About Debbie Roffman

    Deborah M. Roffman is a nationally certified Sexuality and Family Life Educator who has worked at the cutting edge of her field for three decades.

    The former associate editor for education of the Journal of Sex Education and Therapy, Deborah has written dozens of articles and commentaries for health and education journals and major newspapers. Her work in the classroom and with parents has been featured in the New York Times, Baltimore Sun, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, Education Week, Teacher Magazine, USA Today, Parents Magazine, an HBO Special on parenting, and on NPR. She has also appeared on Nightline with Ted Koppel and The Early Show with Bryant Gumbel and on the O'Reilly Factor. In December 2002, she appeared in a highly acclaimed segment on teenage sexuality on ABC's 20/20 with John Stossel. Deborah lives in Baltimore, Maryland, where she teaches human sexuality education (grades 4-12) at The Park School of Baltimore and several other independent schools in the Baltimore/Washington, DC area.

    Deborah Roffman has provided training and consultation regarding curriculum, faculty development, and parent education to scores of public and private schools since 1975. She has presented hundreds of workshops for parents and teachers and frequently makes presentations at schools and conferences throughout the United States and abroad. In January, 2001, she was guest editor of a themed issue of Independent School Magazine, on "Sexuality Education: New Thinking."

    In 2001, Deborah published her first book, Sex and Sensibility: The Thinking Parent's Guide to Talking Sense about Sex (Perseus Publishing). Writes one reviewer, "Deborah Roffman is a powerful advocate for children, understanding that in a society that gives confusing and exploitative messages about sexuality, children are desperate for communication from the caring adults in their lives. The book is full of specific examples, often humorous, of difficult situations and questions from Roffman's life as a parent and teacher. Her responses are models of simplicity and good sense. Every adult committed to helping young people develop into sexually healthy adults will want a copy of this book. It provides remarkably clear guidelines for how to do it."

    Deborah's second book, But How Did I Get in There in the First Place?: The Thinking Parent's Guide to Talking to Young Children about Sex, was published in 2002 by Perseus Publishing.

Debbie Roffman welcomes your comments about this website, her book, or about sexuality education. She is available for workshops and other presentations. You may use this form to send in either a comment or an inquiry.