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Many of the strategies for managing compassion fatigue effectively are similar to
strategies for alleviating distress and preventing burnout. These include a range of
“in-session” and “out of session” actions (Benoit et al. 2007 ; Burgess et al. 2015 ;
Middleton et al. 2007 ; Miller and Sprang 2017 ; Miranda et al. 2016 ; Peters 2010;
Udipi et al. 2008 ; Wells et al. 2016 ; Werner-Lin et al. 2016 ; Zahm et al. 2008 ;
Zeidner et al. 2013 ):
- Remind yourself that empathy is a critical aspect of genetic counseling and is
meaningful and effective “in and of itself.” - Fight the urge to let fear keep you from having feelings during sessions. Some
master practitioners have noted the importance of letting themselves feel: “‘...
sometimes I just go with whatever I’m feeling. If something is following me
home, if I’m feeling sad, I just need the space to kind of dwell on it a little bit. I
may not try to dispel it’” (Miranda et al. 2016 , p. 779). - Use emotion management skills before, during, and after a genetic counseling
session. For example, when you don’t feel empathy, take a stance of curiosity to
help you understand. - Reflect upon the meaningfulness of the work you do.
- Develop and use problem-focused skills with patients.
- Engage in mindfulness activities.
- As students, use supervision and consultation to describe and debrief about your
experiences. - Engage in peer group supervision and consultation after graduation—commit to
making supervision a lifelong activity. - Balance patient care with other professional activities.
- Seek outside support when necessary.
- Take a brief “time-out”—take a walk around the block, sit quietly for a few min-
utes. If feasible, take some time off from work, even if only a couple of hours. - Work on developing a range of coping strategies. That way, you will be able to
“pick and choose” among them, as needed.
12.4 Impact of Personal Counseling on Genetic Counseling
Practice
Personal counseling can be an effective way to address general distress, burnout,
compassion fatigue, and transference and countertransference (Lee et al. 2015 ;
Reeder et al. 2017 ; Weil 2010 ) and to cope with the unique stressors of being a
novice. In addition to helping you resolve these situations, personal counseling or
psychotherapy can have other positive effects (e.g., Osborn 2004 ; Weil 2010 ):
- Leads to greater empathy, acceptance, and genuineness, possibly because ther-
apy increases one’s ability to be aware of feelings and makes one more comfort-
able discussing affect - Allows you to know how it feels to be a patient
12 Genetic Counseling Dynamics: Transference, Countertransference