Cultural Competency
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Self-assess your views on the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender continuum.
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Engage in advocacy to eliminate homophobia and other forms of prejudice.
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Use neutral and inclusive language (in intake forms and verbal discourse) that does not imply bias of universal heterosexuality. Review and modify clinical forms as needed.
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Listen to the words used by clients to describe their relationships.
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Use questions such as “what is your relationship to…?” to gain clarity about everyone attending the genetic counseling appointment.
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Let the client set the agenda. Unless expressed by the client, discussion of sexual orientation may, or may not be, a relevant topic to the genetic counseling session.
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It may be appropriate to elicit the family history for both members of the lesbian couple, and the sperm donor. Explore the couple’s past relationships and offspring.
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Explore the meaning of family with your clients.
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Be able to draw a pedigree for all clients using standardized pedigree nomenclature. Keep a copy of the guidelines handy in case you need to refer to it.
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Integrate assessment and documentation tools developed by other fields, such as genograms, to enhance genetic counseling practice.
