Need Support? Speak with an Intake Specialist Today

Feeling overwhelmed? Meredith, our Intake Specialist, is here to help. Reach out today.

Get Trauma-Informed Training From Anywhere

Experience Trauma-informed
tools from anywhere.

Why Kids with Problematic Sexual Behavior Aren’t ‘Bad’—And Why That Matters

Connecting with Teens through Shared Journaling

5 Trauma-Informed Parenting Hacks That Work

Understanding Childhood Sexual Development: A Shame-Free Guide for Parents

From Bathtime to Big Talks: Everyday Ways to Teach Kids About Their Bodies

From Burnout to Connection: Using Points of Joy to Overcome Blocked Care

Healthy Conversations: Sex and Sexuality

Bethany Hall, MSN, FNP

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Body, Conversations, Problematic Sexual Behavior, Safety

1. Start early and keep conversations ongoing

2. Use clear language about bodies and boundaries.

3. Create a calm, shame-free environment for questions.

This resource is part of “Displacing Shame: Addressing Problematic Sexual Behavior” Training. If you would like to learn more about this training or any of other trainings. Click Here.

Why Talking to Kids About Sex and Sexuality Matters

Talking to children about sex and sexuality can feel like a daunting task, but it’s an essential part of helping them grow up with a healthy understanding of their bodies, boundaries, and relationships. Starting these conversations early helps children develop a healthy understanding of their bodies, boundaries, and relationships.

By focusing on body safety, consent, and respectful relationships, caregivers can create ongoing opportunities for learning and connection that promote children’s emotional well-being and healthy sexual development.

8 Essential Practices for Talking to Kids About Sex & Sexuality with Confidence

This guide offers eight basic practices that can help caregivers navigate these sensitive topics with confidence and care. From using appropriate language to clarifying the difference between safe and unsafe touches, these practices lay the foundation for ongoing conversations about sexuality, privacy, and respect.

Guide your conversations about sexuality and body safety
Examples to reflect how these practices can fit into your family’s routine
Ideas to help make these sensitive topics easier to discuss for everyone

1. Printed Handout: Healthy Conversations: Sex and Sexuality tool

2. An open mind and a calm approach to sensitive topics

3. Patience to listen to your child’s questions and feelings

4. Create a safe environment for ongoing conversations

Displacing Shame: Healing by Connection

Learn to identify, understand, and respond to problematic sexual behavior in children.

Connecting with teens can feel tough. Video games, earbuds, and social media often command their attention, and one-word answers can leave caregivers wondering, What are they thinking? What are they feeling? Do they even care? Some teens keep their emotions tightly guarded, while others huff, puff, and stomp away when parents try to enter their world.

When it feels like the door is closing, shared journaling can offer another way in. This simple practicebuilds relationship without forcing conversation. It allows teens to express how they feel at their own pace, in their own words, and without the pressure of face-to-face interaction or nonverbal cues that can sometimes create barriers.

What Shared Journaling Can Look Like at Home

In one family, shared journaling became a simple weekly rhythm. A parent and their daughters took turns answering questions in a journal, leaving it on one another’s pillow each week. Over time, this small practice opened a window into the girls’ hearts—their hopes and dreams, friendships, interests, and struggles.

The journal also became a space for the children to learn more about their parent as a teen and young adult, often discovering unexpected things they had in common. What mattered most wasn’t writing something wise or perfectly worded. The connection came from open-ended prompts and a willingness to listen without correcting, fixing, or lecturing.

Trauma and Adolescence

ConnectionPlus is here to help your family not just survive the holiday season, but thrive in it.

LOOKING FOR MORE SUPPORT?

Explore our resource library for practical tools and guidance for families impacted by trauma. If you’re interested in diving deeper, check out our upcoming trainings. And if your family needs parent coaching, we’re here to help every step of the way.

Empowering Caregivers with Coaching and Training Services.