Genetic Counselling

Genetic counselling is the process of helping people understand and adapt to the medical, psychological and familial implications of genetic contributions to disease. The majority of genetic counsellors work in clinical care settings, but a growing number work in public health and policy, educational, industry and research settings. Genetic counselling educational programmes focus on mastery of basic genetics principles, knowledge of medical genetics within a wide range of medical subspecialties and expertise in counselling techniques and ethical issues related to genetic conditions. Graduate education programmes first developed in the United States, where genetic counselling is generally practised by master's prepared allied health professionals. In the past 51 years, the profession has grown to over 5000 certified genetic counsellors in the United States and Canada, with almost 7000 genetic counsellors in 28 countries. Models of genetic counselling and genetic counsellor education develop differently in different countries and different health care systems. Key Concepts Genetic counselling is the process of helping people understand and adapt to the medical, psychological and familial implications of genetic contributions to disease. Genetic counsellors are allied health professionals who have graduate education in medical genetics and the psychosocial and ethical aspects of genetic disease as well as specialised training in counselling techniques. Genetic counsellors work in many direct patient care settings (e.g. perinatal genetics, cancer genetics, clinical genetics and subspecialty clinics) and in nondirect patient care settings such as public health and policy; diagnostic laboratories; research; industry settings and advocacy and other not-for-profit genetics groups. Genetic counsellors' job opportunities and roles are expanding in both direct patient care and nondirect patient care settings. Genetic counsellors who provide direct patient care collect and assess medical information leading to a diagnosis; calculate and provide risk information; discuss options; facilitate genetic testing and provide psychosocial support and counselling to aid patients and their families to adapt to conditions with a genetic component. Genetic counsellors educate clients, other medical professionals and the public about natural history, inheritance, testing, management and prevention of genetic disease. In the United States and Canada, genetic counselling has developed a strong professional identity, with a professional society, certification of genetic counsellors, accreditation of training programmes, a Code of Ethics, a professional journal, a national scope of practice, licensure and practice-based competencies. Genetic counselling is rapidly becoming an international profession with almost 7000 genetic counsellors in at least 28 countries.