Ewha Medical Journal

"Counseling"

Correspondence

[English]

Role-play in graduate genetic counseling education: a practicum experience in South Korea: Su-A Lee, Min Seon Park, Arang Kim, Jungwon Huh; Received May 14, 2026 Accepted August 21, 2026 Published online September 21, 2026; DOI: https://doi.org/10.12771/emj.2026.01452 [Epub ahead of print]

Abstract
PDF

Purpose
Clinical fieldwork in genetic counseling education is constrained by limited training sites, shortages of clinical supervisors, and administrative burdens. Simulation-based learning, including role-play, has therefore been used to support development of counseling competencies. This study described the development, implementation, operational structure, and feasibility of a role-play-based practicum in a graduate genetic counseling program.
Methods
This retrospective descriptive report was based on Genetic Counseling Practicum, a spring 2024 course for 11 third-semester students in a graduate genetic counseling program in South Korea. Twenty-two role-play scenarios were developed, including 11 hereditary cancer cases and 11 pediatric or adult genetic disorder cases. The scenarios simulated pretest and posttest encounters during a 6-week, 2-block practicum. Students alternated between counselor and counselee roles, recorded sessions outside class time, and received domain-guided peer and faculty feedback.
Results
The scenarios covered patient ages from infancy to late adulthood and included somatic and germline pathogenic variants, a negative multigene panel result, and chromosomal or epigenetic abnormalities. All 22 planned sessions were completed and recorded as scheduled, and all 11 students completed their assigned sessions. The planned assignment, recording, review, and feedback procedures were completed without documented omissions. Approximately 11 scheduled class hours were devoted to feedback, and no external clinical sites or supervisors were required.
Conclusion
This study presents an operationally feasible model for a role-play-based practicum with diverse scenarios in a graduate genetic counseling curriculum. It may serve as a practical reference for programs considering similar simulation-based training.

59 View
1 Download

Review article

Special topic: role of institutes related to the occupational and environmental diseases in Korea

[English]

Trauma counseling centers for psychological support to manage trauma from workplace injuries in Korea: a narrative review: Chang Sook Kim, Jeong-Ok Kong, Jung-Wan Koo; Ewha Med J 2025;48(1):e12. Published online January 31, 2025; DOI: https://doi.org/10.12771/emj.2025.e12

Abstract
PDF

This review describes a psychological support service designed to address post-traumatic stress disorder in workers impacted by workplace injuries, assisting in their recovery and facilitating their return to work. It explores the rationale and context behind establishing trauma counseling centers for these individuals, along with the status, roles, future directions, and recommendations for these centers. The review details the operational framework and functions of the workplace injury trauma management program, the scope of the impacts of such injury, the groups targeted for crisis intervention, and the psychological interventions tailored to each stage of recovery. Initiated as a pilot project in 2018, trauma counseling centers for workers have gradually become more common, with 23 centers in operation across Korea as of 2024.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by

The age of trauma: the prevalence and psychological impact of potentially traumatic exposures in South Korea
Gaeun Son, Jihee Jang, Euntaek Hong, Subin Park, Yun-Kyeung Choi, Kee-Hong Choi
Frontiers in Psychiatry.2025;[Epub] CrossRef