GROUP COUNSELING IN THE SCHOOLS: LEGAL, ETHICAL, AND TREATMENT ISSUES IN SCHOOL PRACTICE

School psychologists are interested in providing effective and efficient direct services to children. With a wide spectrum of psychological problems impacting children, group counseling represents one viable and valuable intervention. Given the complexity of group counseling, many schools and school psychologists are interested in legal and ethical issues impacting group interventions. From the attainment of appropriate consents for counseling to ethical dilemmas, the challenges involved in direct services are large. This article reviews mental health issues transforming, children's mental health, considers differing group counseling models and stages of group development, and examines contemporary legal and ethical dilemmas inherent in school practice. Uniquely, a question-and-answer format is used to highlight legal issues for practice. (C) 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.