Learn a broad set of tools to understand and address healthy sexual development for people with complex needs.
Tier 1: FOUNDATIONS
Save $100! Promo Code:
EARLYBIRD
“This was the best training I’ve been to in 30 years! Amazing!!”
-2025 Tier 1 Participant
“I am blown away by how comfortable this has been to talk about these uncomfortable topics with people I don’t know!”
-2024 Tier 1 Participant
2027 Tier 1 Dates
* 9am-4pm Pacific Time, each day *
Dates Coming Soon!
(early bird ends xx; registration closes xx)
2026 Registration Fees:
Pay It Forward!: $395
Standard Registration Fee: $345
Bundle Rate for Tiers 1, 2, & 3: $695
To save $100 Use Promo Code: EARLYBIRD
If you need additional financial assistance, please contact us to apply: certification@amongfriendsllc.org
“As a sister of two brothers with disabilities I love that this exists.”
-2023 Tier 1 Participant
Tier 1: FOUNDATIONS
Overview
Tier 1 is the First Step to Becoming a Certified Instructor of the Sexual Health & Relationships Education (SHARE) Curriculum.
This 3-day, highly interactive and engaging course can be taken as a stand-alone training to strengthen your skills, or as the first part of the full three-part sexual self-determination certification program. These tools are beneficial for anyone, and especially helpful for people who work with folks who have cognitive impairments and/or complex needs. Over this three-day training participants will:
Broaden their understanding of sexuality and how it influences someone’s behavior
Identify healthy sexual development; respond to unhealthy behaviors
Recognize how trauma impacts sexuality and relationships
Utilize a framework for balancing risks, choice, and decision-making within a person-centered, collaborative team environment
After completing this training, participants will feel more confident in providing rights based, medically accurate, trauma informed, and culturally sensitive support on matters related to healthy relationships, sexuality, sexual health, sexual development, and challenging sexual behaviors.
Scroll down for an overview of the daily training schedule and topics for Tier 1: FOUNDATIONS.
“I absolutely loved this training. I could have spent days longer learning all of this!”
-2022 Tier 1 Participant
Wednesday-Friday
9am-4pm PST each day Time Zone Converter
Day 1
Morning: Defining Sex and Sexuality
Afternoon: Unit #1
Universal Sexual Health Rights, Implicit Bias, Sexuality and the Need for Direct Care, and The Four Primary Outcomes Following a Sexual Incident
Day 2
Morning: Unit #2
Milestones in Healthy Sexual Development, Disruptions to Sexual Development, and Sexual Maladaptation
Afternoon: Unit #3
Preventing Abuse and Other Adverse Outcomes, Puberty Vs. Adolescence, Basic Human Needs, Legal Rights
Day 3
Morning: Unit #4
Proactive Supports, Duty of Care vs. Dignity of Risk and Supported Decision Making, Evaluating Sexual Behaviors / Incidents
Afternoon: Intersectionality
Tier 1: FOUNDATIONS
Daily Schedule
“This information is so vitally important. I can’t understand why I’ve never learned this before now!!!”
-2020 Tier 1 Participant
Certification Program
Extra Perks
For EVERY participant of the program:
Can retake Tier 1: FOUNDATIONS anytime for FREE!
Have access to our shared list of over 600 resources for FREE!
Invited to our roundtable community of practice every month for FREE to learn from guest speakers and ask for guidance regarding social-sexual situations.
Receive a special certification program newsletter exclusively for program participants for FREE!
Can apply to coordinate and co-facilitate any of the tiers for additional training and experience.
Network and share strategies using our private Social Media pages.
Use the contact lists from your Tier 1, 2, and 3 to reach out to other participants for ideas, connection, and to collaborate.
We know participants invest in this program, and we invest in them, too!
“This is the start of something really important.”
-2020 Tier 1 Participant
Our Most Recent Graduates of Tier 1: FOUNDATIONS
March 2026
Tier 1: FOUNDATIONS
Full Participant Gallery
