• SIECCAN is the Sex Information and Education Council of Canada, a national non-profit educationalorganization established in 1964 to foster public and professional education about human sexuality.

• SIECCAN is dedicated to informing and educating the public and professionals about all aspects of human sexuality in order to support the positive integration of sexuality into people's lives.

• SIECCAN is guided by an elected Board of Directors in consultation with a National Professional Advisory Panel.

• The SIECCAN membership consists of individuals and organizations interested in the study and promotion of sexual health. The membership includes educators, therapists, physicians, nurses, psychologists, counsellors, social workers, clergy, researchers, family planning professionals, colleges, universities, public health units and community health groups.

WHAT WE DO

PUBLICATIONS:

• The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality (CJHS) is a quarterly, peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary journal focusing on the medical and social aspects of human sexuality. CJHS is the only english language peer-reviewed sexological journal with a Canadian focus. CJHS includes empirical research, current practice and literature reviews, a regular update summarizing recent research in sexology and related fields, papers presented at the annual Canadian Sex Research Forum, and book reviews. CJHS is indexed or abstracted by over 35 medical and social science data bases.

• The SIECCAN Newsletter is published twice a year and is attached to CJHS. The newsletter is a source of teaching strategies, commentaries, and book/resource reviews. It provides a forum for the exchange of ideas among professionals of diverse backgrounds working in the area of human sexuality.

• Common Questions About Sexual Health Education is a document designed to answer questions often posed by educators, parents, administrators, and journalists about the philosophy, methods, and impact of sexual health education in the schools. Fully referenced, the Common Questions document is based on up-to-date peer-reviewed literature. To date, over 2000 copies of this highly praised resource document have been distributed to health educators across Canada.

CONSULTATION SERVICES:

• SIECCAN provides consultation services to a wide variety of organizations seeking to promote the sexual health of Canadians. These services include the provision of expert strategic advice and guidance related to the development and implementation of sexual health policy, research, education and services.

INFORMATION SERVICES:

• SIECCAN responds to requests for information on specific areas of research or study related to human sexuality from organizations and agencies across Canada (e.g., public health units, social service agencies, schools, universities, disease and disability related organizations), journalists, and students. 

• The SIECCAN library, located in Toronto, contains a unique and comprehensive resource collection of books and journals focusing on sexuality education, sex therapy, sex research, and related fields. Visits to the library are by appointment only.

• SIECCAN provides contacts and references for educators, researchers, journalists, and students. 

RESEARCH:
SIECCAN conducts and participates in a wide range of research projects.
Recent SIECCAN research projects include:

• A national study of Canadian physicians' practice in STD and sexual health assessment.

• A national study of the pre-service sexual health education training in Canadian university programs in medicine (see CJHS 7[4]), elementary/secondary/ physical-health education (see CJHS 8[2]), nursing, social work, and counselling psychology.

• SIECCAN is researching the Canadian component of an Alan Guttmacher Institute comparative study of adolescent sexual and reproductive behaviour in Canada, the United States, England, France, and Sweden.

• SIECCAN continues to serve as a consultant to organizations seeking to replicate SIECCAN designed studies of parental attitudes towards school-based sexual health education and students opinions, self-perceived needs, and current and preferred sources of sexual health information.