ABSTRACT
Within the framework of the study, parents are usually referred to crisis intervention by the Department for Human Genetics. Following the notification of the pathological results—mostly over the telephone—by the gynaecologist in attendance, the parents are given an appointment at the Department for Human Genetics of the University Clinic of Mainz. At the time of the intake consultation, Mrs X, a shop assistant, is forty years old. The abortion took place in the nineteenth week of her first pregnancy because of a complex developmental disturbance of both kidneys with anticipated infaust prognosis. Mrs X arrives a few minutes before time and takes a seat in the waiting room. When she called at the office for an appointment she described sleeplessness, nightmares, lack of drive and concentration, abdominal pains, and a permanent sadness. Just because the defence against grievance plays an important role, the use of countertransference by the psychologists seems essential.
