Who we are, what we do, and how we add value: The role of the genetic counseling ‘philosophy of practice’ statement in a changing time

Abstract

As genetics and genomics are integrated into health care and non‐genetic health professionals deliver aspects of genetic counseling, it is increasingly important for genetic counselors to be able to define who we are, what we do, and how we add value to client interactions, both on an individual and professional basis. In this paper, we argue that to understand ourselves as individual practitioners and as a profession, we each need to reflect on, write, and constantly review our own philosophy of practice. A philosophy of practice is a dynamic, personal, and reflective statement or narrative that captures the core ideas, values, and beliefs of the individual about their chosen profession, including concrete examples of what this involves in practice. Here, we consider the nature, purpose, and relevance of a philosophy of genetic counseling practice, drawing on examples from professions such as teaching and nursing, where the exercise of writing a philosophy of practice is more established. We demonstrate how and why we have introduced writing a philosophy of practice into our Master of Genetic Counseling program at University of Technology Sydney and consider the possibilities for introducing such practice into professional registration or certification processes. Finally, we offer our own philosophy of genetic counseling practice as an example. As the roles and scope of practice for genetic counselors expand and diversify, it is increasingly important to understand, own, and retain our core values and principles as individual practitioners and as a profession. Ensuring client‐centered practice remains at the heart of genetic health care is vital. We encourage all genetic counselors to write, publish, and share their philosophy of practice, adding to our collective professional identity in this time of change and opportunity.

Preparing the genetic counseling workforce for the future in Australasia

“…Threaded throughout our program is a consistent and unwavering commitment to putting people at the center of our work, to facilitate the development of a lifelong practice of truly client‐centered genetic counseling in our graduates. We believe that attentive, thoughtful, and reflective listening is central to providing effective person‐centered genetic counseling (McEwen & Jacobs, 2020). The practice of listening to understand is explicitly taught during the first year and woven throughout the program.…”