Group Counseling Ethics and the Christian Counselor

Introduction and Background

This paper explores group counseling — what it is, what its purpose is, and how it is practiced — and then examines the ethics that govern the Christian counselor, particularly the requirement to maintain biblical principles in a group counseling context. A key finding is the important role of the group leader or facilitator in keeping interactions and communications positive in order to avoid harm to group members.

The paper first compares and contrasts views from current literature on group counseling from a professional standpoint, then considers ethical issues including how professional codes of ethics are congruent or incongruent with biblical principles. These findings are then applied to the writer's understanding of how a therapist will function in the role of group counselor, including implications for educational training and preparation, clinical setting, type of clients served, and effects on personal, family, and church life.

The method of research used in this work is qualitative, based on an extensive review of academic and peer-reviewed professional literature. Two key organizations referenced throughout are the AACC (American Association of Christian Counselors) and the ASGW (Association for Specialists in Group Work).

Compare and Contrast: Current Views on Group Counseling

According to Stockton, Morran, and Krieger (2004), group counseling and psychotherapy originated in 1905 with Joseph Pratt, a physician who used a group or "class" format to assist patients with tuberculosis. Throughout the remainder of the twentieth century, groups emerged as an increasingly popular mode of intervention in psychotherapy and counseling settings. Group methods are widely used today across a broad variety of settings to assist clients presenting with a diverse range of goals and concerns (Stockton, Morran, and Krieger, 2004). Group counseling is considered to have comparable effectiveness to individual counseling. Although there are few studies providing definitive guidance on the direction the group leader should take, preliminary findings confirm that positive interaction between the group leader and group members is vital to successful intervention.

Group counseling is known to offer the following benefits:

1) Learning to communicate more comfortably and effectively; 2) identification and exploration of inner feelings; 3) gaining feedback from others; 4) learning to express oneself and act on one's own behalf; 5) being honest with self and others; 6) gaining sensitivity to the ways that others communicate; 7) learning about intimacy; and 8) experimentation with new ways of relating (What is Group Counseling, 2007).

Riva, Wachtel, and Lasky (2004), in their chapter "Effective Leadership in Group Counseling and Psychotherapy," published in the Handbook of Group Counseling and Psychotherapy, state that group counseling and psychotherapy has been consistently found to be effective with a broad range of problem areas and clients. Leadership is identified as an essential component of the effectiveness of therapeutic groups, with the group leader's role described as vital to both the dynamics of the group and the outcomes of its members. Several leadership characteristics and behaviors are correlated with group effectiveness, though much remains unknown about what constitutes ideal facilitation.

The American Counseling Association Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice (1997) established as a criterion the need for group counselors to "select group members whose needs and goals are compatible with the goals of the group, who will not impede the group process, and whose well-being will not be jeopardized by the group experience" (Riva, Wachtel, and Lasky, 2004). Selection methods are described as "highly subjective and based on leader intuition" (Corey and Corey, 1997, as cited in Riva, Wachtel, and Lasky, 2004). In a national survey of 75 group leaders, these leaders almost exclusively used clinical judgment to determine whether a client possessed specific behaviors or characteristics that would be beneficial for group membership. The most common procedure was whether the person fit the specific group theme — for example, a person with an eating disorder would be referred to an eating-disorder group rather than being selected on the basis of personality characteristics likely to produce a successful group experience for all members (Riva, Wachtel, and Lasky, 2004).

The literature identifies two broad areas of selection criteria: (1) interpersonal and (2) intrapersonal characteristics of potential group members (Riva, Wachtel, and Lasky, 2004).

Pre-group preparation is considered a vital part of developing cohesion within a group. It is associated with member satisfaction and with reducing the risk of dropout. Preparation can address procedural information and help members understand how the group will function — this is especially important when the group includes members who have never participated in group counseling before. While there is no standard model, Riva, Wachtel, and Lasky (2004) suggest a four-step model: (1) identify needs, expectations, and commitment of the client; (2) challenge any myths or misconceptions; (3) convey information; and (4) screen the individual for "group fit."

Group Leader Roles, Structure, and Supervision

Burlingame, Fuhriman, and Johnson (2001) describe pre-group preparation as one of six empirically supported principles regarding the therapeutic relationship, noting that it "sets treatment expectations, defines group rules, and instructs members in appropriate roles and skills needed for effective group participation and group cohesion" (as cited in Riva, Wachtel, and Lasky, 2004). Research strongly supports the view that group leaders are crucial in developing a positive group climate and that a supportive relationship with the leader is necessary for client change. When members hold a favorable view of their leader, they are significantly more likely to make substantial progress.

Riva, Wachtel, and Lasky (2004) also report the work of Dies (1994), who reviewed 135 studies and concluded that "group members favor and seem to benefit more from a positive style of intervention, and that as leaders become more actively negative, they increase the possibility that participants will not only be dissatisfied, but also potentially harmed by the group experience." The use of structure by group leaders is another important aspect: structure is conveyed when the leader discusses group norms — including expectations around attendance, communication, and the limits of confidentiality. The group leader helps to structure the group through introduction of group themes, by intervening when destructive communication occurs between members, and by highlighting positive interactions. This creates a sense of safety that helps members understand their own behaviors and actions.

James P. Trotzer (2004), in "Conducting a Group: Guidelines for Choosing and Using Activities," explains that structured group activities are distinct from leadership skills or roles because they have specific traits of their own. Although sometimes referred to as procedures, techniques, human relations or communication activities, exercises, or catalysts, they share certain defining characteristics: (1) they have specific instructions and parameters that give group members a format and focus for interaction; (2) they may make use of materials and props such as pencils, paper, paint, or music; and (3) they can be standardized and adapted with minimal alteration for use across different groups, creating a replicable common framework (Trotzer, 2004).

Activities are categorized on the basis of (1) focus and (2) types of communication involved, and may be intrapersonal or interpersonal, with communication that is verbal or nonverbal. Intrapersonal activities are intended to enhance communication within individuals in the group. All group activities fall within one of the following categories: verbal interpersonal activities, non-verbal intrapersonal activities, and non-verbal interpersonal activities (Trotzer, 2004). Some activities may combine both modes — for example, where a member first completes a self-assessment task nonverbally and alone, and then verbally discloses what was experienced or learned.

DeLucia-Waack and Fauth (2004), in "Effective Supervision of Group Leaders: Current Theory, Research, and Implications for Practice," describe the essence of supervision for group leaders as helping them remove the "logs" — such as anxiety, insufficient skills, or limited awareness of self or group process — from their own eyes so that they might intervene more effectively and help group members do the same. This framework draws on the passage in Luke 6:41–44. The Association for Specialists in Group Work (ASGW) Professional Standards for the Training of Group Workers (2000) specify a minimum of one hour per week of planning time for group leaders, whether individually or with a co-leader. Research stresses the importance of supervision because, without it, group therapists were unable to identify mistakes or generate new plans of action and instead became stuck in cycles of repeated ineffective interventions (DeLucia-Waack and Fauth, 2004).

Rapin (2004), in "Guidelines for Ethical and Legal Practice in Counseling and Psychotherapy Groups," notes that ethical dilemmas and choice points occur in every phase of group counseling — planning, performing, and processing — and that group facilitators must navigate an ethical course while providing for the therapeutic needs of group members. This challenge is especially acute for Christian counselors.