Online Program

Business Meeting

Health professionals working in reproductive health will invariably encounter women facing unintended pregnancy and must be prepared to offer unbiased, compassionate, and factual options counseling. This need was identified through NAF conference evaluation and site visit data. By combining Values Clarification with concrete tools for Options Counseling, this workshop will aid health care providers in achieving this goal. In the first part of the workshop, participants will explore their personal beliefs about abortion and identify specific aspects of abortion care that may be difficult to reconcile with those beliefs. Small and large group activities will foster rich discussion as participants learn to recognize their own emotional triggers when working with unintended pregnancy. Faculty will then outline a structure for conversation, built on the crisis counseling model, which health care professionals can use to guide patients through an exploration of their pregnancy options. Participants will practice using this model through group role playing and discussion.

Session Objectives: Identify aspects of patient experiences with unintended pregnancy that cause emotional challenges for the health professional; Evaluate personal feelings about abortion to better provide informed, compassionate care for patients; and Explain and apply a four-step options counseling model for providing emotional support and relevant tools for patients making decisions about unintended pregnancy.