1-on-1 consent and sexuality education for people with a cognitive or neurodevelopmental disability
Sexual health, safety in relationships, and a full and meaningful social and intimate life are articulated rights for everyone – including people with a disability.
Research has found that people with an intellectual disability or autism are less likely to have experienced a comprehensive sexuality education compared to the rest of the population. This education is often, instead, delivered informally by family and support workers¹.
Check + Chat offers tailored, 1-on-1 consent education and sexuality counselling for both young people and adults with a cognitive disability who may need extra support in this space. We can help them develop a comprehensive understanding of sexuality and body safety, as well as work with them to navigate intimate relationships both in the real world and online.
Think of it as specialized tutoring for health and sex education.
What we offer
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A dynamic service with topics and activities tailored to the individual’s needs
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Psychoeducation-focused sessions
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Sessions informed by over 10 years experience in the clinical youth mental health and sexual assault education sectors
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Rich discussions and engaging activities that increase an individual’s understanding of the topics.
Each session runs for 50 minutes and can be flexible to meet the needs of the individual. Sessions can be delivered online over Zoom, face-to-face at either our Fitzroy office, or in certain situations, in the individual’s home or another safe space.
Topics we cover
Sexual consent and respectful relationships
Body safety and protective behaviors
eSafety and engaging with others online
Pornography
Sexting and nudes
Puberty
Sexual identity
LGBTQIA+ identity, expression and common queries.
We recommend five to ten sessions in order to cover one topic in detail. The number of sessions is also dependent on the individual’s learning and support needs.
We require individuals to have a support worker with them for each session, if they have difficulty setting up their technology or need assistance communicating.
Who is this service for?
This service is for both young people and adults with a mild or moderate cognitive disability, with low support needs. We also offer sessions for Autistic individuals who do not have an intellectual disability, but are looking to explore romantic or sexual relationships.
This service is not appropriate for:
Those with who are classed as having a severe or profound intellectual disability
Those who have engaged in high level sexual harm to others i.e, rape, incest, sexual assault
Those with a significant trauma or sexual trauma history who have not received specialist therapeutic support
Those who have been convicted of a sex offence or have had justice system involvement as a result of their sexual behaviours.
This service is accessible for NDIS clients across Australia.
Our rate falls under the NDIS Capacity Building rate, under line item 15_056_0128_1_3.
Check and Chat is an unregistered provider and can provide services to self-managed and plan managed clients. Check and Chat also accepts private, non-NDIS clients.
Responding to complexity
It is understood that people with a cognitive disability experience higher rates of sexual victimization and abuse², and also engage in higher rates of problem and harmful sexual behavior compared to the general population. While disclosures of abuse or victimization may occur in our sessions, this service is not appropriate for individuals seeking specialized therapy for sexual abuse or trauma. Check + Chat is not a trauma counselling service. The focus of the service is on psychoeducation and skills-based support.
1. Frawley, P., Wilson, N.J. Young People with Intellectual Disability Talking About Sexuality Education and Information. Sex Disabil 34, 469–484 (2016)
2. Schaafsma, D., Kok, G., Stoffelen, J., & Curfs, L. (2017). People with Intellectual Disabilities Talk About Sexuality: Implications for the Development of Sex Education. Sexuality and disability, 35(1), 21–38.