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- Technical knowledge
- Knowledge of issues facing young adults
- Gender awareness
- Counseling skills
- For some: how to train young people in communication
skills
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Photo: World Bank
Slide 35
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Providers for adolescents need to have good technical skills,
whether they are doctors, nurses, youth leaders, teachers or
peer counselors. Technically competent providers of information
and services inspire confidence, which is particularly important
for young adults.
Providers also need information on the broad range of issues
facing young adults. Young people's problems are often interrelated.
For example, youth seeking reproductive health services may
ask about alcohol, drugs, school problems, or relationships
with peers or parents. Providers need to know how to respond
to these questions, or if necessary, to refer the client to
another provider.
Providers need to reflect on their own views about how they
may treat males and females differently. As with sexuality in
general, their personal values regarding gender roles and expectations
can affect the way they interact with clients and the services
they provide.
Ideally, providers who work with youth should receive training
in the communication skills necessary for counseling young people.
Unfortunately, most providers for youth have no formal training
in this area.
Also, it is helpful to be familiar with role playing and other
techniques that are useful in strengthening young people's communication
skills. Such techniques can help young people negotiate difficult
situations, such as requesting condom use or refusing unwanted
sexual activity. For example, a study in Thailand among 240
unmarried female factory workers, ages 14 to 24, found that
discussion groups helped them to communicate about STI risk
and condom use. The portion of women who said they felt confident
talking to a partner about STI risk increased from 60 percent
to 90 percent, and the portion who said they would not be embarrassed
to give a partner a condom jumped from 36 percent to 82 percent.
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