Mental health professionals play the all-important role of helping their clients to achieve wellbeing and satisfaction. However, for the professionals to be effective, they must match the approaches that they use to the needs and circumstances of their patients. When the practitioners use inappropriate or ineffective interventions, they could cause their patients to experience harm. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the most commonly administered interventions. For the most part, it is highly effective. During a recent session with clients participating in group therapy, it was determined that CBT was the most appropriate treatment approach.
Description of Session
The session involved a group of 12 clients grappling with a wide range of mental health problems. There are some who were struggling with depression while others grappled with anxiety and substance abuse. It was felt wise to hold a group session so that the clients could benefit from each other’s experiences. Group therapy is vital because it enables patients to obtain feedback from their colleagues and to engage in fulfilling social interactions (Fehr, 2014). A 20-year old depressive and a 40 year old divorcee are among the clients whose situations were determined to be most intriguing. The 20 year old man had attended previous sessions and expresses feelings of isolation, emptiness and a sense of worthlessness. During the sessions, he had indicated that he had harmed himself repeatedly and had lost his job owing to absenteeism. He added that he lacked the motivation to tackle such simple tasks as showering and getting out of bed. The 40 year old divorcee shared most of the 20 year old’s symptoms. He would show up for sessions unkempt and dirty. It took tremendous effort to persuade him to consistently present himself for the sessions. None of them had received any medications and they shared that the group sessions were their first attempt at recovery.
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Diagnosis
For each of the two clients described above, a diagnosis of major depressive disorder was issued. This diagnosis was made after it was determined that their symptoms were largely consistent with the diagnostic criteria stipulated in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). According to the fifth edition of the DSM, to be diagnosed with major depressive disorder, patients need to exhibit symptoms that include depressed mood, low interest in pleasurable activities, fatigue, suicide ideation and attempts and a sense of worthlessness (APA, 2013). It is true that the clients did not meet all the criteria. However, major depressive disorder best accounts for the symptoms that they presented with. Therefore, there is a great degree of confidence that this diagnosis is accurate.
CBT
As noted earlier, the group was made up of individuals who mostly grappled with depression and anxiety. CBT is one of the interventions that would immensely benefit the patients in this group. This is because CBT is routinely administered on patients with such ailments as depression and anxiety. In their text, Flynn and Warren (2014) confirm that CBT helps to alleviate the symptoms of depressed and anxious patients. For example, they note that CBT helps to tackle depression and prevent the recurrence of feelings associated with this condition. CBT delivers a number of positive outcomes. It is expected that this intervention will yield such outcomes as improved moods, decline in suicide ideation and a greater interest and enthusiasm for life and pleasurable pursuits.
Legal and Ethical Implications
When counseling patients, practitioners need to be mindful of relevant ethical and legal implications. These implications include privacy, informed consent and safety (Pope & Vasquez, 2010). Practitioners have a legal and ethical mandate to safeguard the privacy rights of their patients. They should also ensure that they obtain informed consent before performing any procedures or administering medication. Additionally, all interventions that practitioners implement must be safe and pose no threat to the wellbeing of patients. Compliance with these standards enables practitioners to effectively help their patients to find healing.
In conclusion, group therapy serves as a platform for clients to find comfort and acceptance. Furthermore, thanks to group therapy, patients are able to experience the benefits of social interactions. Most importantly, group therapy helps patients to overcome mental illness. However, for group therapy to deliver these outcomes, it should be conducted according to established best practices. Practitioners should also combine group therapy with such other interventions as CBT whose safety and effectiveness have been confirmed.
References
American Psychological Association (APA). (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Fifth Edition. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing.
Fehr, S. S. (2014). Introduction to group therapy: a practical guide. Second Edition. London: Routledge.
Flynn, H. A., & Warren, R. (2014). Using CBT effectively for treating depression and anxiety. Current Psychiatry, 13 (6), 45-53.
Pope, K. S., & Vasquez, M. J. T. (2010). Ethics in psychotherapy and counseling: a practical guide. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
