The genetic self: The Human Genome Project, genetic counseling and family therapy.

Abstract

In the ideal world, genetic counseling, family therapy, and primary healthcare should blend into a seamless network of psychosocial services for families with genetic conditions. The discussions presetered here was inspired by two interdisciplinary workshops titled "The Genetic Self". This paper introduces family therapists and primary care practitioners to the Human Genome Project and current applications in genetic counseling. The practical goal is to foster interdisciplinary teams and referral networks for management of families with or at risk for genetic disorders. Families with genetic conditions may need access to genetic diagnosis, possible genetic testing, tailored medical management, crisis interventions, follow-up at appropriate developmental stages, family therapy, individual psychotherapy, or pastoral counseling for dealing with spiritual issues elicited by

Families’ experience of oncogenetic counselling: accounts from a heterogeneous hereditary cancer risk population

“…Its interdependent and collaborative nature enacts dynamic narratives expressing the contingencies of relationships, family identity, and the ways families create meanings in an interactional sensemaking setting [57]. This approach is consistent with the need to acknowledge family interrelationships in the genetic counselling process, aiming to include family-oriented data as an intrinsic part of the provision of cancer genetics risk counselling [6,41,43].…”

“…It is relevant to acknowledge and incorporate family-oriented data as part of ongoing psychosocial support throughout the genetic counselling protocol [3]. Interactions between individual and family development, individual and family autonomy, and kinship rights and obligations need to be considered for genetic counselling planning, including practice, and also for professionals training and policy making [6,30,41,75]. The family context and history is relevant to participation in genetic counselling, testing, and surveillance methods.…”

“…Families' views on genetic counselling are crucial, because when a condition is thought of as genetic, it is no longer a strictly individual matter. It is a family matter, as it involves family history, current life decisions, and potential family futures [6,7].…”

Are family-oriented interventions in Portuguese genetics services a remote possibility? Professionals’ views on a multifamily intervention for cancer susceptibility families

“…The need to develop family-oriented models of coping, adaptation and integration in inherited risk management has been stated as crucial to fully address the holistic needs of those seeking help from genetic counselling services (McDaniel 2005;Peters et al 1999;Street et al 2000).…”

Whatever happened to biology? Reconnecting family therapy with its evolutionary origins

“…A knowledge of biology will increase our opportunities in all these areas, and for clinical collaboration with doctors. In a world where genetic screening, in vitro fertilization, donor pregnancies, prenatal diagnosis, xenotransplantation, gender identity surgery and gene therapy are commonplace, and where human cloning is a technical possibility, it may become a prerequisite for therapists to be biologically literate (Feetham, 1999;Peters et al, 1999;Street and Soldan, 1998).…”