| Course | PAC 420 Group Therapy |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 7 |
| Paper type | Group ethics paper |
| Length | About 1,101 words, 7 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Aspen University |
| Program | Psychology and Addiction Studies |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for PAC 420 Module 7
What Leaves the Room and Who Belongs in It: Confidentiality and Cultural Conflict in a Mixed Recovery Group
Student Name
Psychology and Addiction Studies Program, Aspen University
PAC 420: Group Therapy
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
What Leaves the Room and Who Belongs in It: Confidentiality and Cultural Conflict in a Mixed Recovery Group
Lake Erie Recovery Center's Tuesday evening recovery group, at the invented program in these papers, includes nine adults of different ages, races and backgrounds. In one week, two problems arose. Mark, a member who works at the same distribution center as Dana, another member, told a coworker that Dana had been to jail; Dana had disclosed this in group. Dana learned of it the next day and called the leader in tears. Two days later, Ray, a member in his sixties, told the leader privately that Luis and Ana, two members who are Puerto Rican, had been speaking Spanish to each other during the break and that group "should be English only, so we all know what's being said." This paper resolves both problems. The group and its members are composites; the cited guidelines and research are real.
The Limits of Confidentiality in Groups
Lasky and Riva (2006) examined confidentiality and privileged communication in group psychotherapy. Leaders are bound by professional ethics and law to protect members' confidences, with the usual exceptions for danger and abuse. But members are not bound in the same way. Leaders can ask members to agree to keep confidences, but they cannot guarantee that members will do so. Legal privilege, which protects communications from disclosure in court, may not extend to statements made in front of other group members in some jurisdictions, because a third party is present. The authors recommended that leaders inform members of these limits clearly before the group begins and repeatedly during it, discuss what members should and should not share and address breaches openly.
Dana had been told about these limits in her screening interview, but the reality of the breach was painful nonetheless.
Best Practice Guidelines
Thomas and Pender (2008) presented the Association for Specialists in Group Work's best practice guidelines, organized into planning, performing and processing. In planning, group workers obtain informed consent, explaining the group's purpose, procedures, limits of confidentiality and members' rights. In performing, they monitor the group's process, protect members and intervene when the group's norms are violated. In processing, they reflect on and evaluate the group and their own practice. The guidelines emphasize that group workers must attend to the welfare of each member and the group as a whole.
Multicultural and Social Justice Principles
Singh et al. (2012) described principles for multicultural and social justice competence in group work. Group workers should be aware of their own cultural backgrounds and biases, understand the cultural backgrounds and worldviews of members, use culturally responsive interventions and advocate for inclusion and justice within groups and beyond. They emphasized that group leaders must address dynamics of power and privilege among members, protect members from marginalization and help groups become places where diverse identities are respected.
Problems, Principles and Responses
| Problem | Principle | Response |
|---|---|---|
| Mark repeated Dana's disclosure at work | Protect members; address breaches openly; confidentiality limits | Meet with Dana; meet with Mark; with both agreeing, discuss the breach and repair in group |
| Dana's harm and fear | Member welfare | Support Dana; offer an individual session; discuss options, including changing groups if she wished |
| Ray's demand for English only | Inclusion; protect cultural expression | Explain that members may speak their languages in breaks and with each other; English is the group's shared language for the work |
| Ray's discomfort | Awareness of members' worldviews; address power | Explore privately what worried him; invite him to raise his concern in a way that respects others |
Responding to the Breach
The leader met with Dana first, acknowledging the harm and her anger, and asked what she wanted. She wanted to stay in the group but did not want Mark there. The leader then met with Mark, who admitted he had mentioned it without thinking and was ashamed. After discussion with her supervisor, the leader proposed that the breach be addressed in group, with both members' agreement, and that Mark apologize. Dana agreed, Mark apologized and the group discussed what confidentiality meant to them. Dana chose to stay, and Mark agreed to change his schedule so that he would not share a shift with her. The leader documented each step.
Responding to the Language Concern
The leader met with Ray and asked what concerned him. He said he worried that Luis and Ana were talking about him. The leader acknowledged the feeling, explained that the group's work happened in English, which everyone shared, and that members were free to speak their own languages with each other in breaks, as members did in many groups. She invited Ray to say, in the next session, how he felt without asking anyone to change how they spoke. In group, Ray said he felt left out, and Luis responded that they had been talking about their kids. The exchange opened a discussion of feeling like an outsider, which several members shared.
The Leader's Own Position
The leader is white, born in Erie and speaks only English. Singh and colleagues' principles ask group workers to examine how their own cultural position shapes what they notice. Reflecting afterward, the leader recognized that she had not thought about whether Luis and Ana felt welcome before Ray's complaint, and that her first instinct had been to smooth things over for Ray, the member who shared her background. Naming this in supervision helped her respond to the language concern as a question of inclusion rather than of keeping the peace. She also asked Luis and Ana, separately, whether the group felt like a place where they belonged, and learned that Ana had nearly stopped coming after a member joked about her accent weeks earlier.
Revised Agreements
The group revised its agreements together. Members will not repeat what others share, even without names, and will avoid discussing group members at work or elsewhere. Members who know each other outside group will say so, and the leader will discuss how they will handle it. Members may speak any language in breaks and with each other; the group's shared work happens in English. Members will raise concerns about each other directly or with the leader, respectfully.
Conclusion
A breach of confidentiality and a challenge to who belongs tested the group in the same week. Lasky and Riva show why confidentiality in groups cannot be guaranteed and must be discussed openly, Thomas and Pender's guidelines direct the leader to protect members and address breaches and Singh and colleagues' principles guide a response that protects cultural expression while engaging the member who objected. Revised agreements, developed with members, give the group a stronger foundation.
References
Lasky, G. B., & Riva, M. T. (2006). Confidentiality and privileged communication in group psychotherapy. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 56(4), 455-476. https://doi.org/10.1521/ijgp.2006.56.4.455
Singh, A. A., Merchant, N., Skudrzyk, B., & Ingene, D. (2012). Association for Specialists in Group Work: Multicultural and social justice competence principles for group workers. Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 37(4), 312-325. https://doi.org/10.1080/01933922.2012.721482
Thomas, R. V., & Pender, D. A. (2008). Association for Specialists in Group Work: Best practice guidelines 2007 revisions. Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 33(2), 111-117. https://doi.org/10.1080/01933920801971184
PAC 420 Module 7 instructions, in plain terms
Diversity and ethics in groups make up the seventh module of PAC 420, and assignments usually ask you to resolve ethical or cultural problems in a group using professional guidelines. Use your Aspen course's Module 7 instructions as the guide; the group here is invented. Explain the ethical issues specific to groups, such as the limits of confidentiality. Present professional guidelines for group work, including multicultural principles. Analyze each problem with specific principles. Plan responses that protect members and strengthen the group. Revise agreements so that problems are less likely to recur. Cite every guideline and study in APA 7, and treat every member's dignity as part of the analysis. Include the member who caused harm in the repair, not only the member harmed. Explain to members, in plain words, what the leader can and cannot promise about confidentiality.
How this PAC 420 Module 7 example is built
Mark, a member, mentioned to a coworker that Dana from the group had been to jail; Dana learned of it the next day. Later, Ray told the leader that Luis and Ana should not speak Spanish during group breaks. Lasky and Riva's International Journal of Group Psychotherapy article explains limits on confidentiality and privilege. Thomas and Pender's Journal for Specialists in Group Work guidelines address informed consent and confidentiality. Singh and colleagues' principles in the same journal address cultural awareness, inclusion and advocacy. A four-row table pairs each problem with principles and responses. Revised agreements, written with members, cover confidentiality, members who know each other outside group, language in breaks and how to raise concerns.
Reading the PAC 420 Module 7 grading rubric
Group ethics papers earn credit for identifying issues specific to groups, applying guidelines accurately and responding in ways that protect members and the group. This example explains why confidentiality cannot be guaranteed in groups, which shapes both informed consent and the response to the breach. The guidelines are applied specifically, not just named. The response to the language conflict uses Singh and colleagues' principles to protect members' cultural expression while addressing Ray's discomfort. The revised agreements prevent recurrence and are developed with members, which strengthens ownership. The paper keeps both Dana's and Mark's dignity in view, and Ray's concern is engaged rather than dismissed.
PAC 420 Module 7 help: mistakes that cost marks
Group ethics papers often treat confidentiality as if it worked as it does in individual therapy. Explain its limits in groups and how leaders should inform members. Apply professional guidelines specifically. Address cultural conflicts with multicultural principles, protecting members' identities and languages. Respond to breaches in ways that address harm while keeping the group intact where possible. Revise group agreements with members' participation. Consider legal issues, such as privilege, in your state. Document carefully. Avoid scapegoating the member who caused harm; address the behavior and the repair it requires. Revisit the agreements whenever new members join.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
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PAC 420 Module 7 questions, answered
What does PAC 420 Module 7 usually ask for?
Aspen's PAC 420 covers diversity and ethics in groups in this module, so resolving ethical or cultural problems in a group using professional guidelines is typical. Read your Module 7 prompt.
Is what members say in group therapy confidential?
Leaders are bound by confidentiality, but Lasky and Riva explain that leaders cannot guarantee members will keep confidences, and legal privilege may not protect group communications.
What are the ASGW best practice guidelines?
Guidelines for group workers, described by Thomas and Pender, covering planning, performing and processing groups, including informed consent and confidentiality.
Where can I find a free PAC 420 Module 7 sample paper?
This page has the full paper: confidentiality and cultural conflict in a mixed recovery group, with a table of responses and revised agreements.
What are multicultural principles for group work?
Singh and colleagues describe awareness of one's own and members' cultures, knowledge, culturally responsive skills and advocacy for inclusion and justice.