Conversation with Amber Shah

A couple weeks ago, I had a great opportunity to connect with soon to be GC grad, Amber Sher over LinkedIn. Amber got in touch with me after my initial post where I asked everyone their thoughts about certain topics as posts on LinkedIn, she went to my profile and scheduled a meeting with me using my scheduler.

We connected over a video call, and I was instantly charged after our conversation of about 1.5 hours of how our faith related experiences have shaped our passions for being a GC and how that has been a guiding point during our graduate school journey and with our patients. We resonated that there have not been enough spiritual conversations/discussions during grad school as how to we see faith in our lives and in the lives of our patients and the decisions they make.

Amber shared about her wonderful capstone project that is related ...... I was impressed with the work she has put in and I am looking forward to reading the work once it's published! We also had conversations about how religious trauma can impact someone's ability to counsel patients coming from a religious background or seeking spiritual support. How does one as a healthcare provider reflect on our experiences and be present with our patients?

She also shared another important point which was a different erspective of how certain religious groups would be concerned about the concept of "life after death" and would not want to be involved in medical practices that might impact their belief in the afterlife. We as healthcare providers emphasize on duty to care and save, and in those situations, how do we look at the picture while also considering the patients' religious beliefs? This point was intriguing to me and I felt spiritually charged after our discussion.

Some brainstorming questions for you, my dear readers..

I appreciated that Amber reached out to me and we had this wonderful conversation. I made this scheduling link (below) so individuals from the GC or healthcare community can have access to connecting with me 1:1 and having this wonderful exchange of thoughts and ideas.

Would love to connect with the community, feel free to scehdule a meeting with me using this link and bring your favorite beverage

A couple of weeks ago, I had the beautiful opportunity to connect with soon-to-be GC grad Amber Sher over LinkedIn. Amber got in touch with me after my initial post where I asked everyone for their thoughts on certain topics to share here. She explored my profile and scheduled a meeting with me using my scheduler.

We connected over a video call, and I was instantly charged after our 1.5-hour conversation about how our faith-based experiences have shaped our passions for being genetic counselors. We spoke about how faith has guided us through our grad school journeys and in our work with patients.

We both resonated with the fact that there haven’t been enough spiritual conversations during graduate school about how we see faith in our own lives and how we perceive it in the lives of our patients and the decisions they make.

Amber shared her wonderful capstone project related to how prepared genetic counselors are for the religious and spiritual conversations they have in clinic. Some questions that were addressed through her project are: What do they wish they knew more about? What were some challenging or easier conversations? How do they feel we can improve as a profession in navigating these conversations?.

I was genuinely impressed with the work she’s put in and can't wait to read it once it’s published. We also talked about how religious trauma can impact one’s ability to counsel patients coming from a religious background or those seeking spiritual support. How do we, as GCs, reflect on our own beliefs and experiences so we can show up fully present for our patients?

She brought up another powerful perspective of how certain religious groups may be deeply concerned about the concept of “life after death,” and may choose not to be involved in medical practices they feel could impact their belief in the afterlife. As healthcare providers, we emphasize the duty to care and save, but in those moments, how do we widen the lens and honor our patients' deeply held beliefs?

That point was so intriguing and really left me feeling spiritually charged and deeply reflective.

Some brainstorming questions for you, my dear readers...

• What role has faith played in your journey as a healthcare provider or student?

• How often do we hold space for faith in our professional conversations?

• How do we create more space for these conversations in our training and our clinics?

• What would it look like to integrate spiritual awareness into our counseling approaches?

I appreciated that Amber reached out and that we had this meaningful exchange.

Over the past few months, I have had the honor of connecting with several aspiring GCs through my scheduling link and each conversation has been deeply meaningful. From sharing application tips to reflecting on personal journeys, I have loved holding space for thoughtful, and purpose-driven dialogue.

This space is open to anyone in the GC or healthcare community, whether you are a prospective applicant, current student, or fellow counselor who is looking to connect, reflect, or simply have a heartfelt conversation.

Feel free to schedule a 1:1 chat, bring your favorite beverage and your thoughts. ☕

You can find the link to schedule on my profile! - Chai and Chat with Samah