Ethical Dilemma Case Pressentation
Dual Relationships in Counselor Training
By Cayla Bland, Jaclyn Cervo, James Dalton, Pam Davis, & Melissa Windham
Dr. Smith is a counselor educator at a small university and teaches the Group Counseling course to master’s level students. Best practices for group training include the need for an experiential group activity, leadership opportunities, and provision of competent supervision (ASGW, 2000; Corey & Corey, 2006; CACREP, 2009). Dr. Smith is aware of the ethical debate regarding dual relationships with faculty who both lead student experiential groups and also evaluate student learning (Davenport, 2004; Goodrich, 2008; Lloyd, 1990). Although literature suggests using doctoral students or outside professionals for the experiential groups (Furr & Barret, 2000; Guth & McDonnel, 2004), the university does not have a doctoral program and the department’s budget has been significantly cut due to the economy. How can Dr. Smith’s program provide an experiential group while safeguarding against harmful dual relationships?
Although the ACA Code of Ethics (2005) refers to the topic of dual relationships between instructors and students in Section F.10.e, the written ethical code is vague and does not provide specific direction. The following solution may help minimize the ethical dilemma that can arise if the student instructor is also the group counselor. After providing informed consent to students, the group class can be divided into two segments, one being didactic and the other experiential. Didactic instruction and any student evaluation can be conducted by Dr. Smith, while an adjunct instructor concurrently runs an experiential group (Goodrich, 2008). If money is not available for an additional instructor, a group leader might also be contracted from a local mental health facility, in exchange for services from the university. (Davenport, 2004). This option helps to avoid possible dual relationship conflicts, yet provides students with the opportunity to participate in an experiential group without fear of biased repercussions.
References
American Counseling Association. (2005). ACA code of ethics. Retrieved from http://www.counseling.org/Resources/CodeofEthics/TP/Home/CT2.aspx
Association for Specialists in Group Work. (2000). Best practice guidelines. Retrieved from http://www.asgw.org
Corey, M.S., & Corey, G. (2006). Groups: Process and practices (7th Ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole.
Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs. (2009). The 2009 Standards. Retrieved from http://www.cacrep.org
Davenport, D. S. (2004). Ethical issues in the teaching of group counseling. The Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 29, 43-49. doi: 10.1080/01933920490275376
Furr, S., & Barret, B. (2000). Teaching group counseling skills: Problems and solutions. Counselor Education and Supervision, 40, 94-104.
Goodrich, K. (2008). Dual relationships in group training. The Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 33, 221-235. doi: 10.1080/01933920802204981
Guth, L. J., & McDonnell, K. A. (2004). Designing class activities to meet specific core training competencies: A developmental approach. The Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 29, 97-111. doi: 10.1080/01933920490275565
Lloyd, A. P. (1990). Dual relationships in group activities: A counselor education/accreditation dilemma. The Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 15, 83-37. doi: 10.1080/01933929008411916
By Cayla Bland, Jaclyn Cervo, James Dalton, Pam Davis, & Melissa Windham
Dr. Smith is a counselor educator at a small university and teaches the Group Counseling course to master’s level students. Best practices for group training include the need for an experiential group activity, leadership opportunities, and provision of competent supervision (ASGW, 2000; Corey & Corey, 2006; CACREP, 2009). Dr. Smith is aware of the ethical debate regarding dual relationships with faculty who both lead student experiential groups and also evaluate student learning (Davenport, 2004; Goodrich, 2008; Lloyd, 1990). Although literature suggests using doctoral students or outside professionals for the experiential groups (Furr & Barret, 2000; Guth & McDonnel, 2004), the university does not have a doctoral program and the department’s budget has been significantly cut due to the economy. How can Dr. Smith’s program provide an experiential group while safeguarding against harmful dual relationships?
Although the ACA Code of Ethics (2005) refers to the topic of dual relationships between instructors and students in Section F.10.e, the written ethical code is vague and does not provide specific direction. The following solution may help minimize the ethical dilemma that can arise if the student instructor is also the group counselor. After providing informed consent to students, the group class can be divided into two segments, one being didactic and the other experiential. Didactic instruction and any student evaluation can be conducted by Dr. Smith, while an adjunct instructor concurrently runs an experiential group (Goodrich, 2008). If money is not available for an additional instructor, a group leader might also be contracted from a local mental health facility, in exchange for services from the university. (Davenport, 2004). This option helps to avoid possible dual relationship conflicts, yet provides students with the opportunity to participate in an experiential group without fear of biased repercussions.
References
American Counseling Association. (2005). ACA code of ethics. Retrieved from http://www.counseling.org/Resources/CodeofEthics/TP/Home/CT2.aspx
Association for Specialists in Group Work. (2000). Best practice guidelines. Retrieved from http://www.asgw.org
Corey, M.S., & Corey, G. (2006). Groups: Process and practices (7th Ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole.
Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs. (2009). The 2009 Standards. Retrieved from http://www.cacrep.org
Davenport, D. S. (2004). Ethical issues in the teaching of group counseling. The Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 29, 43-49. doi: 10.1080/01933920490275376
Furr, S., & Barret, B. (2000). Teaching group counseling skills: Problems and solutions. Counselor Education and Supervision, 40, 94-104.
Goodrich, K. (2008). Dual relationships in group training. The Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 33, 221-235. doi: 10.1080/01933920802204981
Guth, L. J., & McDonnell, K. A. (2004). Designing class activities to meet specific core training competencies: A developmental approach. The Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 29, 97-111. doi: 10.1080/01933920490275565
Lloyd, A. P. (1990). Dual relationships in group activities: A counselor education/accreditation dilemma. The Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 15, 83-37. doi: 10.1080/01933929008411916
