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Running head: A RESEARCH GUIDE TO THE GENETIC COUNSELING DISCOURSE COMMUNITY
A Research Guide to the Genetic Counseling Discourse Community
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Wayne State University
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A RESEARCH GUIDE TO THE GENETIC COUNSELING DISCOURSE COMMUNITY
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Abstract
This paper will discuss the requirements of the genetic counseling discourse community.
It will inform you of what genetic counselors do as well as give you some interesting facts about
what goes on behind the scenes in means of communication. It will be discussing the common
goals that lie within this community as well as their writing genres and methods of
intercommunication in order to meet these goals. There will also be discussion of who qualifies
to be in this discourse community and what different languages need to be known in order to
succeed in this community. Then it will address what significance this community has been on
our world today. There is a lot to be said about this discourse community.
Keywords: discourse community, genetic counselor, genetic
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Common Public Goals:
Within the discourse community of genetic counseling there is one main goal that drives
the community. This goal is to inform at-risk individuals about their possibility of a genetic
condition. Genetic counselors are there to help patients and their family comprehend the
complex and difficult information about genetics. Along with this, genetic counselors give
psychological support to people with chronic illnesses. Genetic counselors will help their
patients decide on what kind of genetic testing works best for them (Goals of genetic
counseling, 2015). Also, once the testing is done genetic counselors will help explain to their
patients the results of their testing as well as what steps would be best to take from that point
on (Goals of genetic counseling, 2015). Genetic counselors are there to educate their patients
on difficult concepts related to genetics as well as aid them in what they should do considering
their condition.
Membership Qualifications:
The members of this discourse community include any of those that are specialized in
genetic counseling. There are two parts to this profession. It requires a Masters Degree that
studies human genetics, but also psychosocial counseling skills. Typically, it also includes a
research aspect to the degree. The members of this group have the genetic counseling program
finished and are well educated in counseling as well as human genetics.
Lexis:
When it comes to the language of this discourse community there is a medical lexis,
otherwise known as medical terminology, that must be known in order to fully understand the
information that is being shared. But there is also common English that must be well known so
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that communication between the patients and themselves is in terms that the patient would
understand (Rapp, 1988). The medical terminology uses classic Latin and ancient Greek suffixes,
prefixes, and roots to form words. For example, the prefix hemo- pertains to blood and the
suffix –phil(ia) means attraction for, so it would make sense that hemophiliacs bleed severely
from even a small cut (List of medical roots, suffixes and prefixes, 2016). Medical terminology is
used to exchange knowledge between those within this discourse community, but it is also
taught to the patients in order for them to gain a full understanding of what is going on.
Although, common English is also needed in order for the patients to understand what the
counselor is trying to explain (Rapp, 1988). A genetic counseling must have the ability to speak
two different languages at once to succeed.
Genres:
There are a multitude of genres that correspond with this discourse community. There
are simple methods of communication, but also more medical related forums needed. For
example, encounters, medical forms filled out by the genetic counselor, are used in order to
communicate why the patient came in and what their diagnosis is. This encounter is used to
share information with others. The genetic counselor’s markings and writing on the document
indicate to other doctors or nurses what is going on. Another thing used is a pedigree chart,
more commonly known as a family tree. This is used in order to determine the risks of genetic
disorders of a patient. There is also karyotypes that are used to display to the patient how their
chromosomes lead to their genetic condition. These are just a few of many genres of text used
in this discourse community. Some others include medical history forms, journals, letters, email
and memos.
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Mechanisms of Participation and Intercommunication:
In order for a discourse community to work, various ways of intercommunication must
be present. For the genetic counseling discourse community there are a variety of mechanisms.
There are journals, like Nature Review Genetics, that are available in order to communicate the
latest news in the medical field. This journal is one well known to those in the field of genetics
that comes out with a new edition every month and in order to include participation, the
viewers can blog or comment about the material that was shown. In addition to the journals
that are available through subscriptions, there are open access journals that are growing in
popularity like PLoSOne. (L. Carlock, personal communication, February 3, 2016). Journals are a
great mechanism of communication that is important to this discourse community.
There are also conferences that take place in order to inform those within the
community around the world about different developments or discoveries (T. Daniel, personal
communication, January 20, 2016). Conferences, both locally and internationally, as well as
journals, seem to be the most common mechanism used within the medical field (T. Daniel,
personal communication, January 20, 2016). Another example that includes participation of the
members is symposiums, because they usually conclude with a survey that each attendee fills
out. These questions allow the attendees to give feedback on the material that was presented.
There are many mechanisms put in place in order to make feedback and communication of
information possible within the community.
Significant Developments:
Genetics is constantly changing with new developments every year. A big discovery in
genetics has led to the possibility of early detection and treatment of schizophrenia, which was
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not even thought of a year ago. Researcher found that inheriting a gene important to “synaptic
pruning” dramatically increases the risk of schizophrenia (Nutt, 2016). Nutt explains that there
is a strong molecular understanding of schizophrenia and hopefully it will lead to better
treatments and ways to avoid this mental disorder. Another constantly researched topic is stem
cells. Stem cell research has been going on for years and continues to be important. One big
research development would be the success with neurons created from stem cells (Williams,
2011). This could lead to the ability to treat many neurological disorders like Parkinson’s
disease or epilepsy (Williams, 2011). Stem cell research seems to be most concentrated on
cancer genetics and human development (L. Carlock, personal communication, February 3,
2016). There continue to be developments in genetics through a wide variety of research being
conducted.
Research Questions:
1. What is the genetics behind dyslexia?
2. How well do genetic counselors communicate with their patients?
3. How has the evolution of genetics affected cancer treatments?
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References
Goals of genetic counseling. (2015). Retrieved from
http://research.duchenneconnect.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id
=145&Itemid=230
List of medical roots, suffixes and prefixes. (2016, January 13). Retrieved from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_medical_roots,_suffixes_and_prefixes#A
Nutt, E. A. (2016, January 27). Scientist open the ‘black box’ of schizophrenia with dramatic
genetic discovery. The Washington Post. Retrieved from
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-ofscience/wp/2016/01/27/scientists-open-the-black-box-of-schizophrenia-with-dramaticgenetic-finding/
Rapp, R. (1988). Chromosomes and Communication: The Discourse of Genetic
Counseling. Medical Anthropology Quarterly, 2(2), 143–157. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/649158
Williams, R. (2011, November 21). Success with Stem Cell Neurons. The Scientist. Retrieved
from http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/31417/title/Success-withStem-Cell-Neurons/