Problem
Case Study: Phyllis Becomes a Plaintiff
Phyllis joined her therapist's psychotherapy group because she had issues revolving around unresolved grief from her childhood. About halfway through the group, the leader became demanding. He insisted that if group members were going to get better, they needed to "spill their guts" and "get on with life." Feeling pressured, Phyllis complied with the leader's demands. She later came to regret her actions, especially when she found out that the information she had disclosed in the group was out in the public domain.
In response, Phyllis quit the group and sued the leader. She was visibly upset. The case was settled out of court, with the leader apologizing to Phyllis and returning the money he had charged her. Phyllis wanted to press the case further, but she could not prove she had been harmed in an irreparable way. Furthermore, the lead had kept careful records, which documented that Phyllis had asked him to "push her" to talk more before the group.
Task
a) What is the ethical issue presented in the case?
b) Even though Phyllis was limited in what she could do legally, do you think she had some ethical recourse? If so, what would they have been?