Testing Options

Challenges to Incorporating Religion and Spirituality into Genetic Counseling

Barriers to incorporating spiritual assessment into genetic counseling identified by Reis et al. included time, insufficient skills, and uncertainty about the role of spiritual assessment in genetic counseling (2007). Tanenbaum notes additional challenges to health care providers’ inclination to incorporate religion and spirituality: not knowing how to ask the questions, being unsure of what to do with the information received, and worrying the client doesn’t want to talk about religion (2009). There are no specific training requirements in this domain, and given the myriad personal practices of genetic counselors, we should consider the spectrum of current practices. Perhaps sharing experiences will generate future guidelines for training and professional practice. When health care providers talk about religion, opportunities may present to build strong relationships with clients and colleagues, to learn about patient behaviors, and to break down some barriers to health care (Tanenbaum, 2009).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21