Social work practice with couples, families, and groups raises a number of ethical concerns including confidentiality; confronting problematic behavior; enforcing or denying members’ participation; imposing the practitioner’s values on participants; practicing beyond one’s competence; navigating the complications of social media and the online environment; asking for and receiving feedback; and termination. Thinking back on your own experiences, spend a few minutes doing reflective writing on the following questions:
What are my views on family, gender, power, and privilege? How do they influence my own behaviors in group settings?
In what ways does my own family and/or cultural background contribute to these views?
How familiar, comfortable, and adaptable do I feel engaging with family, relational, and group dynamics?
In your discussion post, write a general reflection on what your answers revealed. Then, describe how you would prepare yourself to ensure a safe, fair, and equitable counseling environment for all participants in the group.