Principle 1. Establish and Maintain Rapport with the Client
Establishing and maintaining rapport with a client is vital to the encounter and achieving
positive outcomes. This can begin by creating a welcoming environment and should
continue through every stage of the client encounter, including follow-up. The contraceptive
counseling literature indicates that counseling models that emphasized the quality of the
interaction between client and provider have been associated with decreased teen pregnancy,
increased contraceptive use, increased use of more effective methods, increased use of repeat
or follow-up services, increased knowledge, and enhanced psychosocial determinants of
contraceptive use.
Principle 2. Assess the Client's Needs and Personalize Discussions Accordingly
Each visit should be tailored to the client's individual circumstances and needs. Clients come to family planning providers for various services and with varying needs. Standardized questions and assessment tools can help providers determine what services are most appropriate for a given visit. Contraceptive counseling studies that have incorporated standardized
assessment tools during the counseling process have resulted in increased contraceptive use,
increased correct use of contraceptives, and increased use of more effective methods.
Contraceptive counseling studies that have personalized discussions to meet the individual
needs of clients have been associated with increased contraceptive use, increased correct use of contraceptives, increased use of more effective methods, increased use of dual-method
contraceptives to prevent both sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and pregnancy, increased
quality and satisfaction with services, increased knowledge, and enhanced psychosocial
determinants of contraceptive use.
Principle 3. Work with the Client Interactively to Establish a Plan
Working with a client interactively to establish a plan, including a plan for follow-up, is
important. Establishing a plan should include setting goals, discussing possible difficulties with achieving goals, and developing action plans to deal with potential difficulties. The amount of time spent establishing a plan will differ depending on the client's purpose for the visit and health-care needs. A client plan that requires behavioral change should be made on the basis of the client's own goals, interests, and readiness for change. Use of computerized
decision aids before the appointment can facilitate this process by providing a structured yet
interactive framework for clients to analyze their available options systematically and to
consider the personal importance of perceived advantages and disadvantages. The
contraceptive counseling literature indicates that counseling models that incorporated goal
setting and development of action plans have been associated with increased contraceptive use,
increased correct use of contraceptives, increased use of more effective methods, and increased
knowledge. Furthermore, contraceptive counseling models that incorporated
follow-up contacts resulted in decreased teen pregnancy, increased contraceptive use,
increased correct use of contraceptives, increased use of more effective methods, increased
continuation of method use, increased use of dual-method contraceptives to prevent both STDs
and pregnancy, increased use of repeat or follow-up services, increased knowledge, and
enhanced psychosocial determinants of contraceptive use. From the family
planning education literature, computerized decision aids have helped clients formulate
questions and have been associated with increased knowledge, selection of more effective
methods, and increased continuation and compliance.
Principle 4. Provide Information That Can Be Understood and Retained by the Client
Clients need information that is medically accurate, balanced, and nonjudgmental to make
informed decisions and follow through on developed plans. When speaking with clients or
providing educational materials through any medium (e.g., written, audio/visual, or
computer/web-based), the provider must present information in a manner that can be readily
understood and retained by the client. Strategies for making information accessible to clients
are provided.
Principle 5. Confirm Client Understanding
It is important to ensure that clients have processed the information provided and discussed.
One technique for confirming understanding is to have the client restate the most important
messages in her or his own words. This teach-back method can increase the likelihood of the
client and provider reaching a shared understanding, and has improved compliance with
treatment plans and health outcomes. Using the teach-back method early in the
decision-making process will help ensure that a client has the opportunity to understand her
or his options and is making informed choices.
Titany answered the question on September 13, 2021 at 09:15