Sexual Health Educator (SHE) Training Program

The Sexual Health Educator (SHE) Training Program is an educational and capacity-building opportunity for California educators working with youth in school or community settings who desire to build their sexual health knowledge and education skills. Upon the successful completion of the program’s required and elective modules, participants will receive a Certificate of Completion.

In California, many teachers and other educators are asked to provide comprehensive sexual health education in the classroom despite receiving little to no training on the topics they are asked to teach. The SHE Training Program provides training on the basic content areas in sexual health and aims to address some of the skills needed to provide comprehensive sexual health education in the classroom. It is not a certification or credential.

This program was created by sexual health educators, trainers, and experts from: the California Department of Public Health, STD Control Branch; the California Department of Education; the California Prevention Training Center; and other partner organizations. The required and elective modules include up-to-date information and research on a variety of priority sexual health topics.

To achieve the SHE Training Program Certificate of Completion, participants must complete six required modules plus at least five elective modules.

Participants may complete modules online as on-demand trainings, participate in live, virtual trainings, or attend an in-person training if it is being offered. In-person trainings are held in regions where there are active SHE Training Program Adjunct Trainers, which can change over time. For questions about live, virtual trainings or in-person trainings, please reach out to STDHealthEd@cdph.ca.gov.

Nuestro objetivo es ampliar esta sección para un mayor desarrollo profesional en Español. Regrese pronto para ver nuevos módulos.

Estos módulos cubrirán una variedad de temas relacionados con la educación integral de la salud sexual con un enfoque específico en apoyar la implementación de la ley conocida como ‘California Healthy Youth Act’. Las opciones de módulos electivos continuarán evolucionando con el tiempo, a medida que se amplíen los requisitos de la ley de ‘California Healthy Youth Act’ y el Departamento de Salud Pública de California y las agencias asociadas identifiquen y desarrollen nuevas capacitaciones. Todos los módulos electivos son examinados por el Departamento de Salud Pública de California, Rama de Control de Enfermedades de Transmisión Sexual.

Presiona los títulos a continuación para obtener más información sobre el contenido de la capacitación y cómo participar para recibir crédito.

Capacitación de Introducción a la Salud Sexual y Reproductiva por Essential Access Health

• Disponible en linea (3 horas y 25 minutos).
• Este módulo es un curso integral sobre la sexualidad humana, la anatomía reproductiva humana, los ciclos menstruales, el control de la natalidad y las ETS. (Creado en Noviembre de 2020.)
• Regístrese en California Prevention Training Center Opens in a new tab para tomar el curso.
• Este módulo tiene una tarifa de $35 con descuento.

To achieve the SHE Training Program Certificate of Completion, participants must complete six required modules plus five elective modules that can be chosen from the elective module menu listed on the SHE Training Program webpage. The six required SHE Training Program modules are:

• STI/HIV Review: Workshop for Educators Who Work with Youth
• California Healthy Youth Act: Comprehensive Sexual Health and HIV Prevention Education Requirements
• Minor Consent and Confidentiality for Sexual Health Services in California
• STI Data: U.S. and California
• Contraceptive Methods
• The Respect Online Course (American Psychological Association)

The elective modules cover a range of topics related to comprehensive sexual health education with a specific focus on supporting the implementation of the California Healthy Youth Act Opens in a new tab.  The elective module options will continue to evolve over time as the requirements of the California Healthy Youth Act expand and new trainings are identified and developed by the California Department of Public Health and partner agencies. All elective modules are vetted by the California Department of Public Health, STD Control Branch staff but are not explicitly endorsed by the California Department of Public Health.

Important disclaimer: The SHE Training Program Certificate of Completion is not a certification or credential. Continuing education credits are not offered for this training program.

The SHE Training Program team has some limited capacity to respond to interactive virtual training requests. In-person trainings are prioritized in areas where there is an active Adjunct Trainer. For more information and/or to receive updates about upcoming interactive trainings, email us at STDHealthEd@cdph.ca.gov.

Is this a curricular training?

No. The SHE Training Program is intended to provide background knowledge and build capacity of educators who will deliver any comprehensive sexual health education curriculum to youth. The SHE Training Program provides a deeper dive into content areas that most comprehensive sexual health education programs cover via classroom lessons. We do not provide curriculum, nor do we endorse any specific curriculum.

For curricular guidance on meeting the requirements of the CA Healthy Youth Act (CHYA), please visit the CDE webpage Opens in a new tab on this topic.

Does this “count” towards the California Healthy Youth Act (CHYA) training requirement?

It depends. The SHE Training Program can be a great way to develop a solid foundation in the core content areas required by CHYA. Since it is not a curriculum and we do not provide “how-to” direction, such as lesson plans, on the provision of comprehensive sexual health education, people who are interested in meeting the training requirements for CHYA will need to consider what it means to be “trained” in the context of their local education agency.

The currently available modules can be tailored to meet the needs of a specific educator, and we strive to provide a broad range of topic areas in our elective module offerings to address the broad scope of CHYA. However, the modules available do not cover every element required by CHYA, and educators may need to identify additional training to supplement where there are gaps.

For educators already providing health education who already have a solid foundation in providing comprehensive sexual health education, SHE can meet the requirements to stay up-to-date on key content areas.

From the CDE website: “Education Code (EC) 51935 requires school districts to cooperatively plan and conduct in-service training for all teachers and school employees who provide HIV prevention instruction. This in-service training shall be conducted periodically to enable staff to remain current with new developments in the scientific understanding of HIV as well as with new prevention education techniques. This training may be expanded to cover comprehensive sexual health education.”

How can I find out where trainings are happening?

Our virtual training schedule aligns with the school year. When there are trainings available to register for, they are linked at the top of this webpage. You can also subscribe to our newsletter which shares monthly program updates by emailing us at STDHealthEd@cdph.ca.gov.

How do I get trained on the modules that are not available online?

All required trainings are available on-demand, but two of our elective trainings are only available as interactive virtual or in-person trainings. We have extremely limited capacity for in-person training and rely on a team of volunteer adjunct trainers to respond to in-person training requests.

To request a virtual or in-person training, please email us at STDHealthEd@cdph.ca.gov. We generally need several months advance notice to book trainings. For in-person training, we require assistance with space to host the training. For both in-person and virtual training, we require a minimum number of 15 participants (depending on the area) to offer training. We provide training for free. Occasionally we work with host agencies and partners that charge a registration fee to cover their costs, but our goal is to provide free or low-cost training options for California educators.

Can you train all of our teachers?

For districts or other local education agencies who would like all of their teachers to get training, we recommend requiring the on-demand SHE Training Program. We can provide administrative support to help you track teacher progress.

How long does it take to complete the modules needed for the SHE Certificate of Completion?

All required and elective modules are available on-demand and can be completed at one’s own pace. It should take about 15 hours to complete the six required and five elective modules required to complete the program.  

The timing of the online modules varies by learner but most of the on-demand modules take 1-1.5 hours to complete. The online STI/HIV Review: Workshop for Educators Who Work With Youth takes approximately three hours to complete. The “Required Modules” and “Elective Modules” section of the website provides information on the timing of live virtual or in-person trainings.

How do I know if the training I participated in will count towards the SHE Certificate of Completion requirements?

For information on the specific requirements of the Certificate of Completion, visit our website. If you have questions about a specific training you attended recently and which requirements were met by completing this training, please reach out to us directly at STDHealthEd@cdph.ca.gov. For live virtual trainings, participants must login using the same name they registered for the training with to participate and earn credit towards the SHE Certificate of Completion.

For in-person trainings, participants must attend the entire training and sign in and sign out to receive credit towards the SHE Certificate of Completion.

How can I sign up to get email updates about the SHE Training Program?

We send out a monthly newsletter to share program updates with interested parties. Please email us at STDHealthEd@cdph.ca.gov if you would like to receive these monthly newsletters.

How much does it cost?

We provide training for free. Occasionally we work with host agencies and partners that charge a registration fee to cover their costs but our goal is to provide free or low-cost training options for California educators. If you are interested in a SHE training and the cost is a barrier, please email STDHealthEd@cdph.ca.gov

Many of the elective modules are on-demand trainings and webinars developed by external agencies and partners which we have vetted. We have included enough elective modules to have a path to completing the SHE Certificate of Completion for free. Some webinars and trainings that have a cost attached are included as an option because we feel they are high quality, and the content is valuable.

Who does the trainings?

There is one primary trainer for the SHE Training Program from the STD Control Branch of the CA Department of Public Health. We have a long history of working closely with the California Department of Education, and when possible, we work with the staff there to provide direct training on pertinent issues.

Beyond the primary trainer, we have a team of adjunct trainers who are skilled and seasoned health educators from across the state who can provide the SHE modules either entirely on their own, or in conjunction with the primary trainer.

Can I become a SHE adjunct trainer?

We continue to build our capacity to deliver the SHE Training Program across California and we can occasionally take on additional adjunct trainers in higher need areas. We cannot take on adjunct trainers who work with for-profit agencies and we only work with trainers who are already well-versed in training strategies and sexual health content. We ask adjunct trainers to train for free, so we cannot supplement a fee-for-service model. Please contact us at STDHealthEd@cdph.ca.gov if you are interested in becoming an adjunct trainer.

Is this appropriate training for HIV test counselors/DIS/CDI/peer educators/students?

This program is designed with teachers in mind, and specifically those teachers who may be tasked with providing sexual health education but may have limited content knowledge in this area, might be rusty on content, or experienced teachers looking for a heavy dose of content updates. This may be useful for many other groups of people working in sexual health but is not an appropriate replacement for any job training efforts.

The SHE Training Program relies heavily on on-demand learning modules, and this is not an effective modality for some learners.

Does this certify someone to teach comprehensive sexual health education?

No. We will issue a Certificate of Completion to people who finish the combination of required and elective modules. The certificate is only an indication that a person has engaged in a series of learning activities that may enhance knowledge on sexual health content.

Do you offer continuing education units (CEUs)?

No, we do not offer any kind of CEUs for the SHE Training Program. Some of the elective modules may offer CEUs but this was not a priority in the vetting process.

How do I get started?

The SHE Training Program can be completed online and each module is self-paced. If you are interested in achieving the SHE Training Program Certificate of Completion, you must complete all six required modules plus five elective modules that can be chosen from the elective module menu listed on our webpage.

If you would like to join our Sexual Health Education Training Program, select ‘New user log in’ located at the top of this page to register for our program. If you are interested in receiving a SHE Training Program Certificate of Completion, be sure to select “Yes” to the question “Are you interested in participating in the Sexual Health Educator (SHE) Training Program as described HERE?” on the registration form to be added to the learning track.

After registering for the SHE Training Program, register for a specific module by selecting the link “Register with the California Prevention Training Center” under each respective module listed on our webpage or by logging in to the Learning Management System and selecting ‘My Learning Tracks’ under the left-hand menu to see your status in the program and which modules you need to complete the program.