Chapter 9 Other Important Aspects of Group Work There are other aspects that are important to discuss in relation to group work. In this chapter, I’ll discuss diversity, ethics, and research on the effectiveness of groups. Diversity Being aware of cultural diversity in the group and leading the group so that every member of the group, regardless of culture, is treated with dignity and respect is important. The ACA code of ethics addresses cultural diversity in several ways. Concerning informed consent in the counseling relationship it states, “Counselors communicate information in ways that are both developmentally and culturally appropriate.” It continues by stating, “In collaboration with clients, counselors consider cultural implications of informed consent procedures and, where possible, counselors adjust their practices accordingly.” In the section on confidentiality and privacy, the code addresses counselors being aware and sensitive to cultural meanings of confidentiality and privacy. Concerning the assessment of clients, the code addresses multicultural issues with this statement, “Counselors select and use with caution assessment techniques normed on populations other than that of the client. Counselors recognize the effects of age, color, culture, disability, ethnic group, gender, race, language preference, religion, spirituality, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status on test administration and interpretation, and they place test results in proper perspective with other relevant factors. Singh, Merchant, Skudrzyk and Ingene (2012) prepared a document for the Association for Specialists in Group Work on this topic. They define multicultural as “the belief systems and typical daily activities of people from various diverse groups, and denotes that attending to the needs and values of these diverse groups ensures a more vibrant, dynamic, and empowered society overall. Examples of multicultural identities include (but are not limited to): gender identity and expression, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, religious/spiritual traditions, ability status, migration status, age, and social class.” Singh, et. al. discuss competence in group performing and processing related to group diversity. Group workers demonstrating multicultural competence will: establish group norms to accept, value and respect cultural differences; attend to differences in acculturation levels; avoid stereotyping and labeling; demonstrate just and fair leadership; address overt and covert cultural conflicts in group; respond to language needs; incorporate traditional and spiritual healing methods that are culturally appropriate; use culturally grounded frameworks and techniques as appropriate; and use culturally-appropriate assessment and evaluation tools. Corey (2008, p. 35) wrote, “Becoming a diversity-competent group counselor demands self- awareness and an open stance on your part. You need to be willing to modify strategies to fit the needs and situation ...

1. Chapter 9
Other Important Aspects of Group Work
There are other aspects that are important to discuss in relation
to group work. In this chapter, I’ll discuss diversity, ethics, and
research on the effectiveness of groups.
Diversity
Being aware of cultural diversity in the group and leading the
group so that every member of the group, regardless of culture,
is treated with dignity and respect is important. The ACA code
of ethics addresses cultural diversity in several ways.
Concerning informed consent in the counseling relationship it
states, “Counselors communicate information in ways that are
both developmentally and culturally appropriate.” It continues
by stating, “In collaboration with clients, counselors consider
cultural implications of informed consent procedures and, where
possible, counselors adjust their practices accordingly.” In the
section on confidentiality and privacy, the code addresses
counselors being aware and sensitive to cultural meanings of
confidentiality and privacy. Concerning the assessment of
clients, the code addresses multicultural issues with this
statement, “Counselors select and use with caution assessment
techniques normed on populations other than that of the client.
Counselors recognize the effects of age, color, culture,
disability, ethnic group, gender, race, language preference,
religion, spirituality, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic
status on test administration and interpretation, and they place
test results in proper perspective with other relevant factors.
Singh, Merchant, Skudrzyk and Ingene (2012) prepared a
document for the Association for Specialists in Group Work on
this topic. They define multicultural as “the belief systems and
typical daily activities of people from various diverse groups,
and denotes that attending to the needs and values of these
diverse groups ensures a more vibrant, dynamic, and empowered
society overall. Examples of multicultural identities include

2. (but are not limited to): gender identity and expression,
race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, religious/spiritual traditions,
ability status, migration status, age, and social class.”
Singh, et. al. discuss competence in group performing and
processing related to group diversity. Group workers
demonstrating multicultural competence will: establish group
norms to accept, value and respect cultural differences; attend
to differences in acculturation levels; avoid stereotyping and
labeling; demonstrate just and fair leadership; address overt and
covert cultural conflicts in group; respond to language needs;
incorporate traditional and spiritual healing methods that are
culturally appropriate; use culturally grounded frameworks and
techniques as appropriate; and use culturally-appropriate
assessment and evaluation tools.
Corey (2008, p. 35) wrote, “Becoming a diversity-competent
group counselor demands self- awareness and an open stance on
your part. You need to be willing to modify strategies to fit the
needs and situations of the individuals within your group. It is
clear that no one “right” technique can be utilized with all
group members, irrespective of their cultural background. It is
important to realize that it takes time, study, and experience to
become an effective multicultural group counselor. It is your
responsibility as a group counselor to have a general
understanding of your members’ cultural values.”
Gladding (2008, pp. 223-224) points out three ways that group
leaders must make modifications from traditional ways of
working with groups to become effective multicultural group
counselors. First, they must understand what a culture is.
Second, they must modify their theories and techniques to be
congruent with the beliefs and behaviors of the cultures
represented in the group. Finally, multicultural theories and
techniques that facilitate change and growth must be developed.
Holcomb-McCoy & Moore-Thomas (2011, pp. 48-49) discuss
issues that may arise when leading a multicultural group. Two
of them are especially relevant. The first is when the leader is

3. culturally different from the group members. “The culturally
different group leader should carefully consider how the
leader’s cultural background might affect the members’
behaviors in the group. The members may stereotype the leader
based on preconceived notions of how the members believe
persons from a particular culture behave.” A second issue is
when group member hostility arises. “When member
dissatisfaction or hostility among members occurs, the leader
should keep in mind that the problems may be caused by
experiences of oppression and marginalization, not by a flaw in
the group’s process. At the same time, leaders must be aware of
the cause for the group member’s hostility and label it as such
for the members. The authors continue by stating, “When
hostility arises, group leaders must not fail to recognize that
cultural differences exist or diminish their importance. Facing
differences is difficult but it is necessary. Contrary to what
many group leaders believe, recognizing and expressing
differences does not cause more conflict. Recognizing and
accepting differences creates a feeling of safety for members
and in turn promotes personal growth among members.”
Ethics
The importance of being an ethical group counselor goes
without saying. In this section, I’ll explore the elements of an
ethical group counselor.
The ACA code of ethics (2014) is an extensive document
covering all aspects of ethics. Section A covers the counseling
relationship. Under client welfare, the code of ethics states that
the “primary responsibility of counselors is to respect the
dignity and promote the welfare of clients.” Also in section A
two statements directly address group work. The first statement
addresses the need for counselors to select group members
whose needs and goals are compatible with the group. The
second statement states that counselors should take reasonable
precautions to protect clients from physical, emotional or
psychological trauma. Many other aspects of the counseling
relationship are also covered in section A.

4. Section B of the code covers confidentiality and privacy. It
states that “counselors protect the confidential information of
prospective and current clients. Counselors disclose information
only with appropriate consent or with sound legal or ethical
justification.” Also in section B, the following statement is
made specifically for group work. “In group work, counselors
clearly explain the importance and parameters of confidentiality
for the specific group.” Thomas and Pender (2007) state that
group workers should have a professional disclosure statement
which
includes information on confidentiality and exceptions to
confidentiality. Many other aspects of confidentiality and
privacy are also covered in section B of the ACA code of ethics.
Section C of the code covers professional responsibility. In this
section, boundaries of competence are covered. It is stated that
“counselors practice only within the boundaries of their
competence, based on their education, training, supervised
experience, state and national professional credentials, and
appropriate professional experience.” Another point made in
this section pertains to treatment modalities. It states that
counselors should “use techniques/procedures/modalities that
are grounded in theory and/or have an empirical or scientific
foundation.” It continues by stating that “when counselors use
developing or innovative techniques/procedures/modalities, they
explain the potential risks, benefits, and ethical considerations
of using such techniques/procedures/ modalities.” Thomas and
Pender (2007) state that group workers should be aware of
personal strengths and weaknesses and be able to articulate a
rationale for the techniques that are used.
Section D of the code covers relationships with other
professionals. Addressing this section Thomas and Pender
(2007) state that professional development is important. Group
workers should remain current and increase knowledge and skill
competencies. They should seek consultation and/or supervision
regarding ethical concerns. They should seek appropriate
professional assistance for their own personal problems or

5. conflicts. If they do not have all the knowledge and
competencies that they need to work with a particular group,
they should seek consultation and supervision. They should also
keep abreast of group research and development.
Section E of the code covers evaluation, assessment and
interpretation. While this section speaks primarily to counselors
evaluating, assessing and interpreting results of evaluation and
assessment instruments to the client, Thomas & Pender (2007)
stress that group workers should actively assess their knowledge
and skills related to the groups they are offering, as well as
assessing their values, beliefs and theoretical orientation and
how these impact the group members. They also state that group
leaders should assess needs and resources in the community and
use this information to make decisions related to their groups.
The ACA code of ethics covers many other points of ethical
concerns. I have tried to call attention to the ones that directly
affect group counselors. You can find the entire code on the
ACA website at www.counseling.org. Every group leader should
consult this web site. Thomas and Pender also discuss other
issues related to ethics. You can find their work at
www.asgw.org. I encourage you to read and be familiar with
both of these documents. Jacobs, Masson & Harvill (2009, p.
442) make the best statement concerning the ethics of group
leaders when they write, “The most frequent unethical practice
in group counseling occurs when untrained or ill-trained leaders
conduct groups.”
The Effectiveness of Groups
Roback (2000) states that there is ample evidence of the
effectiveness of group treatments. Many people have been
helped. The three major dynamics which include the leader, the
group and the group member are typically associated with
positive outcomes. However, they may also create negative
outcomes. The leader may create negative outcomes through
negative intervention styles, misapplication of technical skills
and harmful relationships with the group. The group may help
create negative outcomes by low cohesion and hurtful social

6. interactions. Group members with severe character pathology
are more likely to have a negative outcome.
Yalom and Leszcz (2005, p. 232) state that group therapy
produces significant benefit to its participants. The results of
the research are clear that group therapy is as effective or more
effective than individual therapy. In 32 studies, group therapy
was more effective 25% of the
time and in the other 75% it was as effective as individual
therapy. Group therapy is also more efficient.
Erford (2010, pp. 309-315) states that hundreds of studies over
the past 50 years indicate that group therapy is very effective.
He draws several conclusions from the research. Group work is
more effective than individual therapy when ten or fewer
sessions are conducted. The research indicates that structured
groups are more beneficial than unstructured groups. A lack of
structure leads to client difficulties with interpersonal fears,
cognitive distortions, subjective distress and premature
termination. Pre-group training has been shown to boost
treatment outcome, interpersonal interactions and attendance.
Effective leaders have been shown to nurture a sense of hope
and display positive personal characteristics. The research
indicates that nearly 50% of all group work casualties are
produced by a leadership style which involves high stimulus
input, intrusiveness, confrontation and challenge.
This chapter has touched the surface in the areas of diversity,
ethics and research. I would encourage you to do further study
in these areas.
Questions to ponder
1.Is it important to be aware of diversity in the group? If so,
why? If not, why not? 2.If you were to summarize ethics in
one sentence, what would it be? 3.The research shows that
group therapy is as effective as individual therapy. Do you
agree
or disagree? Why?

7. Module 3.1
What are the most important characteristics of a program to
consider when deciding what measurement tool to implement in
a program evaluation? Why?
Module 3.2
Consider the major types of program evaluation. Based on your
consideration and current research, which type is the most
effective? Why?