About our options counseling services
We use the term expectant parents when referring to pregnant people. Our options counseling services are also available to people who are already parenting.
Counselors are available seven days a week, 7am-9pm. Call, text, or fill out our expectant parent contact form to get started. If after 9pm, a counselor will reach out the next day.
How can counseling help?
Our all-options counseling offers a neutral, supportive space to explore pregnancy options. We’ll ask questions and share information to help each person we work with choose the path that feels best to them.
One thing that makes us different from many adoption agencies is that we are a nonprofit, pro-choice agency and are not affiliated with any religion.
What to expect
An OA&FS counselor will listen and provide support to expectant parents as they explore each choice: parenting, abortion, or adoption. We will ask questions such as:
- How would each choice affect your everyday life?
- How do each of the choices fit with your values and beliefs?
- What would each choice mean to the people closest to you?
- Who can you count on to support you through this process?
- What are your plans for the future and how will this choice affect those plans?
Get in touch
Counselors are available seven days a week, 7am-9pm. Call, text, or fill out our expectant parent contact form to get started. If after 9pm, a counselor will reach out the next day.
Our all-options counseling services are available to people throughout the U.S. We have offices in Portland, Eugene, and Seattle and can travel to meet with people throughout Washington and Oregon. We’re also available to meet via Zoom.
Explore pregnancy options
- All-options counseling services are free of charge.
- All services are available to both expectant parents, as well as extended family members when appropriate. Expectant parents can work with us together or separately.
- All-options counseling is available to everyone regardless of immigration status.
- We share accurate and unbiased information about parenting, abortion, and adoption. We ask questions to help expectant parents gain clarity about which choice feels best for them. We explore the grief and loss that comes with each option.
- We help the client assess their support system.
- We provide resources and referrals for housing, insurance, prenatal care, and other needs.
- We provide care that is sensitive to the person’s racial, ethnic, and cultural background, as well as gender identity. We avoid making assumptions about a person’s beliefs and values based on their race, ethnicity, culture, or identity.
How we’re different
How we’re different from ‘pregnancy resource centers’
Many people have heard of pregnancy resource centers, which are also referred to as crisis pregnancy centers. These facilities can be appealing because they provide free or affordable non-clinical services to pregnant people. However, they are anti-abortion and are typically religiously affiliated. They will not support a pregnant person in exploring all their options, and may use coercive tactics, including sharing false information about the risks of abortion, intentionally overestimating gestational age, or representing their facility as a legitimate health care facility. Find more information about crisis pregnancy centers on the ACOG website.
Our agency helps pregnant and parenting people explore each option without bias, supports them in any choice they make, and connects them with resources and referrals.
Expectant parent stories intro
Who do we work with? Step inside the lives of pregnant people who come to our agency
Meet Marissa, Chloe, and Josh and Kendra. To protect the privacy of our clients, these composite stories were created by OA&FS counselors using characteristics and circumstances from actual experiences. These stories show how events within people’s lives inform the decisions they make when facing an unplanned pregnancy.
Frequently asked questions
- Are your counselors biased toward adoption?
Although we have “adoption” in our agency name, our counselors are committed to providing unbiased, all-options counseling to all people who are pregnant or parenting. Our first priority when working with any pregnant person is to support them in exploring all of their options. The majority of people who access our counseling services do not ultimately choose to plan an adoption.
- Can both parents be involved in the process?
Yes, we welcome the cooperation and participation of the non-pregnant parent. Ideally, both parents help choose the adoptive family, meet them, and develop ongoing relationships. Each birth parent can create a separate Open Adoption Agreement with the adoptive family. Adoptees benefit from knowing all parts of who they are.
- How much does options counseling cost?
Our options counseling is free, and is offered for as long as needed.
- What is all-options counseling?
In all-options counseling, we support people as they explore their pregnancy options, including parenting, adoption, and abortion. We do not advocate for any particular choice. We ask the expectant parents we are working with to reflect on their values and consider how each choice might affect their life. We support people in whatever decision they make.
- Do you continue to offer counseling if I choose abortion or parenting?
Yes, our counseling continues to be available to provide support, resources, and referrals after an abortion or parenting choice has been made. We are not a mental health provider, but can help people explore other resources for ongoing help and support as needed.