Certification Committee Update

The Committee has been working in several areas to improve the certification process and to address issues as they come up. The changes listed below is a result of our last November certification meeting and was sent out to the membership in early 2018.

In addition, we have also instituted telehealth guidelines for those who are currently working toward their certification and counting their face to face sex therapy hours, effective March 1, 2018.

Tele Health Sex Therapy

• Supervisees may count a maximum 150 hours of their total 300 hours of sex therapy utilizing tele health on a secure, HIPPA compliant system, toward sex therapy certification. 
• It is accepted only for video or phone sex therapy sessions. NOT permitted: Texts, chats, emails, or any other form. 
• They may only work with clients in states/countries where the supervisee holds mental health licenses.
• The remainder 150 hours must be face to face, in real time, sex therapy sessions. 

Below are the updates currently in effect:

• Supervision and Training Hours: Supervisors can now provide five (5) hours of didactic training to supervisees.

  • These 5 hours can be counted toward meeting the 60 hour Training requirement in section VI. These hours should be counted as education hours, not supervision hours.
  • An approved Supervision contract must be in place prior to completing these additional hours of supervision.
  • These five (5) hours cannot be double counted toward the 50 hours of Supervision required in Section IX.
  • Effective date: January 1, 2018



• AASECT Certified Sexuality Educator Renewal: CSEs will now be able to use up to 15 hours of teaching experiences for their Certification Renewal.


  • AASECT Certified Sexuality Educators can follow the alternative method for certification renewal under letter F. - Designing or conducting a teaching experience for a non-AASECT setting or one not sponsored by AASECT. (Note: one hour of presentation = one AASECT credit, up to a maximum of 15 AASECT credits).
  • Effective date: January 1, 2018



• Sex Therapist Certification Training Hours: For applications submitted after July 1, 2018 it is now required that all 30 in-person hours (non e-learning) of Sex Therapy Training (section VI) must be completed through an academic (college or university) program in sex therapy, a comprehensive sex therapy program or AASECT approved sex therapy training.



   
• Group Supervision for Educators: Educator supervisors may have a maximum of eight (8) supervisees in group supervision.

  • Minimum group size is two (2) individuals. Maximum group size is eight (8) individuals.
  • The minimum group supervision length for Educator Supervision groups with four to eight (4-8) people is two hours.
  • The maximum group supervision length for one (1) Educator Supervisor with four to eight (4-8) people is 3 hours.
  • Effective March 1, 2018



• Supervision: Supervisees may have no more than four (4) supervisors in total.


  • The primary supervisor will follow the course of the supervisee’s supervision from beginning to end and is responsible for talking with any other of the supervisee’s supervisors during the course of supervision.
  • Effective March 1, 2018



• Primary Supervisors: Primary supervisors must provide at least 20 hours of supervision for their supervisees in order to be designated a primary supervisor.


  • Effective March 1, 2018



• Counting Clinical Hours for Original Certification- It now possible to count as sex therapy/counseling clinical hours, work done with the following issues: 


  • Survivors of Sexual Trauma, Out-of-Control Sexual Behaviors, and issues in the LGBTQ Community. 
  • Together these clinical hours may not be more than 75 hours of the total 300 clinical hours.
  • Effective January 1, 2018



• Certified Sex Therapists and Couples Counseling: Therapists with no documented graduate or post graduate training in couples counseling must acquire 16 hours of couples counseling training as part of the 60 hours of Sex Therapy Training (Section VI).



Couples therapy is psychotherapy that focuses on the couple and views the couple as the client. Clinical skills such as: attending to the interaction with each partner, knowing the power dynamic/ struggle that may occur, teaching effective, authentic communication, understanding and bringing awareness to deeper, hidden unmet needs and childhood wounds, psycho education of couples skill such as active listening, validation, empathy, asking for what they want and need, and negotiating differences are imperative.