Sexual Health
Why it matters
Effective Counseling and Services
Discussing sexuality and sexual activity with young people provides an excellent opportunity to build trust, convey essential health information, and strengthen adolescents’ self-efficacy. Yet research shows that health care providers struggle to address this sensitive topic with their adolescent patients adequately. AHI offers an array of tools to help providers and health centers practice strengths-based sexual health care to adolescents.
This photo is part of our Youth in Health: Inclusive Stock Photography Collection.
Power Meetings
Power Meetings help interdisciplinary teams form concrete, realistic work plans for sustainable practice change through video vignettes from peer providers, sample workflows and strategies, and the selection of manageable action steps.
Power Meeting: LARC Access
Many adolescent-serving health centers we partner with find it challenging to offer same-visit Long-Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC). Providing access to LARC usually entails implementing new workflows for scheduling, purchasing, billing and coding, as well as arranging for provider and staff training. To help sites tackle common challenges with LARC provision, we created the Power Meeting: LARC Access, an interactive, web-based tool that guides teams through one meeting where they work through decision trees and activities, and create a customized, actionable plan in the course of two hours.
Click the button below for access to the Power Meeting and instructions to prepare.
Timely Topics Trainings
AHI’s Timely Topics Trainings are self-paced web modules that blend vignettes from youth and subject matter experts with salient research and practice-based activities to emerging needs in adolescent care.
Adolescent Sexual Health for Behavioral Health Clinicians
CONTENT WARNING: This module broadly discusses trauma and sexual violence. Depending on your personal experience, some of the content may be emotional and challenging.
Youth-friendly sexual and mental health care are two of adolescents’ biggest priorities in their overall health care. AHI’s youth council members report feeling like their therapists often aren’t comfortable talking about sexual health, including relationships, sexuality, and gender identity. Behavioral health providers have the opportunity to set an affirming, supportive atmosphere for adolescents to discuss these topics in a safe, confidential space. Timely Topics: Adolescent Sexual Health for Behavioral Health Clinicians was developed in partnership with AHI’s Teen Advisory Council and clinicians, and it is intended to assist behavioral health care providers in navigating strengths-based, youth-friendly sexual health-related conversations with adolescent and young adult clients.
Spark trainings
Sparks are pre-packaged, free to use, and include a PowerPoint presentation, a facilitator script, and follow-up materials.
Strengths-Based Approaches to Adolescent Sexual Health
Consider how staff and providers can create a climate where adolescents are more likely to discuss their sexual health openly and honestly.
Non-Directive Counseling for Pregnancy Options in Title X Clinics
Explore the ways Title X clinic staff can create a nonjudgmental culture for adolescent and young adult clients who present for pregnancy options counseling.
Confidentiality Laws
Deepen your understanding of minor consent laws for your state.
Confidentiality Laws
Confidentiality Best Practices
Starter Guides
Starter Guides are mini-toolkits that offer concrete, actionable steps to improve adolescent care.
Chlamydia Screening
Adolescent Vaccinations and Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
Adolescent Risk Screening
Youth-Friendly Materials
Communicating with youth and their caregivers about the value of confidential services helps to normalize the risk screening process and encourage adolescent autonomy. AHI has resources to help your health center communicate your confidentiality practices to adolescent patients and their parents/caregivers.
Sample health rights for teens poster to display in exam and waiting rooms. Contact us for a poster specific to your state!
Infographic highlighting the importance of adolescent risk screening and suggest work flows for implementation.
Webinars & Trainings
AHI partners with organizations to develop and facilitate engaging webinars on adolescent-centered care. Through the delivery of rich content and use of interactive features, we provide a meaningful, web-based educational experience.
Webinar Recording: Adolescent-Centered Contraceptive Counseling: Adopting a Shared Decision-Making Model
This webinar took place on Wednesday, September 23, 2020. Access the recording today.
Join AHI for an in-depth look at a shared decision-making model for adolescent contraceptive counseling and explore its place within a reproductive justice framework. Conversations will delve into the benefits and challenges of adopting a shared decision-making approach in contraceptive counseling, identify shared decision-making strategies, and discuss the latest in contraceptive counseling methods.
Presenters joining AHI:
- Alana Otto, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Division of Adolescent Medicine, University of Michigan Department of Pediatrics
- Christina Arzate, MPH, Contraceptive Counselor | Outreach Coordinator, The Right Time, Contraceptive Choice Center (C3), Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Washington University School of Medicine
Webinar Recording: Strengths-Based Approaches to Adolescent Sexual Health and Being an Askable Adult
This webinar took place on Tuesday, March 31, 2020. Access the recording today.
Join AHI and the School-Based Health Alliance for an engaging webinar on the strengths-based approaches to adolescent sexual health and being an askable adult.
Discussing sexuality and sexual activity with young people can be challenging, and research shows that health care providers can have a significant impact on health outcomes when adequately addressing these sensitive topics with their adolescent patients. Effective sexual health counseling and services have a positive impact on the physical and emotional well-being of adolescents. Strengths-based approaches to sexual health supports the idea that staff and providers in varied healthcare roles can create a climate where young people are more likely to discuss their sexual health openly and honestly. Similarly, identifying strategies of being an askable adult helps to strengthen the ways of empowering youth and helping them feel comfortable asking for your support.
Additional Resources
We Can Help!
Is your practice interested in learning more about providing sexual health services to adolescents? We help health centers across the country become more adolescent-centered. Learn more about working with us!
