Healthy Relationships is a five-session, small-group intervention for men and women living with HIV/AIDS. It is based on Social Cognitive Theory and focuses on developing skills and building self-efficacy and positive expectations about new behaviors through modeling behaviors and practicing new skills.

Announcement: Healthy Relationships Training of Trainers (TOT) is scheduled for June 17-20, 2008 in New York City. Please note: The training is only for Health Department trainers. If interested in applying for this training, please click here to review the criteria for attendance and registration info.  

We strongly recommend that the
selection of staff to attend a Healthy Relationships Training of Facilitators (TOF) training follow the following guidelines:

Staff Required to Attend:
Group facilitators (or any staff)
who will facilitate the Healthy
Relationships sessions.

Staff Recommended to Attend:
Program Coordinators who provide oversight or supervision to the Group Facilitators and are responsible for coordination of the Healthy Relationships intervention.

and/or

Program Manager or Executive Director to facilitate agency internal capacity building and commitment to the Healthy Relationships intervention.

There are many planning and preparation activities that agencies can begin prior to attending training. These activities would include:

• Use the Healthy Relationships Starter Kit which includes a wealth of planning information.
• Develop a logic model and a preliminary implementation plan.
• Hire mental health professional and peer facilitators and have them trained in group process and facilitation. One facilitator should have a mental health background, and one should be a peer living with HIV. Both should be skilled group facilitators.
• Form a community advisory group and begin the process of obtaining "buy-in" from community stakeholders.
• Choose a site for the sessions.
• Decide on incentives for participation and refreshments.
• Develop a marketing plan and decide on the methods to recruit participants.
• Purchase the video/DVD/TV equipment needed.

Begin the process of identifying and reviewing potential movie/TV show clips for use in the intervention or obtain the clips used in the research intervention from Dr. Kalichman. If the agency is choosing its own clips, decide whether the videos/DVDs will be purchased and used individually or rented/borrowed and compiled into an intervention tape for use during the sessions.

Program Review Panel Information

The CDC requires all CDC-funded agencies using the Healthy Relationships intervention to identify, or establish, and utilize a Program Review Panel and complete Form 0.1113 to document this activity. The intervention researchers and developers are not involved in this activity. This is a CDC requirement for their grantees, and all questions in this regard should be directed to your agency's CDC Project Officer or to the health department funding your agency's implementation of the intervention.

The Program Review Panel guidelines, instructions for completion of Form 0.113, and the form itself are available under the Related Links section of this website.

CDC Policy on Youth Peer Outreach Workers

CDC funded (directly or indirectly) agencies using youth (either paid or volunteer) in program outreach activities, it is very important that said organizations use caution and judgment in the venues/situations where youth workers are placed. Agencies should give careful consideration to the "age appropriateness" of the activity or venue. Additionally, agencies should comply with all relevant laws and regulations regarding entrance into adult establishments/environments. Laws and curfews should be clearly outlined in required safety protocols developed and implemented by agencies directly and indirectly funded by CDC.

If you have specific questions, please contact your CDC project officer.