Personal Responsibility Education Program
Healthy Relationships

Many existing school- or community-based programs designed to prevent pregnancy and STIs for youth focus on general sexual behaviors but typically do so outside the context of adolescent relationships. Since most teenagers have their first sexual encounters within the context of dating relationships, it is important to teach youth how to build and navigate healthy relationships and end unhealthy ones.

Healthy Relationship Topics

• Information about gender-based stereotypes (including sexual double standards).
• How to show caring and affection without having sex.
• Conflict management skills.
• Parent-child communication.
• Communication skills.
• Limit setting and navigating different limits in relationships.
• Skills to develop healthy relationships.
• Identifying unhealthy relationships.
• Skills to safely end unhealthy relationships.

Factors Associated with Healthy and Unhealthy Relationships

Healthy

• Trust
• Honesty
• Support
• Open and honest communication
• Flexibility
• Fun
• Enjoyment
• Respect
• Equality
• Limit setting

Unhealthy

• Cheating
• Dishonesty
• Controlling behavior
• Older partner
• Jealousy
• Emotional and/or physical abuse
• Selfishness
• Over-dependency
• Relationship revolves only around sex
• Disrespect

Tips on incorporating Healthy Relationship Activities

• Involve parents in the conversation about building healthy relationships so young people are aware of the values their parents wish to convey to them about healthy relationships.
• Utilize interactive formats for program activities.
• Use booster sessions to continue to support healthy relationship messages that are developmentally appropriate.
• Include families, health care workers, media, and community-based organizations (CBOs) that serve youth to reinforce messages about healthy relationships.
• Incorporate peer education into programs - peers are an important influence in shaping adolescent attitudes.
• Be inclusive by considering developmental level, culture, sexual orientation, and prior dating experience.

The above information was shared from: Family and Youth Services Bureau. Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program, PREP Adult Preparation Subjects - Resource Guide (PDF), 2021

Healthy Relationship Curricula, Lessons and Media

• Teens and Adults Learning to Communicate (TALC: NYC) – CHIPTS
• The Art of Loving Well
• Fourth R Programs – Youth Relationships
• Relationship Smarts Plus 4.0 Classic - The Dibble Institute
• Baby Smarts
• The Dangers of Sexting: What Teens Need to Know
• Dealing with Teen Dating Abuse: Crossing the Line
• ARC Reflections Training Program
• Relationship Smarts PLUS
• Incorporating Teen Dating Violence Prevention into Your PREP Programming - The Exchange (hhs.gov)
• Building Healthy Relationships Among DC Youth: A Universal Bullying Prevention Program

Articles on Healthy Relationships

• Romantic Relationships in Adolescence
• Healthy Relationships - Includes topics of family, friends, dating, and parents
• How to have a great relationship
• Does Your Relationship Need a Check-up
• Teen Talk: Sex, Love, Relationships, and More

Other Healthy Relationship Links

Dating Matters™ Initiative

Understanding Teen Dating Violence Prevention is a free 60-minute, interactive training designed to help educators, youth-serving organizations, and others working with teens understand the risk factors and warning signs associated with teen dating violence.

The National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline

Love is Respect is a website with resources on dating basics, conflict resolution, including electronic quizzes such as "Am I a Partner?" and "Healthy Relationships Quiz," and a 24-hour peer advocate hotline.

The Trevor Project

The Trevor Project - LGBTQ+ Community Resources for Healthy Relationships offers a list of resources for help to recognize and understand what makes a relationship healthy or not healthy. These resources recognize the unique needs for LGBTQ+ youth.

CDC Dating Matters

CDC’s A Guide to Healthy, Safe, Relationships for LGBTQ+ Youth teaches youth characteristics and behaviors of healthy and unhealthy relationships, how to seek help if you or a friend leaves an unhealthy relationship and other helpful resources