New Focus Package on Health COMpass Specific to Counseling Resources

Family planning providers at a training of trainers workshop in Kenya learn how to counsel on providing pills.
© 2012 Institute for Reproductive Health, Courtesy of Photoshare

The Health COMpass’ latest Focus Package is a collection of curated resources related to counseling between a service provider and a health care client.

Counseling, as it relates to health, is the interpersonal exchange between a service provider and a client. At its essence, it is a dialog about a health issue. Typically the aim of the session is provide quality of care in services and to ensure that the client has all of the information he or she needs, delivered in the right way, at the right time.

Service providers play an important role in counseling by educating clients about their options, supporting clients’ choices, encouraging clients to speak, discussing concerns, and helping clients solve problems they experience. Clients also play an important role by explaining their situation, preferences, and needs. In addition, clients ask questions, and participate in problem-solving and method choice.

With good quality counseling, clients become empowered to make better choices, use their medication/contraceptive method effectively, and continue to take care of themselves. Using well-designed materials can make all the difference – flipcharts, cue cards, and other counseling materials can be developed to meet not only the needs of the patient, but also of the practitioner.

In that interaction, excellent counseling skills, accompanied by appropriate and well-designed materials, can make all the difference.

This latest Focus Package offers a selection of counseling materials present on the Health COMpass. In it are tools for creating counseling materials, training counselors and samples of project materials.

Access the Counseling Resources Focus Package.