I am a Psychotherapist, Teen–Young Adult–Parent Educator, Workshop Facilitator, and Self-Defense Instructor.
Teen, Young Adult and Parent Educator
I have written and developed the INFORMED ADOLESCENCE™ curriculum to meet the need for factual information for middle-and-high-school students and parents, as well as for college students, that supports development of self awareness, healthy sexuality, relationship capacity, consent and boundary-setting, communication clarity, and community building. I teach these lessons in-person locally in SE Michigan and train teachers in the curriculum nationwide.
I am thrilled to announce that as of January 2024, I am under contract with Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, and the INFORMED ADOLESCENCE™ curriculum will be published and available for all in February 2025– in both paperback and eBook versions!
I am happy to discuss bringing the INFORMED ADOLESCENCE® Middle-School Curriculum to your school community!
““Implementing quality health education that is medically accurate, developmentally appropriate, culturally and LGBTQ+ inclusive, and grounded in science can help prevent violence and reduce mental health challenges by equipping teens with essential knowledge and skills such as negotiating sexual consent, managing emotions, and recognizing and asking for the help they need.” ”
The INFORMED ADOLESCENCE™ curriculum is:
affirming of intersectional identities
honors science and fact-based approaches to teaching about health
presented free from bias and religious or political agenda
Sex-Positive Sex-Ed, a philosophy of sex education that is accepting of traditional and nontraditional sexual identity and activity, avoids repression and shame, and advocates all consensual exploration of human sexuality.
““I really think I needed to learn more about sexuality because before we had our lessons with Ms. Heidi I only knew a very little bit about it and she really helped me learn a lot about myself and things that I’m still figuring out.””
““I learned that I am my own person and that I am worth protecting, mentally and physically. I will continue to speak out against racism, sexism and homophobia because I have gathered strength through these classes.””
Components of the INFORMED ADOLESCENCE™ Curriculum
Teen Resilience
Sexual Health
Boundary-Setting and Self-Defense
Together, these components support development of self awareness, relationship capacity, communication clarity, and community building. Modules in all components are taught at each grade level each year in an age-appropriate and sequential manner.
There is careful attention to inclusiveness and intersectional awareness in every lesson (gender, sexuality, race, cultural differences, ability, learning differences etc.). Curriculum materials include a strong focus on consent and communication, as well as, defining, setting, and articulating boundaries.
Communication with parents and other worthy adults is encouraged. Yearly parent nights facilitated by the Teen Resilience and Sexual Health faculty are supported with each grade parent body and the curriculum includes a section dedicated to this purpose.
““As a parent of two kids who have gone through Ms. Heidi’s curriculum over the last few years, it gives me enormous peace of mind to know that they are steeped in healthy learning around their bodies, boundaries, consent, and identities. She engages with students with humor and joy infused in her wealth of knowledge - and they respond in kind. The “eek!” and “ew!” that they may enter her classes with transforms into many “ah-ha!” moments. They love and respect her. I have noticed in particular one of my kids learned to speak up about things that were bothering her as a direct result of Ms. Heidi’s teaching and guidance. In addition, the parent sessions have been so valuable. We parents often carry so much baggage from our own early learnings around sex and bodies - it’s a wonderful feeling to be able to shed some of that so we can meet our kids with honesty, clarity, and some sense of how to handle things. I am so grateful that she has been a part of our kids’ schooling and encourages us to look at what kind of parents we want to be as our tweens and teens navigate their world.””
I have taught my Teen Curriculum at the Detroit Waldorf School and the Rudolf Steiner School of Ann Arbor for over ten years. I trained the faculty at Tamarack Waldorf School in Milwaukee, WI and provide ongoing support for the implementation of the curriculum there. I consult internationally regarding this material and am currently providing remote coaching and on-site teaching and training to Misiøn México, a residential youth non-profit in Tapachula Mexico. Here in the States, I am currently working with several other independent middle schools interested in adding this material to their curriculum as well.
To schools interested in providing the INFORMED ADOLESCENCE curriculum for their students, I offer initial consultation, implementation of the curriculum on-site at your school, (I teach the material to students the first time and train your teachers) and ongoing support as your teachers take on the material themselves. I provide a 350+ page teacher training manual which contains modules for lessons in all three areas – teen resilience, sexual health, and boundary-setting and self-defense. Materials for parent nights are included, as are lists of supplemental reading materials for teachers, students and parents. A subscription to the curriculum includes one spiral-bound hardcopy of the book, and access to all downloadable e-book materials and updates as they are released.
INFORMED ADOLESCENCE™ Curriculum Outline
Teen Resilience
This aspect of the curriculum begins in 5th grade by defining what personal characteristics make a good friend and contribute to a strong community. In 6th grade the focus is on budding awareness of the greater world and the fear and excitement that the students may be feeling about getting older, navigating social dynamics and increasing independence. We work with emotional awareness as well as empathic and emotional development. In 7th grade the focus shifts to behavioral health, self care, navigating “othering” and continuing boundary setting. In 8th grade, the focus is on values awareness, mental health, drug and alcohol informed decision making and on increasing problem solving capacities including discernment about when to seek outside help and support for problematic behaviors.
Sexual Health
This aspect of the curriculum begins in 5th grade with a discussion about puberty from a biological, developmental, and personal perspective. In 6th grade lessons focus on awareness of gender differences, sexuality and consent (in all interactions, not just in sexual matters). In 7th grade, sexual health lessons focus on reproductive biology, gestation and birth along with interrupting the use of sexual slang and shaming words for bodies and consent as it relates to romantic and sexual relationships. In 8th grade, the focus is on further skill development for navigating romantic and/or sexual relationships with integrity and consent and on awareness about pregnancy prevention and safety with regards to transmission of STIs and STDs.
Boundary Setting & Self-Defense
This aspect of the curriculum looks at personal agency and assertiveness curated for middle school students. Each year has a three pronged approach to self protection including information about and practice of mental preparedness/awareness, knowledge and strategies, assertive verbal skills and physical self defense. These selected skills can be effectively used by a younger or smaller person against a larger, stronger attacker. It includes involving trusted adults for support and help after needing to use any skills. Each year builds on the previous adding more skill, practice and detail.
Parent Support for the Curriculum
I encourage offering an opportunity for parent education and support about the Teen Resilience and Sexual Health Curriculum each school year.
For purpose of this curriculum, Sex-Positive Sex-Ed is a philosophy of sex education that is accepting of traditional and nontraditional sexual identity and activity, avoids repression and shame and advocates all consensual exploration of human sexuality.
High-School Curriculum
With older teens, this same content is delivered with a more explicit focus on sexuality and personal safety. I am available to teach to present individuals lessons, classes, and/or workshops with high school students on all areas of the core curriculum.
College Lectures
On college campuses, my lectures focus on the needs of autonomous young adults as they further explore their own self-identity, sexuality, and relationships within their communities and society at large. I have presented guest lectures and workshops at Eastern Michigan University, Kalamazoo College, Northwestern University, University of Chicago, University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), and University of Michigan, among others. I am available to present guests lectures in courses in Social Work, Psychology, Nursing, and Women & Gender Studies, as well as extracurricular lectures and workshops through campus organizations or groups.
If you are interested in bringing this curriculum to your school community, please use the CONTACT ME button below!