How Do I Become a Sex Therapist?
Get involved in a long term relationship. Ok, go to college, get a good advisor, study the curriculum, get good grades (on the days when you are not seriously hosting parties.)specialize in sex therapy/relationship counseling. Qualify for a license. Get licensed by the state you wish to practice in. Become a member of the APA. Get a master’s or even better a Doctorate. Find an office or share one with other professionals. Hang out your shingle, give out business cards and have a good ad in the yellow pages. PS. its helpful to have healthy relationships for yourself if you want to advise others.
There are a number of paths to take to become a sex therapist, a therapist who specializes in issues pertaining to human sexuality. Sex therapists can do everything from counseling couples to help them through a difficult period to helping people cope with fetishes. Many regions of the world lack formal certification for sex therapists, which means that it is up to the therapist to seek out appropriate training and qualifications. In order to become a sex therapist, a candidate will first need to study in a program which is designed to provide licensure to work in the mental health field. A sex therapist may be a licensed psychologist, marriage and family counselor, psychiatrist, pastoral counselor, clinical social worker, or nurse. Many sex therapists have Master’s degrees in the mental health field, and some pursue doctoral work. For a person who wants to become a sex therapist working in the research environment, post doctoral work is strongly recommended. A handful of schools offer
http://www.aasect.org/ is a professional organization that includes sex therapists. Their requirements for becoming a licensed sex therapist include: “A. Master’s degree plus two years of post-degree clinical experience or as a psychotherapist (20 hours/week x 50 weeks/year = 1,000 hours/year), ). OR B. B. A Doctorate degree plus one year of post-degree clinical experience as a psychotherapist (1000 hours/year).” and “…a minimum of two hundred fifty (250) hours of supervised clinical treatment of patients/clients who present with sexual concerns.” The American Board of Sexology requires a “doctoral level or terminal degree in their chosen field” and “at least one year of professional work in the field of sexology, with 50 hours of supervision under an ABS approved supervisor.” ( http://www.sexologist.org/certification/… ) You’re looking at several ye
