problem can be prevented. Through this process is where the counselor helps the employee by identifying the problem and tell the employee how to get help with "any personal problems that may affect your job performance." But, the counsellors do keep in mind that they have to be careful about making assumptions or asking questions about their personal problems. The employee is then assisted to come up with a plan to prevent the occurring issues at hand. This is then done through the (FOSA) action plan. FOSA stands for facts, Objectives, Solutions and Actions. In the facts process this is where by the counselor gives a factual account of the employees performance and behavior. Objectives is where by the counselor specifically explains how the employees behavior will need to improve and specify a time frame.this is where if the needed requirements are not met then the terms and contract of the employee are revised again. Solution is where the counselor documents how the employee plans to solve the problem. This is usually through the help of the counselor that the result of a clout ion comes to play. Lastly, action is the last procedure of the four, this is when the counselor identifies and describes the consequences for not achieving the objectives. This is now where performance or misconduct...
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...dealing with, they also face a deficit in the world around them; a lack of equal opportunity for many when seeking employment. Career counseling for those who have a disability is an essential task that should include the community as well as the client. Zunker (2012) states, “The overarching counseling goal for persons with disabilities is to maximize each individual’s potential for life and work in the 21st century” (p. 268). This is a task that the counselor should undertake with their clients who have added challenges, as well as advocating to the community to assist with acceptance; “Ideally, a cooperative effort between teachers and counselors promotes an effective school program that is supported and recognized by the community” (p. 269), this further supports all continued efforts and opportunities for our clients. Mental Health and Disabilities: “There is a plan and a purpose, a value to every life, no matter what its location, age, gender, or disability” Sharron Angle; American Politician. All individuals with the capabilities and will to work should be offered equal opportunities to do so. Unfortunately, those with disabilities – physical or mental – face not just the condition they are dealing with, they also face a deficit in the world around them; a lack of equal opportunity for many when seeking employment. Career counseling for those who have a...
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