response to classmate s discussion post 2

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250 words to each classmate with 2 references for each response to each classmate for full credit. State whether you agree or disagree and why. Write critically with scholarly references supporting your stance and add value to the discussion.

1) Kathy Rivero

Topic 5 DQ 1 (Obj. 5.1)

Hello,

“Privacy is essential to adolescents who seek health care. When adolescents perceive that health care services are not confidential, they report that they are less likely to seek care, particularly for reproductive health matters or substance abuse [1-8]. Clearly, delay or failure to receive care for these concerns increases the risk for complications” (Weddle, Kokotailon n.d.).

Mental health professionals know that ethics and laws sometimes conflict on issues of confidentiality, and with minors the situation becomes even more confounded. The American School Counselor Association Ethical Standards (1998) posit that “…each person has the right to privacy and thereby the right to expect the counselor-counselee relationship to comply with all laws, policies, and ethical standards pertaining to confidentiality” (Preamble)” (ACA, 2017).

“Until 50 years ago, parents had the legal right to make most decisions for their minor children. During the 1960s and 1970s, the Supreme Court established that minors have certain constitutional rights, including the right to privacy with respect to contraception and abortion [11]. During the 1970s, many states established laws that allowed minors to consent to treatment for sexually transmitted diseases [12], after it became clear that adolescent sexual activity was more widespread than previously believed. Most states subsequently added laws that allowed minors to consent to one or more of the following: alcohol and substance abuse treatment, mental health care, and contraception” (Weddle, Kokotailon n.d.).

References:

Weddle, Melissa, MD, MPH and Kokotailo, Patricia K. MD, MPH Confidentiality and Consent in Adolescent Substance Abuse: An Update, Retrieve from: https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/confidentiality-and-consent-adolescent-substance-abuse-update/2005-03

American Couseling Association, 2017 (ACA) Ethics, Laws, and Adolescents: Confidentiality, Reporting, and Conflict Retrieve from: https://www.counseling.org/knowledge-center/vistas…

2) Aurelie Jensen

Topic 5 DQ 1 (Obj. 5.1)

When a therapeutic relationship is started, in the first conversations discussions on confidentiality and its limitations in therapy are discussed. Adults can be assured that their information is kept confidential, and so can adolescents, however there are some exceptions. These include harm to self or others, and in the situation of adolescents this can be a touchy area due to the need for self-autonomy and trust. “The exceptions are few, however, and prove the rule that the law deems individuals under a certain age (often 18) not sufficiently mature to make treatment decisions” (Behnke & Warner, 2002). When working with young children, parents may be more involved, but as the client ages, and seeks more self determination and privacy, the area of confidentiality should be reassessed and addressed with both the client and the parent(s)/guardian. Unfortunately, if the parent or legal caregiver insists, the law is clear that information is their right to know. Mandated reporting laws obligate the therapist to report neglect or harm. “Finally, a psychologist may feel strongly that revealing information to a parent could harm the patient or be destructive to the treatment. A refusal to disclose in such a case, even in the face of a parent’s request, may be legally supportable” (Behnke & Warner, 2002). This should be discussed with legal counsel and is a case where the therapist should seek supervision.

“We know that confidentiality is essential if members are to feel a sense of safety in a group” (Corey, 2016). Group members are all informed of the importance to not discuss anything that is said or goes on in group with anyone outside of the group sessions. The essential trust needed to have an effective and productive group is a vital component of the groups process. It is vital that we discuss how confidentiality can be broken, and ways to avoid that from happening.

References:

BEHNKE, S. H., & WARNER, E. (2002, March). Confidentiality in the treatment of adolescents. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/monitor/mar02/confidentiality

Corey, G. (n.d.). Theory and Practice of Group Counseling (9th ed.). Cengage Learning.

3) Phillip Swanson

Topic 5 DQ 2 (Obj. 5.2)

When leading a group of adolescents, the counselor could open the initial session by using the “I am” circle as an icebreaker exercise. According to First Round Review, the “I am” circle consists of having the group form a circle with one individual in the middle of the group; that person makes an “I am” statement (e.g. I am hungry), then whoever feels the same way rushes out to get them, bring them back to their spot they originally left, then the new individual takes their place in the center of the circle and makes the next “I am” statement (2018). This exercise remains mostly kinetic, encourages the group members to begin speaking freely, and engages them from the onset, hopefully inspiring immediate empathy with one another as they are actively working to find various things in common. Over the course of the exercise, the group should begin to have to dig deeper than just surface-level, rudimentary ideas and move into deeper, more thought provoking concepts. According to Kennedy, emotional intelligence is one of the earliest and most important predictors of success in life and fostering empathy within the group helps to facilitate the growth of each child as an individual as well as reduce cruelty and violence between them (2018). By establishing empathy early, the counselor can then help to inspire trust between each member of the group.

A worthwhile trust exercise to potential use is Fear-in-a-Hat. According to Nobel Coaching, Fear-in-a-Hat requires all the group members to write down their biggest fear on a piece of paper and keep it anonymous; their paper goes in a hat and then each member draws a single slip of paper and talks about if and how the fear affects them (2019). This helps to foster trust between the group members because it does not directly call out any group member for their fears and subsequently cause a stigma but allows them to begin working together in openness and helps fuel interpersonal communication. By having established a bit of empathy earlier, the group can then work toward deeper levels of trust.

References

First Round Review. (2018, April 18). 3 Icebreakers To Build Empathy Among Strangers Within 10 Minutes. Retrieved from https://www.fastcompany.com/40557322/3-icebreakers…

Kennedy, A. (2018, September 6). Impressing the need for empathy. Retrieved from https://ct.counseling.org/2008/05/impressing-the-n…

Nobel Coaching. (2019, November 22). Team-Building Activities For Teens to Develop Teamwork And Trust. Retrieved from https://nobelcoaching.com/team-building-trust-teen…