Decision Assessment and Counseling in Abortion Care
Philosophy and Practice
By (author) Alissa C. Perrucci
Publication date:
22 March 2012Length of book:
230 pagesPublisher
Rowman & Littlefield PublishersISBN-13: 9781442214569
In today’s contentious political environment surrounding abortion, clinicians, counselors and social workers need a clear framework for providing skilled, compassionate decision counseling. They need help working with the hard stuff: “What do I do when my patient asks me if God will forgive her?” or “What do I say when a woman says that she feels like she’s killing her baby?” These are the questions asked by clinicians and mental health professionals everywhere; these are also the questions for which this book offers answers. The fields of healthcare and counseling psychology have long-awaited a manual for conducting pregnancy decision counseling across the spectrum of patient issues, employee skill levels, and clinic resources.
Using case examples, individual and group exercises, guided self-reflection, and values clarification, the reader will develop the necessary skills to provide compassionate and informed pregnancy decision counseling. This book will define the gold standard for decision assessment and counseling for all pregnancy options and will be cited as the definitive guide for learning, teaching, and providing high-quality, compassionate counseling in abortion and family planning clinics nationwide.
Using case examples, individual and group exercises, guided self-reflection, and values clarification, the reader will develop the necessary skills to provide compassionate and informed pregnancy decision counseling. This book will define the gold standard for decision assessment and counseling for all pregnancy options and will be cited as the definitive guide for learning, teaching, and providing high-quality, compassionate counseling in abortion and family planning clinics nationwide.
For some women, counseling at the time of pregnancy termination is more important than the medical care they receive. It models the personal encounters that they have a right to expect, normalizing the experience and supporting them despite what others may think about abortion. Whether you are a counselor, receptionist, medical assistant, ultrasonographer, autoclave technician, clinician, or administrator, Dr. Alissa Perrucci’s book will help you contribute to this transformative experience. She describes an innovative approach and framework that is based both on her training as a psychologist and her practical experience as a counselor and administrator. I recommend her book as a truly revolutionary guide for clarifying, deepening, and expanding abortion counseling through purposeful normalization. Dr. Perrucci describes how empathy, care, compassion and respect that take place in the clinic create positive change about how we think and feel about women, abortion, and the value of human life.