Legal and Ethical Issues in Therapy. Group and family therapy

Respond to colleagues by suggesting strategies to address the legal and ethical considerations your colleagues discussed. Support your responses with evidence-based literature.
Group therapy and family therapy is significantly different than individual therapy. There are many new legal and ethical dilemmas to manage. The therapist is no longer providing 1:1 therapy with the client, instead there can be almost any number of clients attending a group session. Therefore providing confidentiality, privacy, dignity, and controlling gossip, become a primary responsibility of the therapist (Breeskin, 2011). Each client deserves to have a safe space in the group, without concern that others will share their private information with people outside the group setting (Breeskin, 2011). The clear establishment and development of the responsibilities of the group leader would occur during the orientation or forming stage (Wheeler, 2014). This will allow for the development of clear roles, rules, and expectations for the group (Wheeler, 2014). In the context of group therapy these happen on a broad scale involving many people. IT can be difficult for the group leader to maintain order, and enforce the rules.
 However in individual therapy, the dynamic is much more intimate. Individual therapy is less focused on universality, and the theme of common suffering shared amongst all, so the client no longer feels alone in their burdens (Wheeler, 2014). It can be more individualized, private, and allow the client to share thoughts and feelings they would otherwise feel uncomfortable sharing in a group setting.  
All of these rules, and responsibilities must be followed, with an understanding that the group leader has a duty to report concerns of immediate threats to self and or others to the proper authorities. Some group members may feel/ become overly zealous and assume roles and responsibilities specifically reserved for the group leader. Leading to outcomes that may be detrimental to the group as a whole. Other ethical dilemmas include creating an online support group where the information could be shared easily over social media (Breeskin, 2011). This has the potential to violate many privacy and confidentiality rules of the group. Lastly other dynamics include group member termination (Breeskin, 2011). Members of the group should attend the last meeting, and be upfront with the members of the group that this will be their last one, thus allowing the members of the group to say goodbye and have closure (Breeskin, 2011). This is typically not a problem for individual therapy. In a healthy client therapist relationship the client in coordination with the therapist will terminate when the time is appropriate, and will have had time to work through their interpersonal dilemmas, without concern the therapist needs closure. Termination would be planned from the beginning, and typically should not be abrupt (Wheeler, 2014). This would normally give the client time to prepare for the termination of the 1:1 relationship developed with the therapist, without concern for the feelings of others.  This impacts the way I interact with clients by creating additional concerns about ensuring the rules. It is important to ensure the space is safe for all. This will encourage all to be included and feel safe enough to share within the group setting. It becomes important to control any bullying that may be occurring. At times I will have to ask group members to change certain behaviors that may violate the expected rules, without damaging the therapist client relationship.  Breeskin, J. (2011, April). Procedures and guidelines for group therapy. Retrieved June 1, 2020, from https://www.apadivisions.org/division-49/publications/newsletter/group-psychologist/2011/04/group-proceduresWheeler, K. (2014). Psychotherapy for the advanced practice psychiatric nurse a how-to guide for evidence-based practice (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company, LLC.