PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Professional Training With a Purpose
Velvet & Vine provides professional education for the whole support system—including DSPs, DDPs, nurses, clinicians, educators, supervisors, provider leadership, quality teams, and other professionals supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Our training focuses on sexuality, relationships, dignity, communication, ethical practice, organizational culture, and practical support strategies.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Explore Our Training Topics
Instead of making these look like workbooks, I recommend numbered training cards.
VELVET & VINE
Supporting Sexuality & Healthy Relationships in IDD Services
Build staff confidence in supporting sexuality and relationships as part of whole-person, person-centered services.
Key Focus
- Professional responsibilities
- Sexual expression
- Education
- Support needs
Interactive Learning
- Values & Comfort Reflection • Behavior or Learning Need? • Support Response Map • Team Action Plan.
VELVET & VINE
Consent, Boundaries & Rejection
Equip professionals to teach and reinforce clear consent, personal boundaries, and respectful responses to rejection.
Key Focus
- Ask–listen–check–respect
- Recognizing unclear consent or Pressure
Interactive Learning
- Consent Language Lab • Boundary Scenarios • Rejection Role-Play • Skill Coaching Plan.
VELVET & VINE
Privacy, Dignity & Sexual Expression
Translate privacy and dignity into everyday residential, day-program, clinical, and community practice.
Key Focus
- Physical privacy
- Informational privacy
- Relational privacy
- Digital privacy
- Sexual privacy
Interactive Learning
- Privacy Through My Eyes • KNOCK Practice • Dignity Language Lab • Environment Walkthrough.
VELVET & VINE
From “Behavior” to Education
Help teams move from vague labels toward objective observation, education, and person-centered support.
Key Focus
- Describing behavior without stigmatizing labels and identifying missing skills
- Information
- Environmental supports
Interactive Learning
- Language Conversion • What Is This Communicating? • Case Sorting • Support Plan Builder.
VELVET & VINE
Objective Documentation of Sexuality & Relationship Events
Improve factual, person-centered documentation while preserving mandatory reporting and safeguarding responsibilities.
Interactive Learning
- Rewrite the Note • Fact vs. Interpretation • Documentation Practice • Escalation Screen.
VELVET & VINE
Dating, Attraction & Relationship Skills
Support adults in developing dating and relationship skills without taking over their choices.
Interactive Learning
- Support vs. Control Sort • Dating Scenario Lab • Safety Planning • Coaching Script Practice.
VELVET & VINE
Sexual Health, Condoms & Lubrication
Give professionals accurate, teachable language for safer-sex education and skills support.
Interactive Learning
- Myth vs. Fact • Teach-Back Practice • Condom Sequence • Lubrication Match.
VELVET & VINE
Online Dating, Sexting, Digital Privacy & Exploitation Prevention
Build staff competence around digital relationships, privacy, image-sharing consent, scams, grooming, coercion, and exploitation red flags.
Interactive Learning
- Red Flag Sort • Private or Shareable? • Online Dating Safety Plan • Scenario Debrief.
VELVET & VINE
LGBTQ+ Inclusion, Identity & Respect
Strengthen affirming and respectful support for sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression.
Interactive Learning
- Bias Reflection • Language Practice • Case Conversations • Inclusion Action Step.
VELVET & VINE
Staff Boundaries & Ethical Responsibilities
Clarify the boundary between supportive relationship and sexuality education and inappropriate staff involvement.
Interactive Learning
- Boundary Continuum • What Would You Say? • Ethical Tension Cases • Escalation Map.
VELVET & VINE
Supporting Survivors: Trauma-Informed Sexuality & Relationship Education
Support professionals in teaching relationships and sexuality without forcing disclosure, recreating shame, or treating trauma as a reason to deny adulthood.
Interactive Learning
- Choice Audit • Trauma-Informed Language • Scenario Practice • Support Planning.
VELVET & VINE
Families, Guardians & Difficult Conversations About Sexuality
Give professionals practical tools for navigating concerns while keeping the individual’s voice, rights, safety, and support needs visible.
Interactive Learning
- Concern-to-Question Reframe • Whose Voice? • Conversation Script • Shared-Goal Planner.
VELVET & VINE
Leadership, Culture & Bias: It Starts at the Top
Examine how leadership assumptions and discomfort can influence staff culture, referral decisions, and organizational practice.
Interactive Learning
- Provider Mirror • Who Taught You That? • Referral Table • 30/60/90 Culture Plan.
VELVET & VINE
Human Rights, Sexuality & Ethical Responsibility
Explore autonomy, privacy, consent, informed choice, least-restrictive support, and protection from harm.
Interactive Learning
- Rights vs. Comfort • Whose Choice Is It? • VOICES Case Review • Restriction or Support?
VELVET & VINE
Policy Reconstruction
Move organizations from good intentions to clear, usable sexuality and relationship policies and everyday practice.
Interactive Learning
- KEEP/CUT/REWRITE/BUILD • Saturday Night Test • Policy Gap Audit • Implementation Map.
VELVET & VINE
Supervising & Coaching Staff Through Sexuality-Related Situations
Prepare supervisors to coach staff through discomfort, uncertainty, documentation, and real-time support decisions.
Interactive Learning
- Supervisor Huddle • Coaching Questions • Case Consultation • Follow-Up Plan.
VELVET & VINE
Sexuality Support Quality Assurance & Organizational Readiness
Give quality and leadership teams a framework for determining whether training becomes everyday practice.
Interactive Learning
- Readiness Snapshot • Trend Review • Competency Check • 90-Day Improvement Plan.
VELVET & VINE
Communication Access in Sexuality & Relationship Education
Help professionals make relationship and sexuality education understandable for people with varied communication and cognitive support needs.
Interactive Learning
- Plain-Language Rewrite • Visual Support Plan • Teach-Back Lab • Accessibility Checklist.
OUR APPROACH
Professional Learning That Supports Real-World Practice
Our professional development programs are designed to move beyond theory. Through practical learning experiences, leadership discussions, organizational assessments, and implementation tools, participants gain the knowledge and confidence needed to create safer, more inclusive, and person-centered services.
Evidence-Informed Education
Professional learning grounded in current best practices and person-centered approaches.
Practical Implementation
Training designed to support immediate application in residential, educational, healthcare, and community settings.
Organizational Resources
Downloadable guides, policy templates, audits, and implementation tools that strengthen professional practice.
Continuous Improvement
Support ongoing staff development, leadership growth, and quality improvement through practical educational resources.
Organizations
Organizations We Support
Velvet & Vine partners with organizations committed to creating safe, respectful, and inclusive environments where every individual has the opportunity to build healthy relationships and make informed choices.
01
Schools & Educational Programs
Support inclusive classrooms with practical educational resources and professional development.
02
Disability Service Providers
Strengthen staff knowledge and improve person-centered support practices.
03
Healthcare Professionals
Promote respectful, evidence-informed conversations about relationships, consent, and wellbeing.
04
Community Organizations
Equip community teams with practical educational resources that encourage dignity, inclusion, and independence.
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Ready to Strengthen Your Team?
Empower your staff with practical educational programs, leadership development, certification resources, and implementation tools designed to support respectful, person-centered services.