Healthy/Unhealthy Relationship Characteristics

This workshop will focus on friendship and romantic relationships and can be applied to family relationships as well. Participants work together to define intimacy and examine behaviors they find important in friendships and romantic relationships. They identify healthy and unhealthy relationship characteristics and learn about ways to nurture healthy relationship behaviors and address unhealthy ones.

1-2 hours, no charge

Gender and Orientation:
Reframing the Conversation

In this workshop we’ll talk about sex assigned at birth and gender identity; we’ll discuss how and why these might be different from what we learned in school. We’ll also learn about the different aspects of attraction and orientation, from who we are friends with to who we might choose as intimate partners. We’ll also talk about stereotypes, labels and how they are used, how what we say can harm—or uplift—others, and how to be compassionate and encourage others to do the same. Please note that Gender and Orientation can be taught separately.

1-2 hours, no charge

Stellar Sex Ed

Stellar Sex Ed, RISE’s original curriculum, engages adult participants in an expansive exploration of our inner and outer space. Free of judgment, Stellar Sex Ed dismantles stigma and invites honest, compassionate curiosity about bodies, identities, and relationships. Welcome to a new age of sexuality education!

For more information, click the button below!

Let’s Talk About Sex: Healthy Conversations with Your Partner

Good communication is important for good relationships, especially intimate ones. So why is it so hard to talk about sex? 

We’ll explore that and develop skills for honest, respectful communication that help folks negotiate what they do and don’t want, practice safer sex, and improve their relationships, both sexual and nonsexual.

2 hours, no charge

How to be an
Askable Adult

Do you struggle to know how to approach “the talk”? Do you wonder what is the right age to begin talking with your child about sex and sexuality? Are you worried about sharing information that is not age appropriate? We can help calm your anxiety and empower you to be your child’s primary sexuality educator.

30-60 minutes, no charge

Consent Is Like Pizza

Educator Al Vernaccio suggests ordering pizza together is a great metaphor for healthy communication in all kinds of relationships Excellent partners AND excellent friends consider what works for the other person as much as what they want.

Workshop developed by RISE: Healthy for Life, A Step Ahead Tri-Cities, and the ETSU Adolescent and Young Adult Clinic. Made possible in part by a Ballad Health Community Health Partner grant and partnership funding from the Appalachian Replication Project.

1-1.5 hours, no charge

Building Strong Brains

Chronic childhood trauma, or what experts call adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), can disrupt a child's brain-building process. ACEs are toxic to brain development and can compromise the brain’s structural integrity. Building Strong Brains: Preventing and mitigating adverse childhood experiences—and maximizing positive childhood experiences, is the most promising approach to helping Tennessee children lead productive, healthy lives and ensure the future prosperity of Tennessee.

30 mins—3 hours, no charge

Trauma-informed Practices

Trauma-informed approaches empower people with histories of trauma, recognize trauma symptoms, and acknowledge the role trauma has played in their lives. All people in an organization, from volunteers and front-line staff through board members and executives, contribute to a trauma-informed environment, so it is important, if an organization truly wishes to develop trauma-informed practices, to train and get buy in from every level.

2-3 hours, no charge

Helping Survivors Navigate Their Own Trauma Response

We often think about trauma-informed care in the context of how we serve trauma survivors—our facilities, our attitudes, our biases, our self-care, and our compassion. This workshop discusses the potential benefits of teaching survivors about their own trauma reactions and responses—their space, their attitudes, their biases, their self-care, and their compassion for themselves.

1 hour, no charge

Trauma-informed Approaches for Faith Communities

Participants will begin to understand:

• What trauma is.

• How it affects the brain and body.

• How that affects perception and behavior.

They also will examine some ways to approach creating a trauma-informed faith community, why that is important, and what questions they need to ask to continue this work. Every person in a faith community has a part to play, and every person will benefit from this intentional approach.

3-4 hours, no charge

Trauma Response for Survivors

This workshop helps trauma survivors understand the science of trauma response so they understand and develop compassion for themselves around their trauma-based behavior while building resilience.

1-3 hours, no charge

Removing Barriers to Care for Trauma Survivors of All Genders

Cindi Huss and Audrey Besch developed this workshop as part of the Sexual Assault Awareness Month Trauma Informed Care Series hosted by the James H. Quillen VA Medical Center.

Removing Barriers gives providers the tools they need to approach patients and their care with curiosity. When providers learn to recognize and regulate their biases and judgments, patients can experience improved health outcomes. We explore how this approach benefits both patients and providers.

After this presentation, participants will be able to discuss:

• What trauma is and how prevalent it is.

• How trauma can affect patients seeking/continuing care of all kinds.

• The benefits to patients and practitioners of empowering, patient-centered care.

• Various barriers trauma survivors face when advocating for themselves.

• Strategies that practitioners can use to help patients overcome barriers to care.

Audrey Besch (she/they) is a clinical instructor in the Dept. of Counseling and Human Services at East Tennessee State University and serves on RISE’s leadership team. They hold a master’s degree in Human Services from ETSU and are a Certified Trauma Professional. Besch helped develop the Trauma and Resilience Minor program at ETSU and their research interests include eco-therapy, trauma, sex education, family constellations, and neurodiversity.

Cindi Huss (she/her), one of RISE’s collaborating directors, is a trained journalist who helped found RISE to address the lack of critical sexual wellness education in Tennessee. Cindi is a trauma-informed care facilitator trainer and a certified Our Whole Lives Sexuality Education facilitator for all levels from kindergarten through older adult.

How (and why) do we do diversity and inclusion—and why is it never done?

Organizations often struggle with diversity and inclusion: What is it? We already have diversity—isn’t that enough? Does it really affect how well we do our work?

This workshop addresses the struggle to understand AND helps your organization begin developing practical ways to thread diversity and inclusion practices through every aspect of its work, creating a more robust, just workplace.

1-3 hours, no charge