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Back2School Sexual Education
Pharmacy Role in Sexuality Education Tips from Relationship & Sexuality Educators, to Pharmacists Written by John Halloran and Shauna Monaghan, Education Facilitators, Sexual Health West We get asked a lot of questions in our line of work, and often we have to pause for thought. Dealing with young people, they can often blindside you with a question. So, take a breath and remember at the root of every question is an unknown. Here are 5 qualities we try to lean into in our workshops. 4. Guidance Part of your role is to give options, give appropriate information and allow them to make an educated decision. Through patience, time and support you can explain how sexual health checks are carried out, what happens next, what if they are positive? / How do they access treatment? In this moment, try and place yourself in their shoes, think about the myths and untruths you held as fact when you were young. Understand this young person needs; clear language, a supportive yet not dismissive attitude, a realistic approach (yes, some STI’s are lifelong, yes some require treatment, yes you might have to have difficult conversations), they need you to speak in a way they can understand.
1. Time Although hard to come by when working in a pharmacy, it is important that the time you can give is dedicated to this person. In this case quality of the time, matters just as much as quantity. This person may be in an anxious state asking about STI’s, because they feel they are at risk and a pharmacist is easier to access than their family GP. (If is a more serious issue- i.e. sexual violence, then each pharmacy should have a protocol to follow in contacting the Gardaí and the SATU). 2. Patience Routine questions are only routine to the professionals. A young person may not understand what questions they
are being asked- what to ask the pharmacist- or how to ease their own concerns or anxieties. Honour their enquiry and understand that the question may be rooted in a concern much deeper. 3. Support Listen and try to understand the root of their concerns. Their knowledge of sex and sexual acts may be limited, and sometimes, they might have the complete wrong information. Myths, gossip and tall tales from school can always influence people’s thoughts, and mixed with the shame and stigma that can be held around sex in Ireland, it can lead them to believe they have done something wrong. As long as it was freely consenting sex, by in large, there should be no guilt associated with it.
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As medical professionals, often the comfort zone of patient interactions can be to drift into the medicine and the science of things, but, in this instance, if you can remove those blocks and speak person to person
your interaction will be helpful, impactful and affirming for the person seeking care 5. Openness How are we asking questions? So! We’ve given them time, we’ve possibly had a private area to speak, we are in a situation where we are actively listening and using empathy to guide us. However, we need to ask a question and we are unsure how to do so. As a health professional, you probably handle this in a day-to-day setting. How can we get the information we need, without offending the person? Asking, plainly, in a respectful tone and supporting your statement with qualifying information can help this person get the correct treatment/ support they need. This is important when it comes to things like, a person’s gender identity and expression, and who they are sexually active with.
