Genetic Counseling as an Emerging Global Profession: Exploring Commonalities and Collaborations Among 15 Countries

Since 1969, the genetic counseling profession has expanded to almost 50 countries and is now considered a global profession. This paper’s goal was to explore the evolution of genetic counseling over time and among varied countries and to identify common themes in the establishment of the profession internationally. Each country known to have practicing genetic counselors was sorted into one of five categories: the first four were by the first training program’s establishment year, and the fifth included countries with genetic counselors but no domestic training program. Three countries from each category were selected to be highlighted based on factors such as geographic location, history of the profession, influential cultural factors, and additional available information. Literature review was the primary source of details, supplemented by website exploration and personal communication with representatives of some countries. Predominant themes included (a) collaborations between countries facilitated the establishment of some training programs and professional organizations representing genetic counselors; (b) laws that recognize the profession were beneficial to the development of the profession, and laws that restrict practice were deterrents; and (c) cultural and social nuances within countries influence the execution of genetic counseling services. Overall, each country is unique in its history of the profession, establishment of training programs, and employment of genetic counselors. This is an early exploration comparing the development of genetic counseling between countries using published data. It is evident that continued collaborations may promote further development of the profession and increase accessibility to appropriately trained genetic counselors globally.