ALL-OPTIONS COUNSELING

What our service is and how to contact us:

Our counseling service provides access to a clergy member trained in supporting a woman in making decisions in keeping with her, or their, own conscience, beliefs, and unique circumstances. Our clergy will also provide counseling for friends or relatives.

Our hotline can be reached by calling (614) 221-3636 in the central Ohio area or 1-(800)-587-2330 from elsewhere in Ohio. When you call this number, give us a name and phone number where we can reach you confidentially.

A friendly person from our office will call you and take down your relevant information, allowing you to remain anonymous. Our office will then contact a trained clergy person in your area who can appropriately respond to your needs. The clergy member will call the number you give at a time convenient to you. You may talk with him or her over the telephone, or, if you choose, meet in person to talk.

Our values and philosophy:

Most people of faith support the idea that women are moral decision-makers having the right to make decisions by following their own conscience and religious beliefs. Abortion is a personal decision best left to a woman, her doctor, and her God. In addition, most people of faith believe that each woman must make this personal decision herself in keeping with her sense of faith and values.

Our counselors support a woman in reaching a decision in accordance with her own values that is best suited to her unique circumstances. They do not impose their beliefs on her, nor do they push her to make a decision in conformity with any particular religion. They support her in thinking through her situation, finding a solution best suited to her values and needs, and help her think how to best cope with the consequences of her decision.

Our clergy counselors are trained to assist women in exploring all their options— abortion, parenting, adoption, foster care. They can also discuss the various points of view within their faith traditions, or help them think through their religious or moral beliefs.

For pro-choice points of view regarding religion and abortion:

Please refer to our page on education.

All Options Counseling Training for clergy:

If you are a pro-choice clergy person who would like to receive valuable training for your own pastoral work in All Options Counseling, which also qualifies you to become a part of our statewide network of All Options Clergy Counselors, please contact us at ohiorcrc@sbcglobal.net, or call us at (614) 221-3636 or 1-(800)-587-2330 (in Ohio).

CLERGY WORKSHOPS IN NOVEMBER 2008

Pastoral Care for Reproductive Loss (PCRL).  Any loss, whether through miscarriage, infertility, stillbirth, adoption, or abortion, can carry with it a range of feelings, The PCRL workshop provides clergy with the information and skills they need to be an effective pastoral presence to help restore emotional health experiencing such losses and are coping with these feelings. The workshop covers medical, emotional, and spiritual issues, and includes rituals and an extensive bibliography of both print and on-line resources. 

All Options Clergy Counseling (AOCC). This workshop prepares clergy to provide spiritual support to women and couples with unintended and unwanted pregnancies or medical crises in intended pregnancies, to help them in making the best decisions for themselves in their situations, according to their own consciences. The AOCC workshop offers unbiased information about all options-abortion, adoption, and parenting, along with counseling skills, scriptural references, rituals, and local resources.  Post-abortion counseling is also covered. Workshop graduates are eligible to volunteer for our Hotline.