The Healthy Sexuality and Safe Boundaries Program
(HSSB)
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HSSB was developed in response to the ever growing need for services to address and inform the discussion of healthy sexuality, both for those with specific sexual behavior concerns and those with a general interest in sexual health. HSSB was designed as a therapeutic psycho-education program for adolescents and adults and can be customized to address the specific needs of diverse individuals and groups.
The HSSB program can be utilized to provide services from general sex education and healthy boundary
development, to primary, secondary, and tertiary intervention/prevention with those who present more identifiable sexual behavior concerns
The HSSB program is particularly useful in guiding discussions among those with specific issues or concerns related to sexual boundaries and sexual behavior. Issues may present as part of an academic discussion, community education, or as triggered by social or legal impetus. Thus far, the program has been utilized in therapeutic settings with adolescents and adults who present as non-prosecuted, single offense, status offense, and/or with concerns associated with unhealthy parenting related to questionable sexual boundaries. These individuals may have committed violations of privacy, sexual harassment, or exhibited other sexual boundary concerns. Concerning behaviors may have occurred in the home, workplace, over the telephone, or in a public place.
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The HSSB program aims to increase awareness of sexual health and decrease the risk of problematic sexual behavior by building an understanding of healthy sexual boundaries, attitudes, and behavior.
Program participants will explore and discuss their personal sexual histories, identifying themes of health and harm; discovering patterns of thought, experience and behavior that impact the formation of sexual identity. They will be challenged to consider how their sexual attitudes developed and understand the ways these attitudes have supported both healthful and harmful sexual behaviors and relationships. They will demonstrate awareness of the negative impact of unhealthy sexual behavior and acquire, develop, and practice personal healthy sexual boundaries.
It is of particular importance that participants in the HSSB program understand that a core, fundamental tenant of this program is Sex Positivity. Many have written and defined the concept of Sex Positivity, which can be summarized simply as an awareness and acceptance of sexuality as a positive aspect of the human experience.