Parent Consulting Sessions
Answer’s one-on-one parent consulting sessions provide personalized, practical support to help parents navigate conversations with their child or young person about sexual health and wellbeing with confidence.
Talking with your child about sexual health and wellbeing can feel complicated. You may want to have open, honest conversations, but not always know what to say, when to say it, or how to respond when your young person asks a question that catches you off guard.
Answer’s one-on-one parent consulting sessions provide personalized, practical support to help navigate these conversations with confidence. In a private, virtual session, you’ll meet one-on-one with an Answer sex education expert who can help you think through a specific situation, prepare for an upcoming conversation, or develop strategies for talking about sexual health and wellbeing with your child or young adult.
Interested in learning more? Reach out to us at answered@rutgers.edu with “Parent Consulting Sessions” in the subject line and a brief description of what you’d like to cover, and we’ll get you started.
Topics We Can Help You Talk About
Parent consulting sessions can cover a wide range of topics related to sexual health, relationships, and wellbeing, including:
- Puberty, bodies, and body changes
- Body image and body confidence
- Sexual development and healthy sexuality
- Dating, romantic relationships, and friendships
- Healthy and unhealthy relationship dynamics
- Communication and conflict
- Consent, boundaries, and respecting others’ boundaries
- Safer sex and STI prevention
- Condoms
- Birth control and pregnancy prevention
- Sexual decision-making and readiness
- Sexual orientation and gender identity
- Online relationships, social media, and sexual content
- Pornography and media messages about sex and relationships
- Sexual harassment, pressure, and coercion
- Navigating questions about sex and sexual health
- Talking about values, family expectations, and cultural messages about sex
- And more!
What to Expect
Sessions are tailored to your family, your questions, and your goals. You might come with a specific question or situation you’re trying to navigate, or you might simply want guidance on how to make conversations about sexual health a more comfortable and ongoing part of family life.
Depending on what you’re looking for, we can help you:
- Prepare for a conversation about a specific topic
- Figure out what to say when your young person asks a difficult or unexpected question
- Find age- and developmentally appropriate ways to introduce or revisit important topics
- Practice responding in ways that keep communication open and judgment-free
- Develop strategies for talking about sexual health as an ongoing conversation rather than one big “talk”
- Identify reliable, age-appropriate resources to continue the conversation at home
You don’t have to be an expert to be a trusted source of information and support for your young person. Sometimes you just need a little help figuring out what to say and how to say it. Answer is here to help.
Why Come to Answer?
For over 45 years, Answer has helped young people, parents, educators, and other youth-serving professionals navigate the complex world of sexual health and relationships. Our team brings deep expertise in comprehensive sex education, adolescent development, communication, and sexual health – and we know that talking about these topics is about much more than sharing information.
Our educators are trained to provide accurate, inclusive, age- and developmentally appropriate, and evidence-informed information while creating space for varying family values, experiences, and questions. We approach sexual health as an essential part of overall health and wellbeing, and we believe parents can and should play an important role in helping young people develop the knowledge, skills, and confidence they need to make informed decisions.
When you work with Answer, you’re getting guidance from sex education experts – not a script or a generic parenting resource. We’ll listen to your questions, help you think through your specific situation, and offer practical strategies you can actually use with your child or young adult.
A Note About This Service
Parent consulting sessions are not therapy, mental health counseling, medical care, or clinical services. These sessions provide educational guidance and practical consulting support from experienced sex education professionals. We can help you understand sexual health and wellbeing topics, prepare for conversations, and develop strategies for communicating with your child, but we do not diagnose, treat, or provide clinical counseling.
Reach out to us at answered@rutgers.edu to get started or learn more!