Every woman treated for abortion complications needs and deserves family planning counseling. Also, when a woman has had an unintended pregnancy because she did not understand how to use her method or stopped using a method that had unacceptable side effects, the counselor can help the woman correct her method use or switch methods. An effective counselor avoids pressuring a woman to choose a particular method but, instead, guides her in evaluating which methods best meet her own needs. Achieving a balance between listening and giving advice can be challenging. Service providers who have been trained to tell patients what they need to do from a medical standpoint often find it difficult to emphasize choice because they know much more than their clients know about contraception.
Training improves counseling.
Training is especially important to effective postabortion family planning counseling because postabortion care often takes place as part of a medical and emotional crisis. Even experienced counselors can benefit from additional training in postabortion family planning counseling. Many counselors and providers need to learn to put aside their biases so that they can empathize with women and counsel them compassionately. Training can also prepare counselors to work with others who have punitive attitudes toward women treated for abortion complications. Often, a family planning counselor is the only person available to serve as a woman's advocate with other providers to ensure that she receives good medical care.