Genomic Counseling: Next Generation Counseling

Personalized medicine continues to expand with the development and increasing use of genome-based testing. While these advances present new opportunities for diagnosis and risk assessment, they also present challenges to clinical delivery. Genetic counselors will play an important role in ushering in this new era of testing; however, it will warrant a shift from traditional genetic counseling to “genomic counseling.” This shift will be marked by a move from reactive genetic testing for diagnosis of primarily single-gene diseases to proactive genome-based testing for multiple complex diseases for the purpose of disease prevention. It will also require discussion of risk information for a number of diseases, some of which may have low relative risks or weak associations, and thus, may not substantially impact clinical care. Additionally, genomic counselors will expand their roles, particularly in the area of health promotion to reduce disease risk. This additional role will require a style of counseling that is more directive than traditional counseling and require greater knowledge about risk reducing behaviors and disease screening.     

Addictions Counseling Certification: An Emerging Counseling Specialty

This article summarizes the national standards for addictions counseling of 4 different professional groups or boards. The new addictions specialty certification standards that are being developed jointly by the National Board for Certified Counselors and the International Association of Addictions and Offender Counselors (a division of the American Counseling Association) are compared with the standards of 3 other groups.     

Adventure Based Counseling: An Innovation in Counseling

Increasingly, Adventure Based Counseling (ABC) is recognized as providing a significant means to help clients. This article describes the outdoor and indoor adventure experience and its relationship to counseling. A conceptual framework of ABC has been developed to provide a better understanding of the process and potential benefits of this approach and to serve as a model for researchers. Counseling theories, educational theories, setting, programming, processing, and transferring client gains to real life are explained as well as the potential psychological, educational, sociological, physical, and spiritual benefits of ABC.     

Counseling Chinese-Americans

The Chinese-American student's cultural background plays an important part in his expression of personality traits and the manifestation of his problems. This article presents an analysis of Chinese values and suggests that the counseling situation may arouse intense conflicts for many Chinese-American students. It also suggests a modified counseling approach that can be used in working with these students.     

Counseling Vietnamese

The continuing influx of Vietnamese refugees means that increasing numbers of counselors unfamiliar with Vietnamese culture will be called on to build helping relationships with refugee children and their families. This article provides specific information to help the counselor establish rapport, avoid misunderstandings in explicit and implicit communication, minimize transference dangers, and deal with Vietnamese attitudes toward sex roles and the individual/family relationship. It also discusses relevant socioeconomic and ethnic differences among the Vietnamese themselves, as well as some war-related mental health problems. Practical matters, such as the proper use of Vietnamese names, are explained.     

Counseling blacks

As a subcultural group in our society, blacks have developed unique environmental perceptions, values, and attitudes which intrude in the counseling relationship, making it difficult for the counselor to establish and maintain a positive rapport with Negro clients. This article examines attitudinal ingredients posited by Carl Rogers for their relevance to this problem, and it suggests in-service training to help counselors and other professionals relate more effectively with inner-city blacks.     

Sports Counseling: A New Counseling Specialty Area

This article provides background information about sports counseling for student-athletes. A proposal for a Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs specialty training area for sports counseling is presented.     

Developmental Relational Counseling: Applications for Counseling Men

Developmental relational counseling (DRC) is a conceptual model designed to help people gain a deeper awareness of their relational functioning. DRC is informed by relational‐cultural theory and influenced by the Enneagram personality typology and cognitive and narrative theories. This article outlines the DRC model in counseling practice with men. Men involved in counseling services may use this approach to expand their personal awareness and promote mutual understanding in their relationships.     

Premarital Counseling

Abstract

A number of different approaches to premarital counseling have been developed to better prepare couples for marriage. A variety of these of approaches will be described here, including those used in churchsettings, where the majority of premarital counseling is performed. A brief summary of the premarital counseling research will also be presented, including what research suggests are important ingredients to designing effective premarital counseling approaches.     

Counseling Iranians

This article provides the counselor with a basic understanding of the Iranian culture in order to help him or her build a positive relationship with the client.