Genetic Counseling Services and Training of Genetic Counselors in Israel: An Overview

Abstract

Genetic counseling services have existed in Israel since 1964 and are available in almost all the major hospitals. Given the socialized healthcare system and small country size, genetic services are generally accessible and often free. The existence of founder mutations in various communities in Israel makes genetic testing easier to perform. Yet, the ethnic, cultural and religious diversity of the population has major implications on the design of the screening programs and the use of genetic services. The Israeli Association of Genetic Counselors (IAGC) was established in 2008 and had existed informally since 1989. There are two Master level genetic counseling training programs (6 students/class, 2 year program): Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School (established in 1997) and the Technion (established in 2009). Genetic counselors' clinical training is largely observational and 2 years of supervised counseling sessions post degree are required for board exam eligibility. Genetic counselors are licensed and lead counseling sessions individually, but currently must work under medical geneticist supervision. This is the first article to summarize the history and training of Master level genetic counselors in Israel. Genetic services, coverage and regulations are also described.

Invasive Prenatal Diagnostic Testing Recommendations are Influenced by Maternal Age, Statistical Misconception and Perceived Liability

“…Additionally, prenatal genetic counseling may be provided by a geneticist (physician), a genetic counselor, or OB/GYN provider (Israel Ministry of Health, 2017;Sagi & Uhlmann, 2013). This study only investigated OB/GYN physicians' attitudes towards invasive procedures in Israel.…”

Patients’ Attitudes Towards Disclosure of Genetic Test Results to Family Members: The Impact of Patients’ Sociodemographic Background and Counseling Experience

“…The provision and use of genetic services in Israel has become increasingly widespread (Rosner et al 2009;Sagi and Uhlmann 2013), where the main purposes are carrier screening before or during pregnancy, prenatal (foetal) diagnosis, and diagnostic and predictive testing, mainly for cancer.…”

“It just becomes much more complicated”: Genetic counselors' views on genetics and prenatal testing

“…Given genetic medicine's expansion into other clinical specialties in the last decade (especially cancer), further research on genetic counselors' views on the clinical growth of genetic technologies should also investigate the extent to which personal, professional, and institutional characteristics affect counselors' degree of optimism or skepticism with regard to the proliferation and increased availability of genetic information (Conrad and Markens 2001). Since this study focused solely on counselors in the USA, further research should also compare genetic counselors to other medical professionals who engage in genetic counseling (Kerr, Cunningham-Burley, and Tutton 2007) and examine how national/cultural context affects the views, training, and work of master's-trained genetic counselor (Hashiloni-Dolev 2006;Hashiloni-Dolev and Raz 2010), particularly as this specific genetic professional expands globally (Sahar et al 2005;Barnes et al 2012;Sagi and Uhlmann 2013;Skirton et al 2013).…”

“…Recently in 2013, the Accreditation Council for Genetic Counseling (ACGC) was formed as a separate accrediting body for training programs while ABGC continues to certify individual counselors (American Board of Genetic Counselors 2013). The establishment of a master's-trained genetic counseling professional was thus created and institutionalized in the USA over a decade or two before separate training and certification programs emerged in other countries (Sahar et al 2005;Skirton, Arimori, and Aoki 2006;Barnes et al 2012;Sagi and Uhlmann 2013;Skirton et al 2013). 2 In the meantime, this specifically graduate-trained and credentialed genetic professional -both in the science of genetics and in the psychosocial aspects of counseling -has vastly expanded in the USA.…”