By Ella Dorval Hall

We all have our own feelings, attitudes, values, and beliefs about sex and sexuality, formed over the course of our lifetimes. But how often do we get to reflect and examine what we really think about sex? A Sexual Attitude Reassessment, or SAR, is an opportunity to consider your sexological worldview and how your cultural lens influences your feelings, attitudes, values, and beliefs about sex and sexuality.

But what exactly does that mean…what is a SAR?

A SAR is a training for anyone working in a sex or sexuality-related field. The training is designed to improve participant’s quality of care and services by understating their attitudes, values, and beliefs about sex and sexuality and how this may impact their work.

The SAR course is designed for professionals to more effectively work with their clients or patients by helping them identify their sexual worldview and become comfortable with diverse expressions of sexuality. Through the SAR, professionals can become more aware of and sensitive to sexual diversity and the sexual behaviors of others. This process enables professionals to be better equipped for working with people of experiences, attitudes, and values different from their own or what they may be used to.

The SAR training accomplishes this by taking a very personal approach to understanding sexuality. Using self-reflective exercises, a SAR training may touch upon topics such as gender, aging, disability, LGBTQ+, fantasy, non-monogamy, sex work, or masturbation through explicit (and non-explicit) videos, images, presentations, and discussions. The training includes evaluating social and cultural attitudes toward these subjects and how these influence individuals’ attitudes.

By exploring these topics, professionals can evaluate their own responses and attitudes and understand how this may affect their professional work. This process helps participants become comfortable with these topics, as well as identify areas they may need to improve. In this way, the SAR allows participants to measure their progress and changes in their attitudes, beliefs, and values throughout one training, or over the course of several years.

Through this process, professionals are better equipped to provide care to people of various experiences, identities, and attitudes. In an effort to create healthy environments for youth, the SAR helps professionals identify and break down barriers to create more inclusive spaces.

The SAR training is required for any individual seeking to become a Sex Educator through the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT), and AASECT recommends that professionals attend a SAR training every year.

Sound like something you’re interested in?

You’re in luck because Tanya Bass, MS, MEd, CHES®, CSE, and Karen Rayne, PhD, are facilitating a SAR* at #HealthyTeen19, October 27-28. And you’ve still got time to register with early bird pricing!

*This program meets the requirements of the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT) and is approved for 10 AASECT CE Credits. These CE Credits may be applied toward AASECT certification and renewal of certification.

Ella Dorval Hall graduated from Saint Michael’s College in 2018 with a degree in environmental studies. Her work in the field of sex education stems from her senior thesis on Ecofeminism that uncovered some systemic forces that perpetuate environmental, gender, and public health injustices. Since then, she has researched human sexuality and worked in academic settings with young adults to foster health, well-being, and skills to succeed academically. Ella is excited to be working with Healthy Teen Network because of the social-ecological model we use to approach youth’s sexual health and the innovation we utilize to achieve this. Ella believes that all young adults should have access to resources and information necessary to make healthy decisions, and is excited to be working with an organization providing this across the nation.