Background Family planning clinicians were trained to provide one-to-one behaviour change counselling to deprived teenage women. They facilitated ‘if-then’ planning designed to increase adherence to contraception and to overcome potential barriers to adherence.

Methods Reasons for consultation at the clinic were obtained from electronic records and compared before and after the intervention.

Results It was found that consultation for emergency contraception and pregnancy testing was reduced by 15% (49% vs 34%) after making if-then plans. This compared to a 4% reduction in a usual care comparison group. Changes in reasons for consultation before and after the intervention were also explored. Positive changes in behaviour were exhibited in 53% of the group who made if-then plans compared to 28% of the usual care comparison group. Changes in reasons for consultation over time were significant in the counselling group (n = 87, p = 0.035) but not in the comparison group (n = 79, p = 0.68).

Conclusion These findings provide evidence that training clinicians in psychological behaviour change techniques such as if-then planning can be effective in influencing contraceptive consultation patterns among teenage women.