Values clarification and options counseling for unintended pregnancy workshop

Health professionals working in sexual and/or reproductive health will invariably encounter women facing unintended pregnancy and must be prepared to offer unbiased, compassionate, and factual options counseling. By combining Values Clarification with concrete tools for Options Counseling, this workshop will aid health professionals 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 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.