ABCG CERTIFICATION EVALUATION 2026
COMPREHENSIVE QUESTIONS AND
SOLUTIONS
▶ Ambivalence:? Answer:an inability to make a decision in the face of
mutually conflicting possibilities, each of which has value to the patient
▶ aspects of decision making process? Answer:ambiguity, burden, desire
to normalize
▶ Ambiguity? Answer:uncertainty concerning what a particular diagnosis
would mean for the health and functioning of an affected child
▶ Burden? Answer:associated with the need to make a decision (knowing
a future pregnancy could produce affected child increase burden on
decision to become pregnant)
▶ Desire to normalize? Answer:wanting to prove their ability to produce
healthy offspring
▶ Anger? Answer:frequently the surface expression of sadness and grief, it
can be a defense against a perceived weaknesss
▶ Depression? Answer:feelings underlying may be anger, sadness, and
despair/hopelessness. Typically is a reaction to a real or perceived loss of
control
▶ Shame/guilt? Answer:patients who pass on genetic condition often feel
guilt and shame, patients who have a genetic condition may feel shame
about being "defective"
▶ Apprehension/anxiety? Answer:many feel anxiety in new situations, as
well as anxiety about what they may learn and may not tell you that this is
how they feel
, ▶ Despair/fear:? Answer:patient feels there is no solution, no hope, no way
of coping
▶ discrepancies in infromaiton? Answer:Gap: an issue usually associated
with a particular genetic situation that is not raised
Omission: the patient fails to include relevant information in her or his
personal narrative
inconsistency: between what the patient says at different times in the
session
▶ emotional styles? Answer:spotaneous styles
non expressive
reserved
explosive
▶ Spontaneous styles? Answer:active communicators who respond easily
and expressively, will use humor and denial as defense mechanisms
▶ Non-expressive styles:? Answer:very articulate, but in a highly
intellectual way; although they feel emotions, they deny having them
▶ Reserved style:? Answer:express their feelings to a limited extent but do
not allow their full expression
▶ Explosive style? Answer:patients express everything that they are
feeling, sometimes in overly intense ways
▶ Transference? Answer:an unconscious way that a patient relates to the
genetic counselor
▶ Countertransference? Answer:(Counselor): the counselor's unconscious
ways of relating to patients based on the counselors history of relating to
others
COMPREHENSIVE QUESTIONS AND
SOLUTIONS
▶ Ambivalence:? Answer:an inability to make a decision in the face of
mutually conflicting possibilities, each of which has value to the patient
▶ aspects of decision making process? Answer:ambiguity, burden, desire
to normalize
▶ Ambiguity? Answer:uncertainty concerning what a particular diagnosis
would mean for the health and functioning of an affected child
▶ Burden? Answer:associated with the need to make a decision (knowing
a future pregnancy could produce affected child increase burden on
decision to become pregnant)
▶ Desire to normalize? Answer:wanting to prove their ability to produce
healthy offspring
▶ Anger? Answer:frequently the surface expression of sadness and grief, it
can be a defense against a perceived weaknesss
▶ Depression? Answer:feelings underlying may be anger, sadness, and
despair/hopelessness. Typically is a reaction to a real or perceived loss of
control
▶ Shame/guilt? Answer:patients who pass on genetic condition often feel
guilt and shame, patients who have a genetic condition may feel shame
about being "defective"
▶ Apprehension/anxiety? Answer:many feel anxiety in new situations, as
well as anxiety about what they may learn and may not tell you that this is
how they feel
, ▶ Despair/fear:? Answer:patient feels there is no solution, no hope, no way
of coping
▶ discrepancies in infromaiton? Answer:Gap: an issue usually associated
with a particular genetic situation that is not raised
Omission: the patient fails to include relevant information in her or his
personal narrative
inconsistency: between what the patient says at different times in the
session
▶ emotional styles? Answer:spotaneous styles
non expressive
reserved
explosive
▶ Spontaneous styles? Answer:active communicators who respond easily
and expressively, will use humor and denial as defense mechanisms
▶ Non-expressive styles:? Answer:very articulate, but in a highly
intellectual way; although they feel emotions, they deny having them
▶ Reserved style:? Answer:express their feelings to a limited extent but do
not allow their full expression
▶ Explosive style? Answer:patients express everything that they are
feeling, sometimes in overly intense ways
▶ Transference? Answer:an unconscious way that a patient relates to the
genetic counselor
▶ Countertransference? Answer:(Counselor): the counselor's unconscious
ways of relating to patients based on the counselors history of relating to
others
