Sex therapy credentials: a descriptive analysis of the training of clinicians who do sex therapy

Mental health professionals (e.g. counselors, psychologists, social workers) use the internet to market their services. One such service being marketed is “sex therapy.” However, considering the paucity of sexuality-related standards present in the training standards governing the training of these professionals, it is unclear to what extent clinicians who advertise as providing “sex therapy” have the training to competently and therefore ethically provide that service. The current study sought to address this knowledge gap via survey methodology. One hundred fourteen (n = 114) clinicians from across the United States who market as providing “sex therapy” on their public PsychologyToday profile were recruited for the study. Results indicate that 25.5% are certified in sex therapy, 31.9% completed zero credits of sexuality-related coursework in graduate school, and 52.1% are members of a professional sex therapy organization. Additionally, 74.9% of clients on their caseload are presenting with sex as a primary or secondary issue. The clinical, training, and research implications of these results are discussed