Table 5. Prioritization of Counseling Goals^a.

Goal of Counseling	Number of Votes
Educate parent about SCD and inheritance	33
Help family to make informed decisions	20
Provide emotional support/empathy/encouragement	19
Create awareness about SCD	17
Empower families in how to handle situations related to illness/to remain positive	15
Educate parent about SCD management	11
Reduce the number of sickle cell births	9
Correct/defeat misconceptions about disease	7
Provide information about resources, including where trait testing is available	7
Provide health promotion strategies	6
Reduce stigmatization	5
Linking families to other patients and families who are doing well	3

^aParticipants were allotted five votes each and could distribute the votes however they saw fit, i.e. they did not have to have just one vote per topic