The need for psychological counseling occurs when people wish to determine whether they are subject to fatal genetic disorders, such as Huntington's disease. Usually, people who request such testing have had relatives who have died from the disease. But if the test is a true positive, other issues are involved. It seems that good psychological counseling can help persons avoid severe depression. One long term study of potential Huntington patients suggests benefits of testing whether results are positive or negative, if accompanied by competent psychological testing.
Genetic counseling is another question.
Genetic counseling is essential to educate patients about genetics, about probabilities, about false negatives and false positives. But at present there are only about one thousand genetic counselors in the United States, not many outside university centers. The general population will seek help in interpreting genetic tests from their primary care physicians. At present, while there are thorough courses in genetic theory present in medical school, there is little attention given to the implication of genetic testing. Hence, sufficient opportunity for physicians to obtain this knowledge should be offered through continuing education programs in order to offset the ethical issues which might result from inaccurate counseling.