Genetic education and counseling.

This special issue of Patient Education and Counseling on genetic education and counseling provides an overview of studies and findings in this field. It features a mixture of papers dealing with five different topics related to several psychosocial aspects of genetic education and counseling. Attention is paid to new issues in counseling for hereditary cancer and Huntington Disease. Articles are presented on information recall of counseled individuals, the use and impact of genetic services on counselees (acceptance of testing; knowledge of inherited cancer susceptibility; risks of genetically testing children). Also topics are addressed with respect to the counselor (neutral attitude; understandable language; information recall; satisfaction with the services provided by the genetic counselor). Furthermore, recommendations are discussed for screening practices for women with a family history of breast cancer, and in addition, the effectiveness of genetic counseling is addressed. In conclusion several suggestions for future research are given.