Abortion care counselors in Latin America:A qualitative evaluation of IPPF/WHR's abortion counseling training

In September 2014, International Planned Parenthood Federation/Western Hemisphere Region (IPPF/WHR) implemented a qualitative evaluation to assess how trainings in Latin America for abortion care counselors affect the participants and influence their respective organizations more broadly.  Two focus groups and three in-depth interviews were conducted with participants representing seven countries throughout Latin America (Bolivia, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela). This presentation will define the training model and describe key evaluation findings and lessons learned. These lessons could apply to a range of counselling programs, particularly those operating internationally in settings with restrictive abortion laws.

In options/harm reduction counseling, counselors guide women with unwanted pregnancies through their pregnancy options and alternatives, including continuing the pregnancy, adoption and abortion. For women who wish to terminate their pregnancy, counselors refer women to legal abortion services where possible or in more restrictive settings, provide information about safer and less-safe methods to terminate a pregnancy (including misoprostol).

The evaluation found that the IPPF/WHR trainings’ combination of skills-based activities (e.g. role playing, reviewing contraceptive guidelines), a human rights foundation, and international social support network-building among from peers serves to engender security and confidence in the counselors. Additionally, the structure of IPPF/WHR creates an opportunity for transferring knowledge, ideas, and best practices across the region. Exchanging with peers experiencing similar challenges not only legitimizes participants’ experiences and provides an opportunity for catharsis, but also serves to transfer social change across countries and inspires the adaptation of methodology to counselors’ specific legal and social contexts.