Assignment 2: RA Group Counseling Special Topic Paper

The purpose of this paper is to develop appropriate research skills to ensure that effective treatment strategies are selected on the basis of review of professional literature when developing a counseling group.

Hypothetical Scenario:

You have been hired as a clinical mental health counselor. Your agency asks you to do a needs assessment to determine which clinical population (defined by age, gender, clinical presenting issue, or other criteria) could best be served by the formation of a new counseling group. In speaking with fellow counselors and surveying clients, you see a clear need for a group that pertains to (enter your choice here). Your administrator first asks you to conduct a review of literature to ensure that evidence-based practices include group counseling for this particular specialty population.

Tasks:

Seek topic approval from your instructor to ensure that your topic is narrow enough. After conducting a review of the literature, address the following:

• This paper has four content sections:
  • Provide a brief review of recent literature on the selected population or clinical issue (e.g., depression).
  • Analyze group theory, techniques, and interventions that are evidence-based recommendations for the selected population or clinical issue (e.g., effectiveness of group counseling with depression). Explain the need for a variety of techniques and interventions.
  • Identify and explain cultural and developmental considerations for the specific population that the group will include (e.g., Latina adolescents in group counseling).
  • Analyze ethical and legal considerations for group counseling especially relevant to the selected specific population or clinical issue (e.g., confidentiality with groups or ethical/legal issues working with minors).
• The topic of this special topic paper will be the same population or clinical issue used in the group counseling proposal assignment in M6 Assignment 2 LASA.
• Your final submission should be an 8- to 10-page paper (including the cover page and references) in a Microsoft Word document. Cite a minimum of five scholarly sources. At least one of your references should be from the Journal for Specialists in Group Work. Use the most current APA format.