Good counselling includes a lot listening to the person and discussing different options with her so it is very different from education and even more from promoting!

Thanks Maryse. I'm also wondering the extent to which actual "counselling" takes place for CF and whether the training module and tools available for CF encourage asking questions and good listening. 

Can anyone provide the link of the new WHO IYCF training module? 

hello the link to the WHO/UNICEF IYCF Counselling Training is here:

https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240032828

Thanks

Alex

Does anyone have a niggling little doubt about the type of information or counselling contained in - say IYCF Counselling materials - and whether a one-size-fits-all approach is appropriate for mothers across the globe.  For instance, in my experience of working in a developing country, I have seen some confusion in mothers who are offered various options in IYCF, and who sometimes confuse options with recommendations, otherwise why would the counsellor be taking the time and trouble?  I suspect that often First World notions of counselling are not understood by Third World mothers who seem to prefer a more directive approach. 

Thanks a lot.. ..Alessandro Iellamo

After reading about all the attempts....the intervention did not always result in agreed outcomes. What works in one place may not necessarily work in another. Can we standardize the searches? Especially on the mother MUAC and

On the IYCF approach ...trying to do analysis on top of analysis on the type of crisis especially? What are the appropriate interventions in the context of the crisis? Cyclic? Recurrent armed conflicts.

Thanks.

For IYCF Counselling, current webinars hosted by GNC are as follow: https://www.ennonline.net/breastfeedingcounsellinginemergencies

Providing Breastfeeding Counselling During Emergencies: How Can We Do That? - YouTube

IYCF-E: Support to complementary feeding in emergencies (focus on children 6-23- months) - YouTube

IYCF-E: Support to infants who cannot be breastfed in emergencies - YouTube

Infant and Young Child Feeding in emergency context (IYCF-E): Breastfeeding support in emergencies - YouTube

This new workbook from USAID AN has some guidance on effective counselling for CF https://www.advancingnutrition.org/sites/default/files/2022-04/measuring_sbc_2022_0.pdf

"Effective counseling: To be effective, counseling should be focused on the age, ability, and needs of the child and tailored to what the caregiver is able to try. In addition, counseling is most effective if it means that practices are “negotiated” with caregivers and families based on their situation rather than simply instructing them to follow general recommendations. There are often many ways to solve a feeding challenge, and caregivers know best what they would be willing to try.

Ingredients for success: Tailored, negotiated communication with an initial goal of trial and then support to sustain"

Training and supervising staff to counsel on multiple components CF and t tailor advice based on the needs of the family would take will likely take some skill and effort. I'd be interested to know if others feel that the current IYCF counselling training packages focus sufficiently on developing CF counselling skills to be able to tailor support and negotiate changes as recommended here.

Most important for lasting impact of nutrition couselling is to allow the adressees to bring in their perspective. TIPs is comparatively expensive, but it has been established in some places (e.g. Dickin KL, Seim G. Adapting the Trials of Improved Practices (TIPs) approach to explore the acceptability and feasibility of nutrition and parenting recommendations: what works for low-income families? Matern Child Nutr. 2015 Oct;11(4):897-914. doi: 10.1111/mcn.12078)

One of the biggest challenges in areas where food security is not given at any time is to find food resources which are locally available and accessible at any time of the year.