21 hours ago Irene Ozurumba-Omoregie  Week 1. Discussion COLLAPSE Top of Form Psychotherapy is an integral part of mental health treatment. Psychotherapy involves accepted therapies that are capable of producing change or maintain acceptable behavior or function in individuals and families as well as alleviate emotional distress or symptoms that affect individual or family growth and development (American Psychiatric Nurses Association-APNA, 2014). Like in every profession, there are always rules and regulations that guide the actions. Psychotherapy of any type allows the therapists to get to individual's or families' confidential issues. Therefore, the legal and ethical rights of the people involved must be considered and respected. However, it is crucial to understand the differences between individual, family, and group therapies. Difference between legal and ethical considerations for group and family therapy and individual therapy When it comes to the ethical and legal considerations in psychotherapy, Miller (2018) identified the following essential issues; Responsibility, Confidentiality, personal value as well as informed consent. Responsibility: The therapists must understand her limits in each type of therapy. In individual therapy, the therapist has a one to one relationship with the client; however, the relationship differs in family therapy and group therapy, the therapist views the family or the group as one unit and acts as the group leader, facilitator, environmental manager, educator/teacher, and or cheerleader. The therapist is committed to promoting the welfare of every member involved in the treatment process.  Confidentiality, on the other hand is one vital ethical issue in psychotherapy. In individual therapy, the therapist is concerned with keeping the information of the one individual in confidence, whereas in family therapy, confidentiality becomes very crucial. Though the family is considered as one unit, every individual's secret or information must be kept in confidence. Every member must understand the issue of confidentiality. This issue of confidentiality becomes more difficult in group therapy than individual therapy due to more chances of leakage or breach of confidentiality among the group members. Confidentiality should become one of the most critical group norms, and it should be discussed openly, thoroughly, and often among group members (McClanahan, 2014). Another ethical issue is respect for personal value. It is easy to study and respect individual and family values and culture. However, in group therapy, the counselor has a more significant work of studying every member of the group to avoid offending anyone or be misunderstood.  One important legal consideration in psychotherapy is the issue of informed consent, either individual, family, or group therapy. In individual therapy, therapeutic consent is required from the one individual. Any sharing of information must be consented and signed by the indiv.

1. 21 hours ago
Irene Ozurumba-Omoregie
Week 1. Discussion
COLLAPSE
Top of Form
Psychotherapy is an integral part of mental health treatment.
Psychotherapy involves accepted therapies that are capable of
producing change or maintain acceptable behavior or function in
individuals and families as well as alleviate emotional distress
or symptoms that affect individual or family growth and
development (American Psychiatric Nurses Association-APNA,
2014). Like in every profession, there are always rules and
regulations that guide the actions. Psychotherapy of any type
allows the therapists to get to individual's or families'
confidential issues. Therefore, the legal and ethical rights of the
people involved must be considered and respected. However, it
is crucial to understand the differences between individual,
family, and group therapies.
Difference between legal and ethical considerations for group
and family therapy and individual therapy
When it comes to the ethical and legal considerations in
psychotherapy, Miller (2018) identified the following essential
issues; Responsibility, Confidentiality, personal value as well
as informed consent. Responsibility: The therapists must
understand her limits in each type of therapy. In individual
therapy, the therapist has a one to one relationship with the
client; however, the relationship differs in family therapy and
group therapy, the therapist views the family or the group as
one unit and acts as the group leader, facilitator, environmental
manager, educator/teacher, and or cheerleader. The therapist is
committed to promoting the welfare of every member involved
in the treatment process. Confidentiality, on the other hand is
one vital ethical issue in psychotherapy. In individual therapy,

2. the therapist is concerned with keeping the information of the
one individual in confidence, whereas in family therapy,
confidentiality becomes very crucial. Though the family is
considered as one unit, every individual's secret or information
must be kept in confidence. Every member must understand the
issue of confidentiality. This issue of confidentiality becomes
more difficult in group therapy than individual therapy due to
more chances of leakage or breach of confidentiality among the
group members. Confidentiality should become one of the most
critical group norms, and it should be discussed openly,
thoroughly, and often among group members (McClanahan,
2014). Another ethical issue is respect for personal value. It is
easy to study and respect individual and family values and
culture. However, in group therapy, the counselor has a more
significant work of studying every member of the group to
avoid offending anyone or be misunderstood.
One important legal consideration in psychotherapy is the issue
of informed consent, either individual, family, or group therapy.
In individual therapy, therapeutic consent is required from the
one individual. Any sharing of information must be consented
and signed by the individual. Whereas in family therapy, every
member of the family involved or invited must consent for the
therapy. The therapist must uphold the individual client's
confidentiality to other family members. The same applies to
group therapy, where every member of the group consents to be
involved in the group. The level of information shared is
determined by each member of the group while the group leader
holds everyone's information in confidence.
Impact of the differences in legal and ethical considerations in
individual, family and group therapy
As a PMHNP, understanding the importance of confidentiality
will help in safeguarding every individual's information.
Building trust and confidence between the therapist and the
clients depends on respecting the individual's family and group
values and cultures. For any therapeutic approach, the patient
must consent to treatment to avoid breaching professional

3. guidelines and avoid possible lawsuits from patients and
families. The PMHNP should address the issue of
confidentiality to individual clients, families, and group
members before embarking on any therapeutic counseling.
Though family therapy members are seen as an entity, the
therapist must understand the importance of maintaining the
confidentiality of information of every member of the family.
Finally, consent must be received and signed for any
information to be released or shared to avoid violation of
confidence and The Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act (HIPPA). HIPPA is one of the acts that
guide the practices of a nurse when it comes to Group and
Family Therapy. Clients benefit when information is kept
confidential, and a trusting relationship can be achieved. The
disclosure of private information without client consent can
harm the therapeutic relationship even when such disclosures
are mandated by law (McClanahan, 2014). So as a PMHNP, I
must recognize the importance of individual consents both in
individual, family, and group therapy, respect each value and
maintain the confidentiality of information as part of my work
as a therapist.
References
American Psychiatric Nurses Association-APNA, (2014)
Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing: Scope and Standards of
Practice. (2nd ed). Retrieved June 4, 2020, from
http://www.apna.org/
McClanahan K.K (July 21, 2014) Can Confidentiality be
Maintained in Group Therapy? Retrieved June 4, 2020, from
https://nationalpsychologist.com/2014/07/can-confidentiality-
be-maintained-in-group-therapy/102566.html
Miller A (December 31, 2018) Types of Ethical Issues a
Counselor May Face When Working with Families. Retrieved
June 4, 2020, from https://careertrend.com/aba-therapist-
salaries-13660801.html.

4. College of Doctoral Studies
IGC-800: Establishing a Routine
It is absolutely vital to build predictability into your weekly
schedule. This will help you be more productive and be less
stressed. For example, if your weekly assignment is due on
Wednesday at midnight, it is best of you to not start on Monday.
Instead, create a predictable routine each week for getting
yourself ready for submitting the assignment. One suggested
routine that many students report as helpful is shown below.
However, everyone is different so you will need to make
adjustments to this routine so you can find the best schedule
that fits your personal situation.
Thursday:
· Review the assignment criteria in the syllabus and ask the
professor any questions you might have about the assignment.
· Start completing some of the assigned readings and take good
notes or highlight important points when possible.
Friday:
· Continue reading more articles and textbook chapters in order
to build up your knowledge on the weekly topic.
· Post your Discussion Question (DQ) response.
· Read through the posts of your peers in order to get a broader
feel for the topic. Then reply to several of your classmates’ DQ
posts in order to become more engaged in the classroom.
· Review the assignment criteria in the syllabus and start
brainstorming an outline for organizing your paper.
Saturday:
· Read more of the DQ posts of different peers and reply to their
comments as well as any comments that someone might have
posted to your initial response.
· Using the outline you created on Tuesday, start writing a

5. rough draft of your paper. Do not worry about being perfect yet.
Just focus on getting your ideas down.
Sunday:
· Read and reply to more posts or any new DQ that might be
assigned.
· Continue working on the rough draft of your paper. Read more
articles if necessary to further build your background
knowledge related to the points in your paper.
Monday:
· Read and respond to the DQ posts.
· Start revising and editing your paper by deleting, moving, or
adding material so that your ideas are well-organized, logical,
and concise. Be sure to support your ideas with in-text citations
related to the textbook chapters and articles you read earlier in
the week.
Tuesday:
· Read and respond to DQ posts.
· Finish cleaning up your paper by revising and editing for flow
of ideas, adding transitions and ordinal marker words (i.e., first,
second, next), and strengthening your points with solid research
references.
Wednesday:
· Perform a final read of your paper. Focus on proper
punctuation, APA format, grammatical correctness, and
spelling.
· Once you have checked your paper for typographical errors
and are comfortable with the way the ideas are presented and
supported, submit your paper.
· Relax.
Repeating this sequence again starting on Thursday will quickly
lead to a routine of predictability and security. Remember, your
personal weekly routine might be a little different, so take some
time to learn which system works for you… and then stick to it!
© 2011. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved.

6. College of Doctoral Studies
Discussion Forum Philosophy
Introduction
Online classroom discussion is a vital learning activity that
enhances writing, critical thinking, and scholarly development.
These skills establish the foundation for self-reflection and
unbiased consideration of other perspectives that enhances the
long-term development of the doctoral learner.
The successful doctoral learner engages faculty and colleagues
in substantive conversations, reflecting on other’s perspectives
while articulating their own views. More importantly doctoral
learners demonstrate the disposition to critically and
reflectively consider new information, facts, and perspectives in
the enhancement of their own knowledge and development. To
emulate a real-world doctoral conversation, the doctoral learner
will participate in the classroom discussion forum. The
classroom discussion has two components: the learner’s original
response to the discussion question/prompt and the learner’s
ongoing participation and contribution to the discussion. Each
component is graded separately.
Initial Post to Discussion Questions/Prompts:
The doctoral learner is required to post a substantive initial
response to Discussion Question/Prompt 1 on day 3 of the
module and Discussion Question/Prompt 2 on day 5 of the
module.
Ongoing Contribution to Class Discussion:
In addition to the initial responses posted on day 3 and day 5 of
the module, the doctoral learner must also contribute to the
discussion by posting one substantive participation post on 3
days of the week.A total of five posts are required each week
(two initial, and three ongoing contributions).

7. Substantive Participation Posts
Full participation in the discussion is a key component of the
learning experience. It enriches group interaction and enhances
the doctoral learning environment.
To be considered substantive, a participation post (initial or
ongoing) should average 150-250 words in length. The post
should include appropriate foundation knowledge, be factual,
and enhance the ongoing dialogue. However, rather than just
reporting what someone else has stated, the doctoral learner
should demonstrate application and/or reflection of knowledge
such that the learner enhances the meaning of the material.
Contributing to the discussion should promote an exciting,
vibrant, shared learning community that accomplishes two or
more of the following:
· Expands on a classmate’s comments in a value-adding, topic-
related way.
· Promotes a collaborative, supportive doctoral community.
· Advances the dialogue through follow-up questions.
“One-liners,” off-topic posts, vague statements, unsupported
opinions, and inadequate explanations or posts do not meet the
substantive participation requirements listed above.
Summary
Participation in the class discussion provides the doctoral
learner an unparalleled opportunity to practice being a doctor.
Upon graduation, stating opinions without basis or foundation
will be challenged, as it is expected that doctorally trained
individuals offer broad prospective and insight which is based
on thoughtful and reflective understanding of their discipline
rather than mere personal opinions. Please take maximum
advantage of this unique learning opportunity.
© 2011. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved.
College of Doctoral Studies

8. IGC-800: Grand Canyon University
Classroom Policies - Learner Expectationsand Faculty
Commitment
GCU LEARNERS
Attendance:
Grand Canyon University requires online learners to attend
courses every week, marked by activity in the online classroom.
An online week for doctoral learners is Thursday through
Wednesday. Learners are not permitted to be out of attendance
more than two consecutive, online weeks. An administrative
withdrawal will be processed should a learner be out of
attendance for more than two consecutive online weeks.
Discussion Questions and Participation:
Please refer to the Discussion Forum Philosophy.
Late Policy:
· All assignments are due by midnight Arizona time on the due
dates indicated.
· Assignments posted after the indicated due dates will be
subject to a loss of 10% of the available points for each day
late.
· Technical issues are not valid excuses for late work unless the
problem stems from GCU servers.
· No assignment can be accepted for grading after 11:59pm on
the final day of class.
Assignment Submission:
· All assignments should be submitted as Word documents with
extensions of .doc or .docx unless otherwise indicated in the
assignment description.
· Written assignments of 500 words or more are required to be
submitted to Turnitin before submitting the final copy of the
assignment, allowing learners to make adjustments prior to
submitting the final version for grading.

9. GCU FACULTY
Faculty Commitment:
· Post hours of availability as well as e-mail and phone contact
information in the Faculty Contact Information folder.
· Actively engage in the discussion forum 4 days each online
week.
· Do not be absent from the classroom for 2 consecutive days.
· Answer all learner questions within 24 hours.
· Provide written assignment feedback within 7 days of
receiving the assignment. Feedback must address the areas in
which the learner did well in addition to areas in which the
learner has opportunities for improvement.
© 2012. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved.