Ethical considerations are important to planning the structure of any group and will be a key component of the group proposal that will come together in our course assignments. The ethical issues that guide group formation and structure apply broadly to all groups in general, but may have more specific application depending upon the topic and population for the group. Use the example below to explore how ethical and cultural issues can be considered in the planning stages of a group.

Imagine you are a supervisor in a county mental health clinic serving a culturally diverse community. A supervisee proposes an outpatient group for children of parents going through divorce.

• What cultural issues would be critical for the supervisee to consider when recruiting, screening, and planning interventions for the group?
• What specific ethical standards take on heightened importance for this group?
• What may happen to the group if your supervisee fails to take the issues you identified into consideration?