Group leaders are faced with the difficult task of determining who
should be a group member, and who should not. Often it is easier to
determine who should be excluded from group. In this chapter research
suggests that with alcohol and drug addicted clients, group therapy is
very effective.
The counselor needs to inform all clients in the group setting of the
risks and benefits of group counseling. A major risk is that
confidentiality in a group counseling session is not guaranteed. Though
the counselor is still ethically bound to maintain confidentiality, the
other clients aren’t. Appropriate group conduct needs to be established
with clients during the initial session, confidentiality should always
be discussed.
