National Society of Genetic Counselors, Inc., Los Angeles, California
November 10 - 11, 2005
Reaching Our Clients: Risk Perception and Communication in Genetic Counseling Practice
Theoretical knowledge of risk communication can enable genetic counselors to expand their existing skills in assisting clients to understand risk and to make medical decisions. Risk communication includes the domains of risk perception, cognitive processing, decision making under uncertainty, and health behavior, and has been enriched by disciplines as diverse as psychology, sociology, anthropology, and economics. This course will explore the theoretical basis of how clients conceptualize and respond to risk, and present practical steps all counselors can use to improve their communication about risk in order to foster informed decision making and advantageous health behavior.Learning Objectives:
After attending this short course participants will be able to:
• Assess the various methods for presenting risk-related information to clients in both verbal and written formats.
• Summarize how personal, cognitive and emotional factors affect clients’ perception of risk in medical settings.
• Explain how decision aids in conjunction with genetic counseling can assist clients in making medical decisions and in changing health behaviors.
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