Professionals, caregivers, and families across Oregon have told us they want more training to better support sexual health and healthy relationships for people who experience intellectual and developmental disabilities. In effort to meet this community need, we joined in partnership with Among Friends and the University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) at OHSU to develop a formal, three-tiered certification program.
The program officially launched in 2019 and aims to help build capacity statewide for supporters to develop skills in communicating about sexuality and healthy sexual expression, learn about the basics of sexual health and development, and feel confident when supporting people who are engaging in challenging sexual behaviors. Now that Tier 1 is off to a great start, OTAC program will be taking some time away from this project. We want to thank our amazing project partners and the community for making this opportunity available.
Certification Program Details
Tier 1: Foundations of Sexual Health – this 2-day training will provide education on the foundations of sexual health and development to supporters of people who experience I/DD and neurodiversity. After completing this training, participants will feel confident in providing direct, trauma-informed support on matters related to sexuality, sexual health, sexual development, healthy relationships, and challenging sexual behaviors.
Tier 2: Sexual Health Advocate – this tier will provide further exploration of sexual health, development, and supporting healthy relationships for professionals through mentorship, education, and skill building opportunities.
Tier 3: Train-the-Trainer Program – this training will provide professionals with the knowledge and skills to deliver trainings to other professionals, caregivers, and family members on the foundations of sexual health and development in a way that is rights based, medically accurate, and trauma informed.
For More Information
For more information about the program, please contact our project partners directly:
Cara Wiggins, Office Manager
Among Friends
cara@among-friends.org – preferred method of contact
503-832-0787
Lindsay Suave, Program Developer & Evaluation Coordinator
University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD)
sauv@ohsu.edu
Project Partners
