HOW TO START AND OPERATE A PRO-LIFE OUT-REACH PREGNANCY SERVICE CENTER ASSTER: Children vill sometimes call pretending to be pregnant and IF YOU HAVE TRIED EVERY POSSIBLE WAY, AND STILL THE WOMAN THIS IS USUALLY A RARE OCCURANCE, IF METHODS ARE APPLIED, If you lose a client over the phone, don't panic. Learn from your mistakes, go over what you have said. Bay to find out what you should have said. Share your mistakes and your victories with your staff seabers. Inu vill learn from each other in this way. Eventually, you vim handle all calls calaly and confidently. Rehearse the unsvers above with another staff members and then go over the answers until you are comfortable with them. You can change the wording, of course, to suit your personality, but stick to the basic reply. Ageda, too such information may turn her away, and she is the very vozan you want to reach. IN TAKE COUNSELING There are two conditions necessary for one to be a counselor in an emergency pregnancy center. 71st, the counselor sust be thoroughly convinced that human inte begins at fertilization and that abortion is the wrongful taking of a human life. Second, a counselor sust be able to place herself in the client's place, recognizing that the client is facing perhaps the greatest crisis of her 14. In addition to the information bere in, all counselors are urged to become thoroughly amindar with Willke's Handbook on Abortion Managan's +20 12832 $120 Months of Life, From Conception to 24.h Then You Were Forzed a Secret. Any additional Uterature that can be available for reading in regards to this subject is recommended. CLIENT ENTERS OFFICE When a client enters the office, she has often used the last of her courage just to turn the doorknob. For this reason, try to have the reception desk facing and in line with the entrance to the center, 30 that the client will see the receptionist first, and not the other clients. It is important for her to feel at ease and for her to be welcomed openly and waraly into the center. By greeting her with "Hello, would you like a 2790 pregnancy test", ve izzediately take away the avicward burden of her having to state ter problem or asking for the test. There is no need to be rusty or everly sympathette. Simple, sincerity with a smile is the best approach. ful if the waiting area is, as such as possible, out of sagan of the receptica area. Make sure all windows are curtained from any cust rieving into the vadting 1598. Be sure that the radio is on a plea ant statim in the waiting room to suffle ensuing conversations. client would now be seated at the side of the reception desk with another chair next to or facing her chade for her boyfriend or girlfriend to sit in, if they so choose. The client will sometimes feel zore at ease of her friend is close by to share her feelings, tais also gives you a chance to observe the fodend's feelings on abortion. HOW TO START AND OPERATE A PRO-LIFE OUT-REACH PREGNANCY SERVICE CENTER Registering Client at Reception Desk When registering a client and filling out the in-take card, always be relaxed and pleasant. If a girl is nervous, embarrassed, or cold and rude, your relaxed manner and a smile will help relax or soften her. Be very tactful in asking questions and if she says or indicates that any question is none of your business, explain your asking so you will know how and where to help her. This usually satisfies her. First, always ask if she's been in before. If she has, look up her card. Add a new card for each new or possible pregnancy. If she is returning for another visit on the same pregnancy, use the card relating to current pregnancy, listing date of second visit above the date of prior visit. (Be sure it has a number on the upper corner). A TWO-STEP PROCEDURE IS RECOMMENDED AS FOLLOWS, WITH THE FIRST STEP AT THE RECEPTION DESK AND THE SECOND STEP ALWAYS IN THE COUNSELING-VIEWING ROOM. This can either be handled by the counselor doing both steps or the receptionist doing the first step and the counselor doing the second step. The more professional approach is to have a receptionist working with the counselor. The counselor or the receptionist working at the reception desk fills out the left side of the in-take card. The client does not fill out her own card. This allows the receptionist or counselor to establish a rapport with the client in the initial contact. If you have trouble relating to particularly tough or defensive clients. keep your eyes on the in-take card while asking the initial questions until you reach the date of last period. Then make eye contact as this allows the client to scrutnize you and check you out without feeling tareatened. Call her by name often and maintain a neutral voice while asking the questions on the card, especially those questions regarding previous pregnancies and abortion. HOW TO START AND OPERATE A PRO-LIFE OUT-REACH PREGNANCY SERVICE CENTER The following is a typical method of filling out the left hand of the intake card. Please follow along with an in-take card, paying close attention to the wording of each question. Note copy of the in-take card. (Have a one page full year calendar at the reception desk and at the counseling table for quick referral use by the client. FILLING OUT LEFT HALF OF IN-TAKE CARD (See Intake Card-Refer to Page 58) How old are you? (Call her by her first name at this point). Have you ever been to our center before? How did you learn about our center? What was the date of the first day of your last period? Are your periods usually regular? How many days between periods, from the first day of one period Have you been using any birth control methods, the pill or Have you ever had any miscarriages on abortions? (It is important Il a client becomes delensive on indignant about the personal Previous pregnancies und abortions do influence subsequent When the counselor asks for the client's feelings on abortion, If you are pregnant, would you be considering abortion? sne 71) is undecided put a question mark under the yes space). Did you bring in your urine specimen? Il not we can do the pregnancy test on a fresh Specimen. Hand her a paper Cup Lor this specimen. Write her card number and Lirst name on the cup and direct her to the bathroom. (Waiting the number on the cup at this point is important so that it will not become mixed with another client's specimen). Tell her that you only need approximately 1/8 cuplull. Otherwise, very often, the cup will le to the point of overflowing.) HOW TO START AND OPERATE A PRO-LIFE OUT-REACH PREGNANCY SERVICE CENTER Set a date and a time when you would expect ner to return for tals test. Always keep in mind it is possible for a client to be having seemingly normal periods and still be pregnant, so it is not unusual to run the test, even though all Indications would point to her not being pregnant. The client aust be formed that the tests are 97% accurate and that she is to sign her intake card to that affect. her mov that this test is as accurate as a pathology labs would be, that would probably charge her $15 to $25 for the same test. Phone Call Procedures. Lat • do not offer counseling over the phone. Urge the client to come in for free pregnancy tests or other services. If she cannot come during regular office hours, an appointment should be made at her convenience with one of the counselors. We have found the success rate in counseling over the phone to be very low, even with an experienced counselor. Therefore, do not try to talk a person out of an abortion over the phone, unless you mov positively that she won't or can't come to the Center. However, a call is sometimes your only link with a woman in need of help to add her in a pregnancy. Therefore, you must take advantage of this one and only contact with her in this case ve zust reveal our pro-life stance through our counseling over the phone and try to talk her out of having the abortion, but remember, this would only be done if you are sure that she cannot or will not come to the office. How you handle phone calls is very laportant. Your voice and manner of speading should be relaxed and friendly. Answer in a confident manner that will assure her you mov how to help and don'e be surprised at dumb questions. We want to reach all women of all ages. Zven when a woman proves not to be pregnant, we can prevent future abortion by making her better informed. She, in turn, vill pass on her movledge by helping other vozen and sending them to us. Again, even a woman wanting to be pregnant needs the chance to see our program. Sae may one day get into the position of wanting an abortion or she can help others not to have one. Be brief, but very courteous with your LA SVOTS. 250 such information may sometimes cause her not to come in. Do not indicate you are pro-life. If she is seeking an abortion and indicates she won't come in because she movs we are pro-life, assure her ve can still help her by giving her all the information on abortion, etc., so she can have the freedom to mov. Give her all the necessary directions to get her to the Center. Be very explicit or she may end up at the wrong address, the abortionists. If she needs transportation and your center provides this, arrange to have her picked up at an appointed time. If she can't come a during the usual opening hours. see if it is possible to get a special tize set aside for her. Zou zay answer all calls, either to Mother and Unborn Baby Care or Pregnancy Problem Center, by simply answering, "hello, say I help you?" If you are taking emergency calls for Mother and Unborn Baby Care in your home, and then refering to the Center, clue the entire family to refer any such calls to you inmediately. Eave notepad and pencil available at the phone. Calls taken at the Center from either phone may be answered as above or "hello this is the Pregnancy Proòlas center, say I help you?" or "Mother and Unborn Baby Care, say I help you?" Each center will decide ahead of time the appropriate way to answer for their particular circunstances. Call forwarding and leaving your zumber on the Pregnancy Problem Center answering device is discouraged except for emergencies. It is difficult to try to convince the caller not to have an abortion over the pacne. When the office is closed :: is recommended to use an answering sachize with the sessage as suggested under Operational Needs", "Answering Machine Message. advised to use a telephone answering service company because you don's bov of their telephone operator 11 pro-life or not. She could very easily refer the girls vanting an abortion to an abortion chancer. Calls are largely from girls and women who vant abortions. haye about what the usual Intake is. Others are quite knowledgeable. They may be calling for their second or third abortion, and know exactly what to ask. He have to be on our toes. Your Center will be sted in the Yellow Pages of the telephone directory with abortion clinics. under Clinics. Medical", etc. You want to give the caller HOW TO START AND OPERA A PRO-LIFE CUT-REACH PREGNANCY SERVICE CENTER information, but not too much. Our name of the game is to get the voman to come in as do the abortion chambers. 3e put off by nothing. You have the power in Jesus' name to get them in here. Let nothing stop you. The stakes are fe or death. A phone put back on the receiver with so appoinment made, will probably mean death for the unborn baby and perhaps the soul of that sotter. Te compete with abortion chambers by being friendly, varn, remaining caln, and giring exact directions to our office (so eract that sometimes, vithout sounddag condescending, we instruct like a school teacher). Before you give directions to the clinic, ask the caller to get a pencil and paper. I she goes to the Yellow Pages on the day of her appointment, and you have not given her specific Lastructions, she say not be able to find our ad and end up at an abortion chamber. COMING PHONE CALLS The following phone call examples and responses will be of such benefit to consalors, they will take the time to study them over. Remember, you must always be perfectly honest. Furthermore, rember there is nothing wrong or dishonest 1 you don't want to answer a question that may reveal your pro-life position by changing the caller's train of thought by asking a question in return. YOU MUST TAKE CONTROL OF THE CONVERSATION. YOU BE CHARGE! In a calm, friendly, reassuring way, you tell her what to do. Be sure to get her came, phone number, 12 you can and make an appointment to come ia. Be sure to put all in the appointment 300k. Pish for SUE DAY appointment or at least "Day-After-The-Call" appointments. If you wait too long, you may lose bar. In booking her for the next day, give ber the zedical, technical approach of bringing in her first morning urine speciman, etc. When you receive a question from a caller that you would rather not answer, such as do you do abortions, or how much do you charge for an abortion, etc., ansver the caller by asking several questions in retura. Hopefully, in the caller's search for answers to your questions, her first question won't be repeated. Make a list of the following questions and place it by the telephone to use for this type of caller: 5. Then was your last period? 5. Zave you had any symptoms of pregnancy, like being sick to your 7. We are located at (give your address and location very specifically 8. When would you like to come =? Juring all these questions, act as though you are very busy and that you don't cave much time to talk on the phone and that she should just come in and then ve 212 ansver all her questions. You can also say in reply to a question that you prefer not to answer, excuse yourself for a coment, and wait a respectable couple of moments not so long that she hangs up - come back and take control. Okay Pi, ure you coxing in tomOTOV. Let's get your came." You keep on in a businesslike way. contimes to persist for an answer you might say, I'm very sorry and derstand your problem, but the policy of the Center won't allow us to give this time of information on abortion over the phone. D'e sure you can understand our confidentiality in these attars. Way don't you come on in and I will be very happy to sit Love with you. I'm sure we can get all of your questions answered, okay? A MORE "EXPERIENCED" CALLER MIGHT PROCEED THE THE: COPSTION: Do you do the abortions there? certainly |