ASPSH offers ONLINE SEXUAL HEALTH WORKSHOPS in partnership with the Teaching and Learning Centre, University of Calgary. Please click here for the February - May 2010 Calendar of Online Workshops.
History:
ASPSH was formed in 1993 to provide education and training opportunities for sexual health professionals and other individuals interested in Sexual Health. The first Biennial Western Canadian Conference on Sexual Health was held in 1994. The biennial conferences and other past education/training events have addressed sexual health programming, prevention, health promotion and support strategies. Feedback from conference and workshop participants revealed a keen desire for ongoing and consistent education and training opportunities.
ASPSH education program goals:
- increase the number of trained sexual health professionals in Alberta
- expand sexual health training programs to rural and diverse communities within the province of Alberta
- utilize innovative sexual health education and training strategies including the use of on–line and interactive resources
- create an accredited, standardized sexual health education program for professional development
Current Activities:
Province-wide needs assessments conducted by ASPSH identified a number of sexual health education and training needs of health region and community agency professionals. The priority topics identified were:
- Sexual Violence/ Relationship Violence
- Sexual Diversity
- Cross Cultural Competency Training
- Counselling Skills Training – Entry and Advanced Levels
- Social Marketing for Sexual Health
- STI/Birth Control Updates
- Substance Use & Sexual Activity
- New/Innovative Initiatives to Promote Safer Sex Practices
In November 2005 ASPSH offered our first online workshop 'Social Marketing for Sexual Health', followed by 'STI and Contraceptive Update'. To date ASPSH has offered 28 online workshops with over 500 participants from one coast to the other. ASPSH continues to offer online workshops addressing all of the above mentioned topics and a range of other sexual health issues.
ASPSH offers a two and a half day Sexual Attitude Reassessment workshop with a certified sexuality educator and facilitator. Almost 50 individuals have participated in four SARs since January 2007 - the most recent one being held in Yellowknife in June 2008.
During the past two years ASPSH has also offered public education forums for parents and young women addresssing the issue of HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) and the new vaccine. Forums have been held in Banff, Cochrane, Edmonton, Red Deer and Calgary. (For more information about HPV please click on 'Hot Topics'.)
If you would like to book a SAR or an HPV public education forum or you would like more information about our online workshops please contact:
Melanie Anderson, Education Coordinator at ASPSH@shaw.ca