Principles and practice
When preparing for a genetic counseling case, a genetic counselor may
a.research molecular testing options
b.create visual aids
c.review different advocacy groups
d.All of the above - answerD. All
Risk perception may be influenced by:
a.math ability
b.personal experiences related to the information
c.Complexity of the information presented
d. All of the above - answerD. All
You provide a risk assessment for a patient who has a significant family history
indicative of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. You pause and ask how is she
feeling about the information. She tells you that she is feeling okay and this is what she
expected to hear while gripping her chair and wringing her hands together. The client's
response shows
a.congruence
b.reflection
c.incongruence
d.empathy - answerC. Incongruence
Word choice is important when counseling. Of the following words, which may have a
negative connotation?
a.Risk
b.Chance
c.Likelihood
d.None of the above - answerA. Risk
What are elements to the process of empathy?
a. sensing another's experience
b. letting the person know you sense her experience
c. None of the above
d.All of the above - answerA or B?
,6:Which of the following counseling strategies may help a patient to better understand
his risk?
a.discuss personal relevance of information
b.decrease time pressure
c. balance risks (25% chance of testing positive and thus being at risk for disease; 75%
chance of testing negative or being a carrier, not at increased risk)
d. All of the above - answerD
Attending behaviors:
a.can vary by culture
b.cannot be practiced during telephone counseling
c.are only nonverbal
d.should be the same for every patient - answerA
Which of the following is a function of questions?
a.gather information
b.give information
c.help patients gain control
d.All of the above - answerD
You enter the room and your patient is standing with her arms crossed and states that
she got lost, she could not find a place to park, and then waited for an hour to get into
the room. If you wanted to use a reflection as a response, what could you say?
a.What brings you in today?
b.That's a lot for one morning!
c.Let's get through the appointment quickly, so you can be on your way!
d.None of the above - answerB
Which of the following is an empathy response?
a.mmm..hmm
b.Chromosomes are long strands of DNA
c.The testing takes 10 days
d.you have a 50% chance of testing positive - answerA
A patient states that she is not sure how she would like to proceed regarding an
amniocentesis to follow up a positive cell free DNA test for trisomy 21. Which of the
following responses includes scenario building?
a.Down syndrome is most often caused by the presence of an extra copy of
chromosome 21
b.A fetal echocardiogram could provide more information about the pregnancy
, c.there is a chance of miscarriage associated with amniocentesis
d.None of the above - answerD?
Which of the following can influence patient decision-making?
a.patient values
b.family values
c.medical constraints
d.All of the above - answerD. All
Which statement is true?
a.There is rarely time in a clinical genetics setting to conduct psychosocial counseling.
b.Simple, appropriate psychosocial interventions can help a patient feel able to make
empowered choices and cope effectively.
c.A counselor will know that counseling has been effective when a client says thank you
and the counselor feels good at the end of a session.
d.Continuing education courses should focus on new developments in genetics since
psychosocial principals don?t change over time. - answerB
After giving bad news to a client, the best course of action is to
a.Review the facts surrounding the diagnosis to be sure everything was clear
b.Offer empathic statements and provide some quiet time for reflection
c.Ask the client plenty of questions to understand his/ her state of mind
d.Give the client(s) your business card and end the session promptly - answerB
If the counselor suspects that one or both of these clients is facing a crisis, he should
a.Change the subject to avoid making the situation worse
b.Refer the patient to a psychiatrist since this is beyond his scope of practice
c.Help the clients name and identify the problem and break it down into manageable
pieces
d.Use person centered listening being careful not to be directive. - answerD
Giving bad news
a.Never goes well because of the kill the messenger phenomenon
b.Should be left to the end of a session so the counselor can leave the room and give
the client privacy
c.Is a skill that can be learned and practiced
d.Is best done over the phone in advance of seeing the patient - answerC
The counselor notes that the couples religious preferences are not noted in the chart.
Which of the following is an appropriate response at this point.
When preparing for a genetic counseling case, a genetic counselor may
a.research molecular testing options
b.create visual aids
c.review different advocacy groups
d.All of the above - answerD. All
Risk perception may be influenced by:
a.math ability
b.personal experiences related to the information
c.Complexity of the information presented
d. All of the above - answerD. All
You provide a risk assessment for a patient who has a significant family history
indicative of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. You pause and ask how is she
feeling about the information. She tells you that she is feeling okay and this is what she
expected to hear while gripping her chair and wringing her hands together. The client's
response shows
a.congruence
b.reflection
c.incongruence
d.empathy - answerC. Incongruence
Word choice is important when counseling. Of the following words, which may have a
negative connotation?
a.Risk
b.Chance
c.Likelihood
d.None of the above - answerA. Risk
What are elements to the process of empathy?
a. sensing another's experience
b. letting the person know you sense her experience
c. None of the above
d.All of the above - answerA or B?
,6:Which of the following counseling strategies may help a patient to better understand
his risk?
a.discuss personal relevance of information
b.decrease time pressure
c. balance risks (25% chance of testing positive and thus being at risk for disease; 75%
chance of testing negative or being a carrier, not at increased risk)
d. All of the above - answerD
Attending behaviors:
a.can vary by culture
b.cannot be practiced during telephone counseling
c.are only nonverbal
d.should be the same for every patient - answerA
Which of the following is a function of questions?
a.gather information
b.give information
c.help patients gain control
d.All of the above - answerD
You enter the room and your patient is standing with her arms crossed and states that
she got lost, she could not find a place to park, and then waited for an hour to get into
the room. If you wanted to use a reflection as a response, what could you say?
a.What brings you in today?
b.That's a lot for one morning!
c.Let's get through the appointment quickly, so you can be on your way!
d.None of the above - answerB
Which of the following is an empathy response?
a.mmm..hmm
b.Chromosomes are long strands of DNA
c.The testing takes 10 days
d.you have a 50% chance of testing positive - answerA
A patient states that she is not sure how she would like to proceed regarding an
amniocentesis to follow up a positive cell free DNA test for trisomy 21. Which of the
following responses includes scenario building?
a.Down syndrome is most often caused by the presence of an extra copy of
chromosome 21
b.A fetal echocardiogram could provide more information about the pregnancy
, c.there is a chance of miscarriage associated with amniocentesis
d.None of the above - answerD?
Which of the following can influence patient decision-making?
a.patient values
b.family values
c.medical constraints
d.All of the above - answerD. All
Which statement is true?
a.There is rarely time in a clinical genetics setting to conduct psychosocial counseling.
b.Simple, appropriate psychosocial interventions can help a patient feel able to make
empowered choices and cope effectively.
c.A counselor will know that counseling has been effective when a client says thank you
and the counselor feels good at the end of a session.
d.Continuing education courses should focus on new developments in genetics since
psychosocial principals don?t change over time. - answerB
After giving bad news to a client, the best course of action is to
a.Review the facts surrounding the diagnosis to be sure everything was clear
b.Offer empathic statements and provide some quiet time for reflection
c.Ask the client plenty of questions to understand his/ her state of mind
d.Give the client(s) your business card and end the session promptly - answerB
If the counselor suspects that one or both of these clients is facing a crisis, he should
a.Change the subject to avoid making the situation worse
b.Refer the patient to a psychiatrist since this is beyond his scope of practice
c.Help the clients name and identify the problem and break it down into manageable
pieces
d.Use person centered listening being careful not to be directive. - answerD
Giving bad news
a.Never goes well because of the kill the messenger phenomenon
b.Should be left to the end of a session so the counselor can leave the room and give
the client privacy
c.Is a skill that can be learned and practiced
d.Is best done over the phone in advance of seeing the patient - answerC
The counselor notes that the couples religious preferences are not noted in the chart.
Which of the following is an appropriate response at this point.
