Instructions

Based  on your understanding of the ethical code of your profession, for this  task you will describe how you think the therapist in the following  situations should respond. Refer to the specific parts of the code to  support your thinking. Note any sections that may remain unclear or in  which personal judgment might play a role.

Scenario 1
You  are group leader of a men’s group. Tom, one of the participants in the  group, wants to help others get involved and invested in therapy. To  show them how effective therapy can be, he reveals that a few years ago  he had inappropriate sexual thoughts toward a minor. He never acted on  them, but they caused him great distress. After more than a year of  group therapy with other people who had similar issues he was able to  get rid of these obsessive thoughts. 

After the session, Lee,  another member of the group, comes up to you for advice. Tom’s daughter  and Lee’s niece are in the same class at school. His niece has recently  been invited to a sleep over at Tom’s house. Now he wonders if he should  advise his brother against letting his daughter attend the sleepover.  He knows it is wrong to reveal anything that was discussed in the group  outside the session, but doesn’t feel comfortable having his niece at  Tom’s house in a sleepover situation. He asks for your advice.

• What ethical principles are involved here?
• Is it appropriate for you to discuss Tom outside of the therapy group?
• How much of what takes place in the session can Lee share with his brother in this situation?
• Does it make a difference that Tom says he never acted on his inappropriate thoughts?
• How would you deal with this situation and observe ethical principles at the same time?

Scenario 2
Lena has been placed  in group therapy as part of a court order. She must attend the therapy  sessions or enter a detention facility. She shows little interest in the  session, and even less interest in sharing anything personal or doing  any work on herself. Another group member, Becca, comes into the group  one day, obviously distressed and distraught. She reveals that her  father beat her in an alcoholic outburst. She further adds that this is  not a rare occurrence for her. After the session, you find Lena taunting  Becca in the school yard, mocking her about her father in front of  other girls.

• How would you, as group leader, react to this scenario?
• What type of rules would you have put in effect for someone like Lena (who is an adolescent and forced to attend)? 
• Would you expel Lena from the group for this behavior? Why or why not? 
• What other steps might you take? 
• What are your ethical responsibilities toward Lena? 
• What are your ethical responsibilities toward Becca?

In a paper, address the questions in both of the scenarios listed above.

Support your analysis with at least three articles published in peer-reviewed journals in the past five years.

Length: 5-7 pages

Your  paper should demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the ideas and  concepts and provide new thoughts and insights  relating directly to this topic. Your response should reflect scholarly writing and current APA standards. 

Ethical Code is the American Psychological Association (APA) and the direct website is:

https://www.apa.org/ethics/code/