Population Reports articles from December 1998

Population Reports archives from December 1998

GATHER Guide To Counseling.
December 1, 1998... Counseling is one person helping another as they talk person-to-person. When you help a client make a decision or solve a problem, you are counseling. Through counseling, you help clients make choices that suit them. For example, some...

A Partnership for Decision-Making.
December 1, 1998... Counseling is a partnership of experts. The provider knows about family planning and other reproductive health care. The client knows more than anyone else about her or his own life, wants, and feelings. For successful counseling, these experts...

Make a Good Connection and Keep It.
December 1, 1998... In good counseling, providers and their clients often go through a series of connected and overlapping steps. These steps can be remembered by the letters in the word "GATHER." The meaning of all 6 letters is explained on pages 16 and 17. G...

Why and How to Ask Questions.
December 1, 1998... In GATHER, A stands for "Ask." The provider questions effectively and listens actively to the client's answers. Why ask questions? * To learn why the client has come. * To help the client express needs and wants. * To help the...

Responding to Clients' Feelings.
December 1, 1998... Family planning and other reproductive health concerns can be a very private matter for clients. When they talk about these subjects, they may feel embarrassed, confused, worried, or afraid. These feelings affect their decisions. Some feelings...

Can You Talk About Sex?
December 1, 1998... Even for experienced health care providers, discussing sex can be difficult. Using sexual terms or slang can be embarrassing. As a result, providers may not volunteer important information, answer clients' questions fully, or ask important...

Tailored & Personalized.
December 1, 1998... In GATHER, T stands for "Tell." The provider responds to the client's situation, needs, and concerns. The provider tells the client information that helps the client reach a decision and make an informed choice. To make wise choices,...

Tell Clients About Family Planning Methods.
December 1, 1998... Clients need to know about family planning methods before choosing one. Here is basic information about 9 methods. You can mention all available methods, but tell clients most about the methods that interest them. (Remember that clients may...

Key Help from a Few Questions.
December 1, 1998... In GATHER, H stands for "Help." The client and provider discuss the choices, their different results for the client, and how the client would feel about these results. In this way the provider helps the client reach a decision. Often the choice...

Help Clients Choose a Family Planning Method.
December 1, 1998... 1 Help Clients Think About Their Needs These questions help clients think about their needs. Discuss only methods that interest the client. Can you think of more questions? Combined Oral Contraceptives (Pill) [] Do you want an...

Explaining So Clients Remember.
December 1, 1998... In GATHER, E stands for "Explain." The provider explains to the client how to carry out the client's decision. Often the provider gives instructions. (See the blue chart on next page for instructions about family planning methods.) When...

Explain How To Use the Chosen Method.
December 1, 1998... Once your client has chosen a method, explain how to use it correctly. Explain only the method that the client has chosen. These explanations also can help remind returning clients about using their methods correctly. Low-Dose Combined...

The Returning Client Deserves Attention, Too.
December 1, 1998... In GATHER, R stands for "Return." All clients should be invited to return to their reproductive health care provider whenever they wish, for any reason. At the same time, clients should not be made to come back when not necessary. For...

Return Visits Help Clients Continue.
December 1, 1998... Clients are always welcome to return, for any reason--such as needing more supplies, seeking help with a question or problem, wanting an IUD or Norplant implants removed, or wanting to change methods for any reason. Returning clients deserve...

Informed Choices--Every Client's Right.
December 1, 1998... Clients have a right to make informed choices. This is a basic principle of family planning programs and providers. An informed choice is a client's thoughtful decision based on accurate understanding of the full range of options and their...

GATHER Elements.
December 1, 1998... G Greet Clients * Give clients your full attention as soon as you meet them. * Be polite, friendly, and respectful: greet clients, introduce yourself, and offer them seats. * Ask how you can help. * Tell clients that you...

Ideas for Providers: Teach Yourself Better Counseling.
December 1, 1998... [check] Study and discuss: Learn from this Counseling Guide. Try the Suggested Exercises and Discussions. [check] Role-playing: Try role-playing with a colleague. One of you can play the role of counselor. The other person can pretend to be...

Tips for Managers: Promoting Better Counseling.
December 1, 1998... Help Staff Get Training [check] Make clear to staff why all providers need to learn counseling, and why training is important. [check] Order copies of this Counseling Guide for all staff. [check] Find training programs for your...

Family Planning for the Breastfeeding Woman.
December 1, 1998... Reproductive health care providers should encourage breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is good for nearly every baby. It also can be a natural form of family planning. When can breastfeeding prevent pregnancy? To find out, you can ask the client...

Emergency Oral Contraception.
December 1, 1998... What is it? Certain oral contraceptives (OCs) or similar pills taken after unprotected sex to prevent pregnancy. Why? A woman had sex--willingly or not--without contraception, and she wants to avoid pregnancy. How to take emergency...

Tips on Using Audiovisual Materials.
December 1, 1998... Audiovisual materials help clients learn and remember. These materials include sample contraceptives, wall charts, take-home pamphlets and wallet cards, flip charts, audiotapes, videotapes, drawings, and diagrams such as those on this page....

Is She Pregnant? Ask Questions to Find Out.
December 1, 1998... A woman should try not to start certain family planning methods while pregnant. Asking questions usually is enough to find out if a woman might be pregnant. Pregnancy tests and physical examinations usually are not needed, and they...

Tips on Counseling Young Adults.
December 1, 1998... Often young adults face more and different reproductive health issues than older clients. Thus counseling young adults requires being even more open, more flexible, more knowledgeable, and more understanding. Counseling young adults can be...

Counseling Starts in the Community.
December 1, 1998... Informing the community and counseling clients go hand-in-hand. The better that people can be informed before counseling, the better that counseling can help clients make informed choices that meet their needs. Why give community talks &...

Effectiveness of Family Planning Methods.
December 1, 1998... This table shows how many women in every 100 women become pregnant during the first 12 months of using major family planning methods. Two rates are shown for each method. The rate shown under "As Commonly Used" is a typical, or average rate....

Advising Without Controlling.
December 1, 1998... Most clients want to make their own decisions with some advice or guidance from the provider. Two principles are important to giving advice: * Each client's wishes--and not the provider's wishes--determine how much advice to give....

How to "Listen Actively".
December 1, 1998... * Accept your clients as they are. Treat each as an individual. * Listen to what your clients say and also how they say it. Notice tone of voice, choice of words, facial expressions, and gestures. * Put yourself in your client's place...

Countering False Rumors.
December 1, 1998... Asking clients what they have heard about family planning methods or STDs often turns up rumors. What are rumors? Unreliable information passed around the community, mostly by word of mouth. Rumors become widely known and are believed...

STDs and AIDS Information for Reproductive Health Clients.
December 1, 1998... AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is a deadly condition caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). HIV is spread chiefly by sexual intercourse. Thus AIDS is a sexually transmitted disease (STD). Some other STDs are...

Meeting Counseling Challenges.
December 1, 1998... Here are some challenges that counselors often face, with suggestions about meeting them. The client is silent. * If the client is silent at the start of the meeting, gently call attention to the silence. You could say, "I can see that...

Six Principles for Good Counseling.
December 1, 1998... Adapted from: Murphy, E. and Steele Verme, C. Client-provider interactions in family planning services: Guidance from research and program experience. In: Technical Guidance/Competence Working Group. Recommendations for updating selected...

Check Your Counseling Skills.
December 1, 1998... Rate yourself on skills for each GATHER step. Also, you can ask a colleague to watch you (with the client's permission) and check your skills. Study tip: Try to improve one step each week for 6 weeks, until all steps are improved. You can...

Welcome, Clients, To This Health Facility!
December 1, 1998... You can expect... As a client here, you deserve: 1. Dignity -- To be treated with courtesy, consideration, and respect. 2. Information -- To know the names of the people who serve you, to learn about reproductive health choices,...