HSE Foundation Programme in Sexual Health Promotion - 6 Day Course

Enhance your ability to incorporate sexual health promotion into your work through the development of your comfort levels, confidence, knowledge and skills in relation to sexual health promotion.  

2024 Course Dates: 

• Block 1: April 15th and 16th
• Block 2: May 16th and 17th 
• Block 3: June 5th and 6th 

Who is this course for?

This comprehensive 6 day course is relevant to a broad range of professionals, including but not limited to: front line clinicians, teachers, counsellors, social workers, psychologists, community and youth workers, and representatives from the physical and intellectual disability sectors.  

Learning Outcomes

On completion of the 6 day programme participants will have: 

• Increased self-awareness in relation to sexual health issues and understand how this might impact on their work
• Increased understanding of how their sexual socialisation impacts on their values and attitudes to sex
• Greater awareness that people are sexual beings throughout their life course and have needs with regard to sexual health
• Increased knowledge around sexual health issues
• Increased understanding of sexual health in an Irish context.

Course Content

Topics covered in the Foundation Programme in Sexual Health Promotion include: 

• An introduction to sexual health promotion
• sexual rights and inequalities
• a life course approach to sexual health promotion
• sexual health promotion within the Irish context 
• gender and sexual orientation
• healthy and unhealthy relationships
• intimacy and sexual pleasure
• consent and the law
• physical sexual health.  

Methodology

The course is participatory and experiential in approach, in line with adult learning principles.  It requires participants to have an openness to personal development as they explore knowledge, attitudes and values in relation to sexual health, through individual, paired and group work.  

Commitment

• Participants are required to attend all 6 days of the course
• Participants are required to keep a learning journal throughout the programme and present an action plan on the final day as to how they will incorporate or integrate their learning on the course into their work practices.  

Certification

This course is certified by HSE Health and Wellbeing.

Application Process

There is a two-step application process and places are limited: 

• Step 1: Register your interest by completing this application form by February 23rd 2024
• Step 2: Participate in a short informal telephone interview to assess your suitability for the course.