Step 1. Establish and maintain rapport with the patient

Establishing rapport with patients is a cornerstone of patient-centered care.86, 87 Opportunities for rapport begin with the first point of contact and continue through every interaction with the health care system. 

In addition to the rapport-building steps described in Section 3, these steps can be taken specifically in contraceptive counseling:

• Respectfully elicit and respond to patients’ concerns about contraceptive methods. Demonstrate empathy when a patient appears distressed and validate concerns, especially about risks and side effects.
• Cultivate an awareness of the ways personal biases may influence information shared, language used, counseling practices, and recommendations.88, 89, 90
• Focus on patient preferences to guide counseling, with the recognition that contraceptive use is not compulsory and highly preference sensitive. Therefore, providers should not form opinions about people’s contraceptive use and related reproductive behaviors or engage in directive counseling.
• Assure patients that you are there to help them achieve whatever the patient determines is best for them. Proactively communicate that they are not required to choose a method or methods for pregnancy prevention. Remind people that their needs may change, and every person’s body is different, so stopping or switching methods is common and can be done any time.