One goal of the Genetics Education Office is to increase the public and professional understanding of human genetics and its sociocultural and psychological implications. How families deal with decisions about diagnostic genetic testing before effective therapies are available or how they cope with living with relative risk of developing a hereditary forms of cancer are issues which need family counseling professionals will be facing more and more frequently. Providing an educational forum to for these """"""""tertiary"""""""" care professionals was one major project in this office. In June of 1996, this office sponsored an intensive three-day workshop for 25 family counselors, including pastoral counselors, marriage and family therapists and social workers. Participants were solicited from across the country from advertisement placed in prominent counseling journals and association mailing lists. Applicants provided a letter stating their interest, a letter of reference and a resume. Twenty-five participants were chosen for the workshop form a pool of approximately 100 applicants by a six-member selection committee. The selection committee used an objective rating system to choose the participants. Participants received confidential evaluation packets which contained three different evaluation tools: a questionnaire designed to measure their pre-workshop knowledge of basic genetics concepts, an attitudinal survey (designed to determine their pre-workshop attitudes towards genetics and define what they felt were genetic conditions) and a Multi-dimensional Health Locus of Control Scale (MHLC) which was designed to measure participants' perceptions of control about genetics and health. After the pre-test, participants were sent pre-workshop readings. At the close of the Genetic Self, the participants were given a post-workshop test which contained knowledge questions (similar/identical to the pre-test) and the MHLC. One month following the workshop, participants received a follow up evaluation designed to determine the usefulness of the workshop. The content and format of the workshop was determined by a seven-member steering committee. Selected members of that committee designed the evaluation tools used on the participants. The workshop used a variety of formats, including: didactic presentations, small group discussions, group participation, role-playing and a play. The information covered included: psychosocial issues, concepts of inheritance, communicating risk, ethics and genetic consumer issues. The workshop concluded with a """"""""responder"""""""" panel consisting of leaders in each of the counseling fields represented and a consumer activist, who addressed the impact of genetics on their field. Participants were offered Continuing Educational Units for their participation. All participants were urged to plan and implement ways to disseminate what they had learned at the conference. A few participants will be selected to return and share their experience at the workshop the following year. Six month follow-up evaluations which will measure attitude and MHLC, will be collected on all participants to determine the long-term impact of this educational effort.
