Approaching Complex Cases With a Crisis Intervention Model and Teamwork

Patients referred for genetic counseling may be in a state of crisis, feeling as though they are incapable of making decisions about the management of their pregnancy, genetic testing options and/or life planning issues. The role of the genetic counselor is to assist a patient through this crisis state by increasing the patient's understanding and by helping to facilitate decision making and adjustment to those decisions. In this paper we present a clinical genetic counseling case that was complicated by numerous medical and psychosocial issues. The wide scope of this case required the involvement of both a prenatal and a medical genetic counselor. Working as a team we utilized a crisis intervention model. Our counseling focused on identifying and isolating the issues, providing factual information, setting a time frame for decisions to be made, and encouraging social support and emotion-focused coping strategies.     

Guidelines for Writing Letters to Patients

Patient letters provide a permanent record of the genetic counseling that was provided and are unique in medical care; rarely do other health care providers send summaries written specifically to their patients and families. We surveyed genetic counseling training program directors and found that while the acquisition of patient letter-writing skills was considered important, there were no specific guidelines made available to students. To develop letter-writing guidelines, we evaluated patient letters, reviewed references on professional correspondence, surveyed the medical literature, and worked with a writing consultant. The guidelines we subsequently developed and present here include a format for writing patient letters, suggestions on presenting medical information in understandable terms, and wording considerations. These patient letter-writing guidelines are intended to serve as a guide for teaching students this important skill and as a resource for practicing health care professionals.     

Enhancing Positive Citizenship Ideals on Students Through Bibliotherapy and Cognitive Counseling

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中学生厌学心理及其干预与学习效率的相关研究

本研究旨在考察两个问题：1．心理咨询是否是改变中学生厌学心理的有效途径,如果是,它能够在多大程度上改变厌学心理;2．厌学心理的改善能否有效提高中学生学习效率。本实验用问卷调查法从183名中学生中筛选出有厌学心理的学生24名。运用个体心理咨询、团体心理咨询等手段对这24名学生进行为期4个月干预、结果表明：心理咨询能够有效且明显地改善厌学心理。但要完全消除厌学心理则还需要辅以其他干预手段;随着学生厌学心理的改善,其学习效率也相应有了明显的提高。     

Developing Standard Recommendations (Guidelines) for Genetic Counseling Practice: A Process of the National Society of Genetic Counselors

The National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) supports the development of practice recommendations (guidelines) in the field of genetic counseling. This paper reviews the basic components of NSGC genetic counseling practice recommendations as well as the process for formal adoption of such documents, as approved by the Board of Directors of the NSGC.     

The Genetic Counseling Workplace—An Australasian Perspective. A National Study of Workplace Issues for Genetic Counselors and Associate Genetic Counselors

Genetic counseling in Australasia (Australia and New Zealand) has been recognized as a profession since the 1980s and has steadily expanded over the past 20 years. The demography of major cities with metropolitan sprawl and sparsely populated rural areas has led to the establishment of 3 types of genetics units: main units in cities, metropolitan outreach, and rural outreach units. A questionnaire was developed to obtain information about the needs, resources, and day-to-day operation of the genetic counselors. The questionnaire addressed the areas of resource availability, professional development, responsibility of genetic counselors in the clinical setting, and their involvement in promotion of the service and public education. Differences observed between the 3 settings in all of these areas included large clinical loads for metropolitan outreach counselors, varying responsibilities in the clinical setting, and a lack of support and resources for rural outreach counselors. Australasian Genetic counselors were found to have a significant interest in developing mechanisms for supervision and were keenly interested in maintaining credentials and professional role development. The results of this study allows genetic counselors themselves to have a better understanding of the roles of their colleagues in the different units; they can also be used by service providers in establishing and supporting genetic counselors, and identifying inequalities and deficiencies in the different practice areas.     

A Quality Life in the Shadow of Terrorism

After the demise of the Soviet Union, many individuals felt a sigh of relief as fear was leaving them. Yet, over the years, counselors have seen a new fear—terrorism—demonstrated in drive-by shootings, hate crimes, and now, weapons of mass destruction. In helping clients deal with this all-too-real phenomenon, a reframing process is in order, one that views our lives not in permanence, but as constant change. Much needless suffering is due to clinging to permanent belief systems, which, in reality, are impermanent. Many clients I have worked with have found effective ways not only to deal with, but to flourish in whatever life brings, via a self-Being relationship.     

系统式团体心理辅导改善儿童同伴关系的研究

本研究将系统家庭治疗的思想及技术移植到学校情景中,对实验班人际距离较远的5名嫌弃儿在原班级中开展团体心理辅导活动.实验结果表明:嫌弃儿的人际距离明显改善.辅导中系统思想的引入、积极取向的气氛对同伴关系辅导有特殊的效果.     

Self-Efficacy for Enhancing Students’ Career and College Readiness: A Survey of Professional School Counselors

Grounded in Bandura’s (1997) self-efficacy theory and Savickas’s (2011) career construction theory, this study examined school counselors’ beliefs about whether they can perform specific tasks related to supporting students’ career and college readiness. A national sample of school counselors (N = 2,047) completed the School Counselor Self-Efficacy for Enhancing Student Career and College Readiness Scale (Baker, Parikh-Foxx, & Martinez, 2017). Findings from a survey research design indicated that the extent of related training and the challenges associated with implementation of career service delivery were of concern to participants. Recommendations for training, practice, and further research are presented.     

Curriculum Evaluation and Assessment of Multicultural Genetic Counselor Education

Multicultural competence in genetic counseling integrates racial-cultural knowledge, awareness, and skills into clinical interventions and research practices. Researchers and educators often cite racial-cultural factors as obstacles for visible racial-cultural people seeking help. However, the professional's unfamiliarity of how his or her own racial-cultural group affiliations are influenced by the history of discrimination and oppression coupled with their lack of self-understanding of racial-cultural issues for him- or herself has also limited the effectiveness of genetic counseling. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the Handbook of Cross-Cultural Genetic Counseling, a multicultural curriculum developed for genetic counselor education for increasing multicultural counseling competence. The multicultural curriculum was evaluated for its effectiveness of increasing multicultural counseling competence using a nonequivalent control group design. A participant's multicultural counseling competence was hypothesized to increase after being taught the curriculum. The curriculum was effective for increasing multicultural counseling competence. Additionally, achieved multicultural counseling competence was not influenced by when the curriculum was taught. Trend analyses measuring the longitudinal impact of the curriculum on multicultural competence were significant. Implications of the results are discussed.