title: Embryo donation and counselling for the welfare of donors, recipients, their families and children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  How do counsellors facilitating known 'open' embryo donation (ED) experience their roles and responsibilities?
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Counsellors regard counselling for ED as entailing significant responsibility to ensure that the longer-term implications of the practice are understood and that positive relationships are established that will promote the well-being of donors, recipients, their families and the children involved.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  While counselling is frequently recommended in third-party assisted reproduction, there has been little research into the experiences of counsellors and their perceptions of their roles and responsibilities.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fertility counsellors were interviewed between March and October 2012 as to their experiences and perceptions of their roles and responsibilities.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fertility counsellors were recruited from across New Zealand and interviews were conducted with all nine counsellors involved in ED counselling. Interview data were analysed thematically to identify main themes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Counsellors regard ED as a complex practice with enduring implications arising from the genetic link between donors and offspring, which is seen to bestow immutable social ties. They see their role as the provision of implications counselling and the facilitation of ongoing positive relationships between donors and recipients in an 'open' context. Counsellors express concern about their responsibility for promoting the welfare of all parties--including that of the child--the limitations of counselling, and the conflation of assessment and counselling roles.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Experiences of counselling for ED may change over time as longer-term outcomes become more apparent.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Further consideration needs to be given as to how the welfare principle may best be operationalised in counselling practice, particularly in contexts of 'open' donation.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  This study was funded by an AUT University Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences research grant. The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Auckland University of Technology, Private Bag 92006, Auckland 1142, New Zealand sonja.goedeke@aut.ac.nz.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Goedeke
authors.affiliation: School of Social Work and Human Services, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 1, New Zealand.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Daniels
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Auckland University of Technology, Private Bag 92006, Auckland 1142, New Zealand.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Thorpe
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D003376:Counseling; D030881:Disclosure; D019924:Embryo Disposition / Q000523:psychology*; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009520:New Zealand; D027724:Reproductive Techniques, Assisted / Q000523:psychology*; D012380:Role; D014019:Tissue Donors / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: assessment; counselling; donor conception; embryo donation; welfare