Behavioral Counseling Related to Sexual Health
Clinical Service Goal
Behavioral counseling is recommended for all sexually active adolescents because it’s been shown to increase safer sex behaviors and reduce the likelihood that sexually active adolescents acquire sexually transmitted infections.
Key Foundations
Strategies related to assessment, policy, and environment
Equipping Teams
Strategies that build clinic staff capacity
Service Delivery
Strategies to strengthen processes, procedures, and systems involved in delivering clinical services
Engaging Adolescent Patients and Families
Strategies to educate and build productive partnerships with adolescents and their families+ (These strategies recognize the important role that parents can play in relation to ASRH, even while protecting confidentiality remains a cornerstone of adolescent care).
Strategies
Key Foundations
Equipping Teams
Tools & Resources
Service Delivery
Implementation Tips
- Use staffing strategies such as integrating health educators or community health workers as part of the care team to allow more time for counseling and education during a clinical visit
Engaging Adolescent Patients and Families
Implementation tips
- Help the adolescent consider who they can rely on to help them with their health decisions such as a parent or other trusted adult
- Provide handouts for parents in the waiting room
- Provide a section on the health center website that includes resources for parents
