Final Assignment: Counseling a Patient with Genetic Concerns
Select one of the following conditions as the focus for your final paper and visit the Websites
below to learn all that you can about your selected disorder.
Disorders with Heritability Issues
Social Phobia
Obsessive-Compulsive Anxiety Disorder
Autism
Tourette’s Disorder
Major Depressive Disorder
Bipolar Disorder (manic-depressive)
Borderline Personality Disorder
Schizophrenia
Alcohol Dependence
Anti-Social Personality Disorder
Dementia of the Alzheimer Type
Helpful Websites:

A resource for understanding various disorders and possible genetic issues associated with these
disorders.
http://www.genome.gov/page.cfm?pageID=10002096
Provides a talking glossary of genetic terms to help people without scientific backgrounds
understand the terms and concepts used in genetic research
Counseling Scenario:
You are seeing a client who is concerned about the inheritability of the disorder (the one
you have chosen from the above list) in future children. More specifically, the client tells you
that the disorder in question was diagnosed in a parent and may have also been present in a
grandparent but never diagnosed. The client is particularly concerned that because they will pass
on genetic material, their child or children will inevitably inherit the disorder. Second, but also
important, is the client’s belief that since the parent’s disorder was never successfully treated,
and there is evidence that the disorder has a strong genetic foundation, there is fear that nothing
can be done should a child inherit the disorder. Your job as the counselor is to explore these
concerns with the client, address them drawing upon your expertise gained in researching the
disorder in question. You may also consider referring the client for genetic counseling.
Required elements of the paper:
Describe how you would proceed with the following in counseling a concerned parent-to-be who
has a parent with the target disorder. For each element in this assignment, listed below, be sure
to address aspects of the target disorder to and its relevance in the counseling process with
respect to the target disorder. Don’t just describe the text-book approach without including your
thinking regarding how each stage of the counseling process might apply to the given scenario
with which you are working.
1. Family History and Diagnosis – verify psychiatric diagnoses in affected individuals.
What approach would you use to obtain an accurate family history? Whom would you
interview, what interviewing techniques might you use in obtaining the history, and how would
you use data obtained in the interview? How would you go about verifying the diagnosis of your
client’s parent? Be a specific as possible. (10 Points)
2. Risk of Recurrence – Is there evidence in the research literature regarding the risks for
inheriting this disorder? If not is there anything that can be deduced from other similar
disorders that may serve as an example? (10 points)
3. Evaluation of the client – What approach would you use to assess the client’s emotional and
intellectual capacity prior to proceeding with counseling. What is involved and how might the
particular disorder in question shape issues and concerns that may emerge for the client and
the counselor? (20 Points)
4. The Risk/Burden Ratio – assess client’s understanding and willingness to negotiate various
risks and burdens with respect to the heritability of this condition..
With regard to the disorder being discussed, how might you, the counselor, go about
weighing the risk/burden ratio with the client? What are your concerns as the counselor? How
do you proceed as the counselor in working through these concerns? (10 Points)
5. Development of a Plan of Action – What approach would you use to help the client arrive at a
decision most consistent with his/her priorities and world-view. What is a likely plan of
action for the parent-to-be, given the issues and concerns likely to be associated with the
target disorder? How likely is it that you might refer the client for specific genetic counseling
on this issue to a certified genetics counselor? Explain the basis for this decision and for your
responses to other questions in this section. (25 Points)
6. Follow-up – continued assessment of the client’s understanding of pertinent information
and follow-up of life events.
Provide a brief follow-up plan for this client based upon the considerations included in
the first six steps and any other concerns that occur to you. (15 Points)
The remaining 10 Points will be awarded for correct grammar, syntax and readability as
well as for using the standard APA format.

Purchase answer to see full
attachment