Professional Training
Professional Training Opportunities
Sexuality Education Cornerstone Seminar
- "They want me to teach WHAT?!" Stepping Into the Sex Educator Role
- Tools for Creating LGTBQ+ Inclusive Spaces
- Periods and Wet Dreams: Teaching Puberty in Elementary School
- Examining Sexually Explicit Media: Tools for Conversations with Youth
- What's Abortion Got to Do with it? Connecting the Dots Between Sex Ed and Abortion
- The Impact of Adolescent Brain Development on SEL and Sexuality Education
- Exploring the Impact of Masculinity on Sexual Health
- "Am I normal...? Is it okay if...?" Answering Student Questions About Sexual Health
- Answering Student Questions about Sexuality
- Working with Parents
- Get Real Training of the Educator
- Get Real Training of the Trainer
Sexuality Education Cornerstone Seminar
In addition to the virtual SECS series we have run for the last two years, the Professional Education team at PPLM is excited to announce the return of our in-person version of the Sexuality Education Cornerstone Seminar (SECS) in Fall 2021! SECS is designed for educators, youth-serving professionals, and individuals interested in sexuality education who are seeking a basic foundation of knowledge in sexuality and sexual health information that they can share with their populations. While all are welcome, the material that will be covered is written for an adolescent age range.
The in-person version of this training takes place over three full days in our Boston office location. We have taken the well-known and loved three-day in-person training and converted it into six independent virtual sessions of three hours each held via Zoom, which we will also be offering this year. Each day/session will help participants develop the knowledge, skills, and practice needed to deliver information and answer questions related to the session topic, combining discussion and hands-on practical experience.
- Click here for virtual fall 2022 dates
- Click here for in-person fall 2022 dates
- Click here for virtual winter 2023 dates
- Click here for in-person spring 2023 dates
Full Days
"They want me to teach WHAT?!" Stepping Into the Sex Educator Role – VIRTUAL
When the role of sexuality educator falls to the PE, science, and sometimes even the math teacher, it might feel scary or overwhelming - but it doesn't need to! This full-day training will provide educators who are newly tapped to teach sex education the foundational skills necessary for teaching this subject. From learning about group rights, to setting the classroom tone, managing potential challenges and establishing appropriate boundaries, and exploring personal values as they relate to teaching about sexuality - this training will cover it all. Participants will leave this training with an increase in their knowledge, skills, and comfort to successfully teach sexuality education.
VIRTUAL – Thursday, October 13, 2022
9:30am-4:00pm ET
Register here
Tools for Creating LGBTQ+ Inclusive Spaces – VIRTUAL
This full-day training is for professionals committed to creating inclusive spaces for people of all sexual identities and genders. This training will cover vocabulary, using gender neutral language and correct pronouns, answering tough questions, and will provide opportunities for skill building utilizing real-life examples plus more. Any and all are welcome to attend, including educators, nurses, school nurses, human resource professionals, medical and health providers, disability service providers, youth-serving professionals, law enforcement officers, etc.
VIRTUAL – Thursday, December 8, 2022
9:30am-4:00pm ET
Register here
Periods and Wet Dreams: Teaching Puberty in Elementary School - VIRTUAL
Puberty: a time of great (and sometimes daunting) change for both young people and the adults in their lives. This interactive, full-day training will provide educators, school nurses, youth-serving professionals, and other caring adults with skills and strategies for teaching pubescent youth about their changing bodies, emotional growth, and navigating the path to adulthood in a way that is inclusive of students of all genders and sexual identities. Through a social emotional learning lens, participants will have an opportunity to engage in lessons and activities that will build their own skills to teach anatomy, menstruation, hygiene, cultivating empathy, and more.
VIRTUAL - Thursday, March 23, 2023
9:30am-4:00pm ET
Register here.
Examining Sexually Explicit Media: Tools for Conversations with Youth - VIRTUAL
Sexually Explicit Media (SEM) is one way that youth are learning about sexuality. Using the lens of media literacy education, this interactive, one-day training will provide educators, youth workers, and professionals with an opportunity to explore how pornography can play a role in young people's sexual development and sexuality, their awareness of gender and gender stereotypes, consent, sexual behavior, bodies and body image, healthy and unhealthy relationships, and sexual identity. Participants will learn strategies to teach critical thinking skills about media literacy, how to discuss SEM with young people, and leave with activities to utilize in the classroom.
VIRTUAL - Thursday, May 11, 2023
9:30am-4:00pm ET
Register here.
Half Days
What's Abortion Got to Do with it? Connecting the Dots Between Sex Ed and Abortion - VIRTUAL
Abortion is the topic of conversation in this new professional development training for educators and youth-serving professionals who teach sexuality education. This training has been developed in response to the overturning of Roe vs Wade in both anticipation of an increase in questions from young people about abortion, and recognition of the importance of having conversations about abortion when discussing sexuality. Young people deserve information about abortion, and they deserve open and honest learning spaces where that information can be shared and explored. This training will equip educators with skills to support young people in learning about abortion and the role abortion plays in sexual and reproductive healthcare.
VIRTUAL - Wednesday, September 21, 2022
1:00pm-4:00pm ET
Register here.
The Impact of Adolescent Brain Development on SEL and Sexuality Education – VIRTUAL
The brain is the most important sex organ, but how does it play a role in sexual decision making in young people? How does knowing about theories of development enable educators to create opportunities for meaningful social emotional development in their students? We will explore the answers to these questions and more in this brand-new half-day professional development opportunity for educators, youth-serving professionals, and anyone who interacts with young people on a regular basis. Participants will examine the importance of understanding theories of development in youth work, describe how adolescent brain development impacts social emotional skill development, and leave with ways to incorporate learnings about adolescent brain development into their social emotional and sexuality education.
VIRTUAL – Thursday, September 15, 2022
9:30am-12:30pm ET
Register here
Exploring the Impact of Masculinity on Sexual Health – VIRTUAL
Far too often, masculine expectations lead those who identify as male to engage in harmful behaviors, including high risk sexual behaviors. Educators, youth workers, and other caring adults frequently see the negative impact of these expectations and struggle to reach male identified folks unwilling to seek out and utilize health care services and other support networks. In this workshop participants will explore and attempt to understand harmful masculine expectations and will leave with strategies for challenging and countering these expectations with the goal of promoting more positive, uplifting expressions of masculinity.
VIRTUAL – Tuesday, November 1, 2022
1:00pm-4:00pm ET
Register here
"Am I normal...? Is it okay if...?" Answering Student Questions About Sexual Health - VIRTUAL
Young people have endless questions about their bodies, their relationships, their sexuality, and so much more. In this interactive, half-day workshop educators (and really anyone who finds themselves in conversations with youth!) will identify types of sexuality questions, examine the role personal values play in answering these questions, and develop facilitation skills needed to answer sexuality questions in their teaching. During the workshop, participants will practice responding to real questions from real kids, receive feedback, and leave with increased confidence in their ability to respond to challenging questions.
VIRTUAL - Thursday, March 16, 2023
9:30am-12:30pm ET
Register here.
Webinars
Answering Student Questions About Sexuality
Young people have endless questions about their bodies, their relationships, their sexuality, and so much more. In this webinar, educators (and really anyone who finds themselves in conversation with youth!) will identify types of sexuality questions, examine the role personal values play in answering these questions, and develop skills needed to answer sexuality questions in their teaching. Participants will have an opportunity to practice responding to real questions from real kids, receive feedback, and increase their confidence in their ability to respond to challenging questions.
VIRTUAL – Monday, October 17, 2022
3:00pm-4:00pm ET
Register here
¡También estamos ofreciendo este taller en español! Oprima aquí para más información.
Working with Parents
Research supports that children who have frequent and open conversations with their parents about sex and sexuality are more likely to make healthy and responsible decisions about sex. And we know that engaging parents as the primary sexuality educators of their own children can be difficult. During this one hour webinar, educators will have an opportunity to build empathy with parents and to examine some of the challenges of engaging parents. In addition, educators will practice ways to overcome some of these challenges and leave with concrete tips on how to answer parent questions and concerns confidently and effectively.
VIRTUAL – Monday, November 7, 2022
3:00pm-4:00pm ET
Register here
¡También estamos ofreciendo este taller en español! Oprima aquí para más información.
Get Real Trainings:
Get Real Training of the Educator (TOE)
The Get Real Training Institute (GRTI) offers educators a Get Real Training of the Educator (TOE). The TOE provides an invaluable professional development experience for teachers implementing Get Real. This research-based approach includes participation in a 10-12 hour, self-guided online course followed by participation in a two-day, skill-building, virtual training. In addition, teachers are provided two follow-up support sessions when they begin teaching Get Real in the classroom and receive ongoing online support through the special interactive Teacher Resources area of the Get Real website. This phased training approach helps ensure that teachers develop the necessary knowledge and skills to become competent and comfortable teaching comprehensive sexuality education with the ultimate goal of impacting student behavior.
This year we are excited to be offering both virtual and in-person TOEs! Find more information below.
For more information, please visit the Training & TA section of the Get Real website.
Get Real Middle School TOEs
IN-PERSON – September 28-29, 2022
9:30-4:00pm ET
Register here (last day to register is August, 24, 2022)
VIRTUAL – February 8-9, 2023
9:30-4:00pm ET
Register here (last day to register is December 30, 2022)
Get Real High School TOEs
VIRTUAL – October 26-27, 2022
9:30am-4:00pm ET
Register here (last to register is September 19, 2022)
IN-PERSON – March 8-9, 2022
9:30am-4:00pm ET
Register here (last day to register is February 10, 2023)
Get Real Training of the Trainer (TOT)
The GRTI also offers a Training of the Trainer (TOT). This training opportunity is open to those with advanced training skills who have successfully completed a PPLM-facilitated TOE since January 2020 and have implemented the curriculum in a classroom setting. The 4-day TOT is a high-level professional learning process that builds the knowledge and skills required of qualified trainers to provide Get Real TOEs and technical assistance/capacity-building assistance to adult learners who intend to implement Get Real. Registration applications will be required and all individuals will need to be approved before officially enrolling in this training. Additional pre-work will be required. For more information and to request your application, please visit the Training & TA section of the Get Real website.
Upcoming Trainings
IN-PERSON- June 5-8, 2023
The application will open in March of 2023. If you are interested in applying, please email [email protected].
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I register? Participants should register using the registration link for the desired training date. The course is paid via credit card at the time of registration. Please note that many of our courses fill up well in advance and are filled on a first come, first served basis. Your seat will not be reserved until payment has been received. If no registration link is provided, please contact [email protected] for more information.
Can I bring this training to my workplace? Yes. Schools or organizations may host a private training for their staff, either at your location or ours. For more information on booking PPLM for your professional training needs, please contact [email protected].
How do I find out about future professional training opportunities? Our trainings will always be listed at this site (pplm.org/training). You can also sign up to be added onto the Professional Training mailing list, as well as a number of other listservs from our Education & Training Department
What if I have other questions? All questions about our professional training offerings can be directed to [email protected].