When family planning clients receive services that are tailored to their individual needs, they are more likely to find a suitable method and to continue using family planning. Providers play a critical role in providing such client-centered care.

• They can set the stage with the client for an open counseling session that is tailored to the client's individual needs and can help put the client at ease by being friendly, respectful, and empathic.
• Providers should actively listen to the client and encourage the client to ask questions.
• Most importantly, providers should enable clients to make their own informed contraceptive decisions by helping them to consider how different methods might meet their reproductive goals and needs.

Because female and male sterilization are permanent contraceptive methods, it is especially important for providers to give careful and thorough counseling to clients to help them make voluntary and informed decisions about the use of these methods.  

This section of the Permanent Methods Toolkit provides resources to help providers with screening, counseling, and supporting men and women who are considering or have chosen to use permanent contraceptive methods.

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