Genetic Counseling: What It Is & How It Can Protect Your Health

Ram and Seema Pradhan (names changed) had reasons to worry. Ram had recently lost his 23-year-old brother to sudden cardiac arrest. Ram’s entire family tree seemed to be blighted by premature deaths of young men due to heart ailments. Seema, eager to start a family, was worried. When she first heard of preventive healthcare services offered by MapmyGenome, she decided to book a session with a genetic counsellor.

Seema’s first reaction was: “No! I do not need a psychiatrist! I want a solution.” She thought we were recommending a session with a psychiatric counsellor.

Genetic Counselling Does Not Involve a Couch

Like Seema, many people think genetic counsellors are psychiatrists or therapists. Genetic counsellors are experts in genetics and health sciences who bring you closer to technologies that focus on better health. According to the National Society of Genetic Counselors USA: “Genetic counselors can give you the personalized help you need when it comes to you and your family’s genetic health.”

Genetic counseling tends to get treated as a footnote — like the fine print after the "real" part, the test. Honestly though, it's the part that makes the test actually useful instead of just... a piece of paper with letters and numbers on it.

So What Actually Happens in a Session?

• Digging into your family history first. Before anyone even orders a test, a counselor maps out your family tree to figure out what's actually worth looking into.
• The "before" conversation. What can this test tell you, and — just as important — what can't it tell you? Getting this straight upfront saves a lot of confusion later.
• Making sense of your results. A positive, negative, or "we're not totally sure" result all mean very different things depending on your specific situation — not just what a pamphlet says in general.
• Turning results into an actual plan. Earlier screening, some lifestyle tweaks, a chat with a specialist — whatever makes sense given what came back.
• Helping you figure out what to tell family. If something you find out matters for your parents, siblings, or kids too, a counselor helps you think through how (and whether) to bring it up.

Why This Bit Actually Matters

A test result on its own can raise more questions than it answers. "Positive" doesn't come with an instruction manual. "Inconclusive" can feel scarier than it needs to. That's the gap genetic counselors are there to close — turning a lab report into something you can actually act on, instead of something you just worry about.

This matters even more with hereditary stuff like BRCA-related cancer risk, where your result isn't just about you — it can be relevant for your parents, siblings, and kids too.

Who Should Actually Consider This

• Anyone thinking about genetic testing for something that runs in the family — before or after testing
• Anyone with a strong family history of a condition, even if they haven't tested yet
• Anyone who's already got a result back and isn't quite sure what to do with it
• Families where someone has already tested positive for a hereditary risk variant

How Much Does It Cost?

In India, a genetic counselling session at a private hospital or molecular diagnostics lab may cost between ₹1,000 and ₹3,000. While the pricing may seem steep, it is a fraction of what people end up spending on treatment or diagnosis.

Conclusion

Seema and Ram decided to go for a genetic counselling session. The genetic counsellor found that some men in the family had inherited pathogenic variants associated with familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. While Ram had not inherited these variants, some of his cousins had — and were referred to cardiologists for risk mitigation. A genetic counselling session can save your life at costs that are a fraction of treatment costs.