title: Approaching Complex Cases With a Crisis Intervention Model and Teamwork.
abstract: Patients referred for genetic counseling may be in a state of crisis, feeling as though they are incapable of making decisions about the management of their pregnancy, genetic testing options and/or life planning issues. The role of the genetic counselor is to assist a patient through this crisis state by increasing the patient's understanding and by helping to facilitate decision making and adjustment to those decisions. In this paper we present a clinical genetic counseling case that was complicated by numerous medical and psychosocial issues. The wide scope of this case required the involvement of both a prenatal and a medical genetic counselor. Working as a team we utilized a crisis intervention model. Our counseling focused on identifying and isolating the issues, providing factual information, setting a time frame for decisions to be made, and encouraging social support and emotion-focused coping strategies.
authors.affiliation: Division of Genetics, Maine Pediatric Specialty Group, Portland, Maine, julianneodaniel@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Julianne M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: O'Daniel
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wells