DNA Weekly recently interviewed Watershed DNA founder Brianne Kirkpatrick about what the company offers and how and why it came to exist to serve clients with at-home DNA tests and unexpected discoveries. You can read an excerpt of the interview here and follow the button below to read it in the full.

SHOCKING DNA RESULTS? WATERSHED DNA IS HERE TO HELP

Brianne Kirkpatrick is a licensed and certified genetic counselor in the United States. In 2016, she started Watershed DNA as a solo private practice to serve clients with questions about direct-to-consumer (DTC) DNA tests. Since then, Watershed DNA has expanded into a full-spectrum source of information and support for people with unexpected DNA results. In this interview, she portrays the dilemmas and emotional turmoil that DNA testing can trigger in people’s lives, and gives practical advice about how to better prepare yourself for unanticipated findings.

PLEASE DESCRIBE YOUR WORK, WHAT SPARKED THE IDEA, AND HOW HAS IT EVOLVED SO FAR?

People typically approach me with issues that at their core are questions about personal identity – How do I fit this new and sometimes unexpected information into my understanding of who I am, who my family is? Whether the question focuses on a medical discovery they are trying to better understand or an unexpected ethnicity or family revelation, they are looking for someone who can help them understand what it all means. They want to know why they feel the way they do about their DNA results and whether their questions and worries are normal or not.