Cultural Competence

• Be aware of your thoughts and feelings when counseling any client. Explore these thoughts and feelings privately and through peer supervision.
  
  
• Expand your knowledge by reading, thinking, and learning about different worldviews and the factors that shape them. Use open-ended questions, role playing, and other counseling techniques to explore your clients’ worldviews.
  
  
• Ask the client if he/she wants to invite other family members to attend the genetic counseling session.
  
  
• Use cultural assessment tools such as Kleinman’s questions and LEARN to explore the client’s health beliefs and facilitate decision making.
  
  
• When the couple’s relationship is impacted by a situation or information discussed in genetic counseling, allow extra time for each member of the couple to express his/her perspectives, concerns, and emotions for him/herself, their partner, and the relationship.
  
  
• Redirect the need for directive counseling by listening intensely to the client and using reframing and advanced empathy to help the client hear her own words/perspectives through the genetic counselor.

 

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