Previous Training Series

2005 – 2006 Training Series

March 2006

Compassionate Care: Working with Sexual and Gender Minority Youth

Tuesday, March 14, 2006, 9 am – Noon

Sexual and gender minority youth are statistically more likely to participate in high-risk behaviors, yet their specific needs are often overlooked.  How can you make sure that you’re a strong and supportive ally?

Adult and youth trainers from Bridge 13 will lead this exciting and interactive workshop with discussions, activities, and a panel of youth who will answer your questions and share their perspectives.  Participants will gain insight and tools for working with sexual and gender minority youth while also addressing:

• How do gender and sexual orientation work together, and how are they different?
• What terminology or vocabulary is appropriate to use when working with sexual or gender minority youth?
• How can I be supportive of youth in the coming out process?
• Join us for a fun and informative training that will help you become a better ally to the youth you serve.

Trainers: Austin Lea coordinates the Pride Project, a program serving sexual and gender minority youth in Washington County, which includes safer-sex education, HIV prevention, and drug and alcohol abuse prevention in the LGBTQ youth community.  His focus is on holistic mental health, engaging youth in discussions around self-esteem, community building, and creating and maintaining healthy relationships.  Bridge-13 is a dedicated group of youth who are trained to lead workshops about the issues faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning (LGBTQQ) communities.

February 2006

(Safer)  Sex and (Careful) Love: Teaching All Teens about Risk Reduction

Tuesday, February 14, 2006, 9 am – Noon

It’s almost Valentine’s Day, and for many teens, love is in the air.  Are you prepared?  You are one of the best resources for the teens in your program, so how can you make sure that you’re meeting all their sexual health education and prevention needs?

In this training, we will tackle the questions:

• How can I address the needs of all the youth I work with regardless of age, sexual development, sexual orientation, gender, sexual experiences, or other individual differences?
• Is it possible to actually teach and affect behavior change?  How?
• What are the newest approaches to sexual health education, and how can you (personally) strengthen your presentations?

Join us for this workshop that will build your skills and broaden your knowledge on what’s new and effective in the world of Safer Sex and Prevention Education.

Trainer: Talia Gad, Community Education Coordinator at Planned Parenthood of the Columbia-Willamette, has been involved in sexual health and education for over 10 years, providing training for adolescents, adults, parents, and professionals.  Her focus is with higher-risk populations including young parents, homeless teens, out-of-school youth, and adolescents in drug and alcohol recovery programs.  Currently, she offers individual and group professional trainings in areas such as sexuality, healthy relationships, reproductive health, and gender.

January 2006

Using Art Therapy as a Catalyst to Discuss Sexuality: Information, Insight, and Tools for the Non-Art Therapist

Tuesday, January 10, 2006, 9am – 12 Noon

Art is a universal language.  Art therapy gives a voice to that language.  Learning how to begin speaking in the language of art is a useful tool to any one who works with adolescents, who often don’t communicate in ways that we would like.  By using the artwork they have created, a dialogue can begin that would have otherwise been silent.

In this training, we will explore some of the history and use of art therapy in group, individual, and family settings with adolescents.  Together we will experience several art directives that can be used with adolescents that will kick off a discussion on adolescent sexuality.  Suggestions and ideas for the use of art therapy for the non-art therapist will be covered as well.

Trainer: Ariel Frager, MA, ATR is a registered Art Therapist and licensed School Counselor.  She currently works for Portland Public Schools as one of the district’s two Teen Parent Counselors.  She has an extensive background working with at-risk and emotionally disturbed adolescents and their families.  Ariel uses art therapy in her work to help illicit insight and to promote a strengths-based approach when interacting with her students.

December 2005

The Drug of Hate and At-Risk Youth

Tuesday, December 13, 2005, 9 am – 12 Noon

This workshop will define and discuss the problem of hate crimes and hate group activity.  Young people can be the target of both hate crimes and recruitment by hate groups.  We will discuss the legal issues surrounding hate crimes and the risks of victimization with vulnerable youth populations, including queer youth.  The appeal of hate-motivated behavior to youth will also be addressed.  Finally, strategies to combat the problem of hate and bias motivated violence will be outlined.

Trainer: Randy Blazak is an associate professor of sociology at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon.  He is the director of the Hate Crime Research Network (http://www.hatecrime.net/), which connects academic work on bias criminality.  He is also the co-founder of Oregon Spotlight, which monitors hate groups in the state of Oregon and he is the chair of the Oregon Coalition against Hate Crimes.  He has published his research on youth and hate in journals, book chapters and books, including his text with Wayne S. Wooden, entitled Renegade Kids, Suburban Outlaws: From Youth Culture to Delinquency (Wadsworth, 2001) and an upcoming text for Wadsworth on juvenile delinquency.

October 2005

When Oral Sex Isn’t Sex: Language, Values, and Adolescent Sexuality

Tuesday, October 11, 2005, 9 am – 12 Noon

How do we define abstinence?  What does “dating” mean?  Is oral sex sex?  As terminology surrounding teen sexuality has become more nuanced, it becomes more difficult to accurately address the concerns of teens.  Many of us who work with teens can tend to take for granted that we share common meanings, definitions, and interpretations when we talk about sex.  Quite often, we don’t.

In this training, we will explore adolescent sexuality and the ways teens talk about and understand sexuality in their own unique cultural contexts.  Together we will examine our personal values about teen culture and discuss ways to work with teens to promote healthy decision-making around sexuality.

Trainer: Talia Gad, Community Education Coordinator at Planned Parenthood of the Columbia-Willamette in Portland, has been involved in sexual health and education for over 10 years, providing training for adolescents, adults, parents, and professionals.  Her focus is with higher-risk populations including young parents, homeless teens, out-of-school youth, and adolescents in drug and alcohol recovery programs.  Currently, she offers individual and group professional trainings in areas such as sexuality, healthy relationships, reproductive health, and gender.

2005 Training Series

June 2005

You Want to Know What?: Talking with Teens about Hot Topics

Wednesday, June 1, 2005, 9 am – Noon

Do your teens turn to you for support about sensitive issues?  Are there topics that you feel are too touchy to talk about?  How do you know what is appropriate and inappropriate when talking to adolescents about sexuality?  During this training, we will explore the “Hot Topics” that push our buttons.  As sexuality educators, we may want to think about how our own values can impact young people’s sexual and personal growth.  We’ll explore some specific barriers that can exist in our relationships with teens as well as some tips and tools to help bridge those gaps in communication.

Trainers: Talia Gad, Community Education Coordinator at PPCW in Portland, has been involved in sexual health and education for over 10 years.  Her focus is with higher-risk populations including young parents, homeless teens, out-of-school youth, and adolescents in drug and alcohol recovery programs.  Currently, she offers individual and group professional trainings in areas such as sexuality, healthy relationships, reproductive health, and gender.  Aylett Wright has been working as a sexuality educator and trainer for 18 years.  She is the Community Education Coordinator for PPCW Central Oregon Health Center in Bend and previously was Director of Education at Planned Parenthood of Missoula, Montana.  In Central Oregon she works with at-risk youth in various programs, provides training for professionals, and coordinates a teen council program.

May 2005

A Mind of Their Own: The Developing Adolescent Brain

Wednesday, May 4, 2005, 9 am – Noon

The adolescent brain is a work in progress.  Emotional centers are red hot, executive functions are at a slow simmer, and the whole thing is teeming with of hormones.  Keeping teens safe and healthy during this unique developmental stage is especially challenging.  Improve your connection and communication with youth through understanding how the teen brain develops, including the effects of trauma, and attachment issues during adolescence.

Trainer: Julie M. Rosenzweig, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Social Work, Portland State University, where she has been teaching and conducting research since 1985 in the areas of clinical practice, human sexuality, and work/life integration.  Dr. Rosenzweig is a licensed clinical social worker in private practice serving individuals, couples, and families.

April 2005

Educating about Birth Control: Learning, Teaching, and Talking about Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention

Wednesday, April 6, 2005, 9 am – Noon

Come hear the latest about the many (and many new!) methods of birth control on the market, including those most appropriate for sexually active teens.  Learn activities for teaching about birth control, explore some of the challenges of talking about birth control with adolescents, and develop your skills in getting the messages across effectively and respectfully.  This training is designed to help practitioners encourage all young people, whether abstinent or sexually active, male or female, straight, gay or questioning, to make informed, responsible decisions and reduce their risk for unplanned pregnancy.

Trainer: Talia Gad, Community Education Coordinator at Planned Parenthood of the Columbia-Willamette in Portland, has been involved in sexual health and education for over 10 years, providing training for adolescents, adults, parents, and professionals.  Her focus is with higher-risk populations including young parents, homeless teens, out-of-school youth, and adolescents in drug and alcohol recovery programs.  Currently, she offers individual and group professional trainings in areas such as sexuality, healthy relationships, reproductive health, and gender.

March 2005

A Look at Gender Specific Resiliency and Assets: Tools for Promoting Adolescent Sexual Health

Wednesday, March 2, 9 am – Noon

The Developmental Asset model has much to offer in terms of understanding the strengths and needs of both boys and girls.  Come participate in a lively discussion looking at ways to apply what we know about assets and gender to develop strategies that help boys and girls become more resilient, and learn about some gender-specific approaches to communicating about sexuality with young people.

Trainers: Howard Hiton MS, LPC has been providing individual, family, and chemical dependency counseling services for seventeen years with a focus on boys and men.  For the past seven years Howard has been in private practice with an emphasis on boys and boy’s issues and has conducted many local and national workshops on the topic.  Annette Klinefelter, MED is founder and Executive Director of the Girls’ Initiative Network, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the development of girls and young women through advocacy, education, and mentorship.  Annette has lectured extensively on girls’ issues to service providers and educators both locally and across the country.  Elizabeth Carroll, Multnomah County Health Department, has 15 years experience providing sexual and reproductive health education.  She has helped to develop a variety of sexual health education resources and programming for boys and men, including the video and manual, “Sexual Health for Young Men.”  Aylett Wright, Community Education, PPCW, has worked for over 15 years in reproductive and sexual health, family planning, and HIV and STI prevention.  She has worked with groups of middle- and high-school-aged girls in a variety of settings, including support groups, juvenile justice systems, and residential treatment.

February 2005

What is Sexuality?

Wednesday, February 2, 2005, 9 am – Noon

What is sexuality?  As a professional, what is your responsibility in promoting healthy sexuality among adolescents?  What role should your values play in talking about sexuality?  In this three-hour training, we will explore sexuality and the values that go along with it, offer tools for communicating about sexuality, and provide tips for supporting young people in becoming sexually healthy adults.