Genetic Counseling Web Survey
Section 1
Instructions: Please fill in the blanks or choose the best answer as specified.
1) Age:
2) Sex: Male Female
3) Ethnicity (Please choose one):
Asian, Asian-American, or Oriental White, Caucasian, European, not Hispanic Mixed; parents are from two different groups Hispanic or Latino Black or African-American American Indian Other (write in):
4) Current profession:
Medical geneticist Genetic Counselor OB/Gyn MD. Cytogeneticist Pediatrician Nurse/nurse practitioner Oncologist Social worker Other (write in):
5) Number of years practicing in your current profession:
6) Please indicate when you received the following degree(s) or certification:
7) Professional status:
Full-time Part-time Retired
8) Which state(s) in the USA are you currently practicing in? (Please fill in province and/or country if applicable)
Section 2
Instructions: Please read the following statements and choose the option which best describes how you usually feel.
1) Anxiety is alleviated more effectively with information than with empathy.
Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree
2) It is more important to support the beliefs and misconceptions of a client if they value them highly, rather that to try and change their beliefs and misconceptions.
3) What is the main reason why people come for genetic counseling? (Rank from 1= most common reason to 5=least common reason)
To get accurate information To gain a greater sense of control over their lives To relieve anxiety To receive support To make informed decisions
4) The task of a genetic counselor is to provide information in the most impartial and balanced way possible.
5) It is more important to reduce a client's anxiety or psychological stress than to educate them.
6) The goals of a counseling session are: (Rank from 1=most important to 5=least important)
Understanding the client Supporting and raising the client's self-esteem Educating the client and clearing up misconceptions Providing the information as impartially as possible Alleviating anxiety
7) The counselor should control the content and focus of the counseling session in order to best assist the client with decision making.
8) Clients require more than education and information in order to make their decisions.
9) After a session, the best outcome a genetic counselor can hope for is if the client: (Rank from 1=most important to 5=least important)
Is educated and informed Feels validated and supported Feels a reduction in anxiety Feels better able to make an informed decision Has a greater sense of control
10) The best counselors provide unbiased and accurate information to clients of all cultures equally and in the same impartial manner.
11) Most counseling session goals can be achieved using the same counseling session format.
12) Preparation for a counseling session should include (Rank from 1=most important to 5=least important)
Literature review Informative medical records from the referring physician Cultural awareness review Lab/test result documentation Psychosocial assessment from the referring physician
13) A genetic counselor should be neutral and impartial, so that he/she can and give the same form of counseling to all clients. In this way, the counselor can equally serve all clients consistently.
14) In a counseling session, how important is it to: a. Give clear and accurate information?
Not important Somewhat important Important Very important
b. Validate and support the client?
c. Consider the client's culture?
15) The counselor and the client should have equal input in the content and focus of the counseling session.
16) Culture plays a minimal role in the type of counseling a genetic counselor should provide.
17) The counselor should assess the client's needs and values and tailor the session accordingly.
18) Clients are best able to make decisions only after receiving impartial and balanced information.
19) In my own practice, providing unbiased and accurate information is usually the most important thing I give to the client.
20) Most counseling sessions require a flexible, individual counseling style to fit the client's needs.
21) It is more important to clear up a client's misconceptions about genetics than to empathize with the client.
Section 3
1) Differences between individuals are more important than differences between groups.
2) A person can choose to be a part of different cultures depending on the situation he or she is in.
3) Culture determines how people think and feel about the world.
4) We should concentrate on finding experiences that we all share as human beings.
5) Even if you try to leave your culture, it still stays with you.
6) People who share common experiences can form a culture of their own.
7) My ideal future is a world where group differences based on race, gender, and the like are not relevant.
8) Race supercedes all other cultural differences such as country of origin, gender, and sexual orientation.
9) Basically, when you come down to it, all human beings have similar problems.
10) Race is the most important difference between people in the US.
11) A person can choose to be a part of a culture or not.
12) It is possible to move beyond cultural differences between people.
13) The best way to understand a different culture is to learn more about that culture. For example, spending the weekend with someone of that culture or reading that culture's national literature.
14) It is important to me to understand more about my racial background.
15) The world would be a better place if we ignored cultural differences.
16) People are members of cultural groups only if they share the same "blood" and upbringing; you have to be born into a culture.
17) Your country of origin determines your culture.
18) Any human difference can be considered a cultural difference.
19) It is very important to understand how others feel about racial issues.
20) The experience of being different is the same for people regardless of what the difference is.
21) Race may not be biologically important, but it certainly is historically important.
22) Sexual orientation is as much of a cultural difference as gender, race, or ethnicity.
23) Differences between people should be acknowledged and celebrated, no matter what the differences are.
Section 4
Genetic counselors have tried many different ways to learn about the cultures of clients from different backgrounds than themselves. Please rate how effective the following practices are/were for you in preparing to counsel persons from a different culture than yourself.
5= Extremely effective 4= Somewhat effective 3= Neither effective or ineffective 2= Somewhat ineffective 1= Extremely ineffective x= Never tried this before
1) Read about the culture in a multicultural counseling handbook. 2) Go on the list serve and ask other GCs what they know about this culture and any tips they might have. 3) Eat in a restaurant serving that culture's food. 4) Go to a cultural festival. 5) Speak with an interpreter on staff. 6) Talk to a GC of that ethnicity. 7) Spend some time in a cultural enclave i.e. Chinatown. 8) Speak with house or outside hospital/clinic staff that has experience working with this population. 9) Call up the cultural community's organization. 10) Volunteer in a cultural agency/event. 11) See movies about the culture. 12) Read about their history. 13) Speak with a religious leader if there is a religion associated with the culture. 14) Join a cultural cooking class. 15) Read books set in a cultural 16) Other (please specify the activity): 17) Other (please specify the activity): 18) Other (please specify the activity): 19) Other (please specify the activity): 20) Other (please specify the activity): 21) Other (please specify the activity): 22) Other (please specify the activity):