Women undergoing pre-amniocentesis genetic counseling sessions were invited to participate in a qualitative exploratory study into personal meaning. Sessions with genetic counselors at a variety of different locations (5) were audiotaped and transcribed. Further, participating genetic counselors were interviewed about their counseling approaches in general and clients participating in the sessions were interviewed as well. These three sources of data are being compared in order to seek understanding of the relationships between counselor conceptualizations of practice, actual practice and client's stated needs. Analysis indicates that much of pre-amniocentesis counseling sessions is the communication of medical information. The counselor's goals to meet client needs do not always coincide with the process undertaken in the sessions. This pilot study will foster additional work into the process of genetic counseling. This study resulted in the successful awarding of a master's degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health. A manuscript for publication is pending.
