A Guide to GC
I just finished the book “A Guide to GC”. I felt like I was reading a novel rather than a professional guide. One of the reasons involved is the book includes many real stories, which are in great help to understand this profession. I’d love to record what I’ve learned.
This comprehensive book covers almost every aspect of GC, though the latest version was published in 1998. Since this is a small field compared to other health care professions, I think, the majority of the practitioners are busy with dealing with clients and collecting experiences, rather than compiling what they’ve learned in their practice into a book. I believe, with development of this profession, it will finally form its own features and principles.
It is my understanding that the practice of GC includes education, research and support. Education, I used to think, is like teaching students in classes. However, education in GC is more specific because the clients have specific questions to ask and they expect specific solutions to their questions. Usually the clients are adults. They have their own perspectives toward what they are facing or will face in the future. Meanwhile, they are not only care about themselves; usually it is family issues, pertinent to more than one family and several generations, rather than a personal issue. The clients usually know little about biology, not to mention medical terminology or concept. Therefore, education in GC means to explain to clients the reasons causing their conditions and options to manage them in simple language such that the clients are able to understand and choose from.
The goal of education is to help the clients and their families coping with their specific conditions. Nondirective is the core principle in GC practice, meaning the client has the right to decide what they’d love to do, on the condition of understanding all possible options they have. Religion and culture play critical roles in decision making. Some people strictly follow the doctrines in their religion. For example, they’d rather have a handicapped kid than terminating a pregnancy. No matter whether the practitioner understands or not, the clients’ choices should be respected and supported, and the practitioners should not force the clients to accept their opinions, even the opinions are more scientific from a biological point of view. Therefore, during communication, the practitioner should learn not only the clients’ physical conditions but also their cultural background.
Case management is another challenge, which I ignored before. A practitioner is supposed to manage the case from the very beginning when the client calls to make an appointment. Then the practitioner should manage the time of each session, follow-up, and introduction to supporting groups. I think managing the communication should also be counted, though it depends on each client. Some like sharing family relevant stories, which make the practice much easier; some may hesitate for some reason. So in the practice, practitioners should pay attention to not only what the clients are saying but also how they are saying including intonation, facial expressions and body languages as well. In some cases, psychologists should be consulted. Practitioners should be mindful that you are dealing with people rather than simply their conditions.
In a nutshell, effective practice sits on the effective communication, which helps establishing a trustworthy relationship between clients and practitioners. The practitioners should appreciate the clients’ culture, religion and choices.
