The task of planning an outpatient group for children of parents going through divorce implies the presence of cultural issues, which should be adequately addressed. Since the facility serves a culturally diverse community, one of the most critical aspects is the difference in religious beliefs. This factor is essential for young patients since their identity is in the process of formation (Cornish et al., 2014).
The neglect of their families’ perceptions of marriage related to religion might lead to the inability to satisfy the clients’ needs (Cornish et al., 2014). At the stages of recruiting and screening, the challenge is connected to the necessity to ensure that one’s needs and goals align with those of others (American Counseling Association, 2014). This condition is complemented by other issues, such as the possibility of emotional or psychological trauma resulting from the failure of counselors to prevent cultural conflicts (American Counseling Association, 2014). Hence, these circumstances should be prioritized when preparing interventions.
Another consideration applicable to the case is specific ethical standards important for this particular group. They include confidentiality and responsibility to parents and legal guardians in the first place. The former implies the responsibility of a counselor to make sure that children do not start excessively sharing private information about their family lives with others. (American Counseling Association, 2014).
In turn, the latter is the need to inform parents about legal and custodial arrangements and the methods of collaboration (American Counseling Association, 2014). Their combination is critical because these two issues cannot be resolved by children. If a supervisee fails to consider the problems identified, the possibility of cultural conflicts will increase. This event might lead to social injustice when clients cannot recognize the similarities between themselves and other group members (Arczynski, 2017). In this situation, the provided care will be completely inefficient for them.
References
American Counseling Association. (2014). ACA code of ethics. Web.
Arczynski, A. V. (2017). Multicultural social justice group psychotherapy training: Curriculum development and pilot. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 11(4), 227-234. Web.
Cornish, M. A., Wade, N. G., Tucker, J. R., & Post, B. C. (2014). When religion enters the counseling group: Multiculturalism, group processes, and social justice. The Counseling Psychologist, 42(5), 578-600. Web.