6.06.2011

Sex Therapist in Training? Who, Me?!

Yes, me! It's official. I recently started my training to be certified by the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists as a sex therapist. So, what is that exactly? Check this out:

Sex Therapy is a subspecialty of psychotherapy, focusing on the specific concerns related to human sexuality. People of all ages, creeds, health status, ethnic backgrounds, whether partnered or single, may benefit from working with a psychotherapist who specializes in this area. Certified Sex Therapists use specialized clinical skills and theoretical knowledge to help people solve their sexual concerns.

In most states and provinces, Sex Therapy is not a separately licensed or regulated profession, just as child psychotherapy or geriatric psychotherapy is not government regulated beyond granting the basic license to practice therapy. To assure the public of highly qualified practitioners, AASECT provides voluntary certification to those therapists who have completed the rigorous certification process. Only those therapists who have met these qualifications may designate themselves as “AASECT Certified Sex Therapists.”

Taken from http://www.aasect.org/faqs.asp#What_is_ST, 6/6/2011


I am a licensed clinical social worker and serve a variety of clients. My specific interests (as it relates to sex therapy) include recovering from trauma to have healthy sexual experiences and marital/pre-marital therapy. Not many predominately black denominations have standardized pre-marital counseling courses that are empirically based (researched and "proven" to be effective). Because of this, lots of concerns may not be addressed, including issues of sex and sexuality. If couples don't discuss these issues BEFORE getting to the bedroom, they may encounter several difficulties spurring from issues of past hurt or trauma and unspoken expectations. I believe that sex is an important component in healthy marriages, however it manifests in specific relationships. I just believe that we can no longer be silent about it within our faith communities.

So there you have it. This is how I'm kicking off my summer. I know I've been absent for a while, but I am still writing and new posts are to come, especially with all this fun knowledge I'm gaining. Yes, fun. How can you study sex and sexuality without it being at least interesting? :-)