Challenges and dilemmas in counselling young women on pregnancy options.
This paper is about counselling young women up to 21 years of age who have an unintended pregnancy and need to decide whether to continue the pregnancy, have an abortion or give the baby up for adoption. What is important for a counsellor is to be able to respond appropriately to the issues they raise and support them to make a decision that they feel is right for them. Some young women know what they want to do and only need information to help them put this into effect. Others lean strongly towards one option or the other because it is what others want them to do, or is the opposite of what others want. Still other young women are unable to verbalise their feelings or opinions; they can be easily influenced by others and feel great indecision. During a counselling session, parents sometimes try to influence their daughter to make one decision or another. Some parents feel left out when their daughter will not discuss the pregnancy with them, and some bring up unrelated family problems. Counsellors need to acknowledge their own biases in working with young women, respond in ways that fit a young woman's level of development and acknowledge the difficulties parents sometimes have in coping with and responding to their daughter's situation.
Surman
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Children by Choice, PO Box 2005, Windsor, Queensland 4030, Australia. advocacy@childrenbychoice.org.au
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000739:Anecdotes as Topic; D001315:Australia; D003142:Communication; D003376:Counseling; D003657:Decision Making; D005193:Family Planning Services; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010290:Parents; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000523:psychology*