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Activity 2: Defense Mechanisms (Small or Large Group)
Using the list of defense mechanisms in Table 9.1, students generate additional
examples of patient statements or behaviors to illustrate each defense mechanism.
They can first work in think-pair-share dyads to generate ideas.
Estimated time: 20–30 min.
Instructor Notes
- Following the generation of examples, the instructor could lead a discussion of
which defenses each student finds particularly challenging to work with in
genetic counseling. - Students could generate counselor responses to address each patient statement or
behavior.
Activity 3: Counseling a Grieving Patient (Triad Role-Plays)
Students work in triads, each taking a turn as counselor, patient, and observer. Using
the following patient roles, they should engage in 10–15-min role-plays in which
they discuss the patient’s feelings.
Patient Role 1
A woman just found out from her routine ultrasound that the fetus died.
Patient Role 2
A 50-year-old woman was told by the neurologist that she has symptoms of
Huntington disease.
Patient Role 3
A mother of a 6-year-old boy found out last week that testing showed her son to be
affected with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Estimated time: 45–60 min.
Process
Students discuss in the large group: What are you learning about patient grief and how
do you respond to it? What is difficult about it? What is the genetic counselor’s role in
addressing patient grief? How did you feel responding to strong patient emotion?
Estimated time: 15–20 min.
Activity 4: Assessing Patient Coping Strategies (Dyad or Small Groups)
Students work in dyads or small groups to develop a set of five to eight questions
they could ask to assess the impact of Huntington disease (HD) on a patient’s and
her/his family’s coping strategies. Students should write the questions as if they are
actually talking to the patient.
Estimated time: 15 min.
9 Patient Factors: Resistance, Coping, Affect, andfiStyles