A career in sex therapy?

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So, right now I work in IT. I've made a lot of jumps in this feild and I find a lot of the work very interesting. Perhaps I'm finding less reward in this work than I had hoped. Most people at my job feel like it's my fault for their computer not working. lol. And whenever I fix something, usually there's a shallow appreciation. Anyway, this has led me to re-evaluate my situation. I've decided to continue schooling toward my degree in applied technology. But afterwards, I've decided I will probably look into becoming a sex therapist or something related. My question is... where do I start? What's the best way to get my foot in the door? One of the things I'm also interested in doing is talking to public groups of people (as a professional) about sexuality. Seminars even. Would this still be the same field of study?

You might want to start by pursuing a psychology degree. Study anatomy and physiology. Get a masters. WebMD says:In reply to:It's important to ascertain whether a sex therapist has appropriate credentials. One way to do this is to get a referral from an established sex-therapy organization, such as the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT) or the American Academy of Sexologists.In most states anyone can call himself or herself a sex therapist, but chances are if a practitioner is referred by a professional organization he or she has already met the certification requirements of that group.For example, the AASECT's requirements for certification as a sex therapist include a master's degree plus three years (1,000 hours a year) of clinical experience as a psychotherapist or a doctorate plus two years of clinical experience as a psychotherapist. The AASECT also requires a state regulator license or certificate in psychology, medicine, nursing, social work, or marriage and family therapy; an alternative requirement exists for states that don't have regulations. Therapists thus certified must also complete at least 90 hours of training in gender-related issues, marital dynamics, psychosexual disorders, and medical factors influencing sexuality. (The remaining requirements are posted on the AASECT web site, listed below.) (See the bottom of the WebMD page for links.)

yeah, as Steve points out, you're going to need medical credentials. At the very least, you should be a registerd nurse. Sue Johansen It's something I've thought about before too as I have... umm... a bit of hands on experience as well as better-than-average understanding od physiology and psychology (though not formally trained)Of course, one of the interesting things is that people can call themselves a therapist and there are always sheep who will hapily become clients

Thanks. Well, I never saw myself as becoming a doctor type but I guess this would be just as much work. The amount of dedication toward something like this is apparent. It doesn't scare me away from the idea though. I'll have to do some more research. Thanks.

Believe me, it wouldn't be nearly as much work as becoming an M.D. To be a psychologist, you need to have a PhD; social workers often have a masters. In my opinion, if you're going to counsel people, you should at least have a masters. To do the job well, you should have a good uderstanding of psychology, human behavior, and human physiology.If you starting from the point of no college, it could be five years of study.

No worries. I've got credits all over the place. And even if it took 6 years... that's not a big deal to me.

Then, if it's something that really interests you, and you feel a calling to help people, go for it!

Or you could just write those dirty books we were talking about before

In reply to: But afterwards, I've decided I will probably look into becoming a sex therapist or something related. My question is... where do I start? What's the best way to get my foot in the door? One of the things I'm also interested in doing is talking to public groups of people (as a professional) about sexuality. A coworker of mine from an earlier life (or at least a much earlier period of this one) had similar interests. We were both in the military at the time, but when I asked him about his formal education he replied that he had a degree in "sexology", his way of pointing out just how much of psychology (not psychiatry) has to do with sexual issues.That might be a good place to start.

ok seriously what exactly does a sex therapist do?

Sexology is the systematic study of human sexuality. It encompasses all aspects of sexuality (except involuntary celibacy), including attempting to characterise "normal sexuality" and its variants, including paraphilias.Modern sexology is a multidisciplinary field which uses the techniques of fields including biology, medicine, psychology, statistics, epidemiology, sociology, anthropology, and sometimes criminology to bear on its subject. It studies human sexual development and the development of sexual relationships as well as the mechanics of sexual intercourse and sexual malfunction. It also documents the sexuality of special groups, such as handicapped, children, and elderly, and studies sexual pathologies such as sex addiction and child sexual abuse.Note that sexology is considered descriptive, not prescriptive: it attempts to document reality, not to prescribe what behavior is suitable, ethical, or moral. Sexology has often been the subject of controversy between supporters of sexology, those who believe that sexology pries into matters held sacrosanct, and those who philosophically object to its claims of objectivity and empiricism.My original degree was going to be in Sexology. It's a very interesting field and growing in popularity.

so a sex therapist would be kind of like a marriage counselor for a sexual relationship? or?

Yes they can be used for Marriage Counseling as well.

okieday thanks

Very welcome. :grin:

"Note that sexology is considered descriptive, not prescriptive: it attempts to document reality, not to prescribe what behavior is suitable, ethical, or moral."Heaven forbid.

In reply to: In my opinion, if you're going to counsel people, you should at least have a masters. I agree.In my state, even a Master's degree isn't sufficient. To do clinical counselling requires a masters and an additional liscensure according to your field of study/degree program.OP - Do it! I promise it's a good thing. Despite all those "what the hell am I thinking" moments that will no doubt come, it will definitely be worth your while...that is if you're serious about it.And when you're done, you can explain to me that....nah, I like living with mystery...