Best Sex Therapy Certification Programs

The Modern Sex Therapy Institutes program was chosen because it is one of the few options that provide everything a student needs to be certified in sex therapy. Not only does the program provide didactic training and access to a Sexuality Attitude Reassessment (SAR), but it also offers all the necessary sex therapy supervision as part of the course fee. As supervision can be one of the most expensive parts of becoming a sex therapist, this is a big deal.

The Modern Sex Therapy Institute is a complete sex therapy training program that fully prepares you for AASECT certification. The total cost for the program is between $4,800 and $8,850, depending on which components you elect to complete. The lowest cost covers just the educational models. The full cost also includes the required supervision time and the SAR.

The program is designed to be completed in a minimum of 12 months, although AASECT certification requires at least 18 months of supervision. For those who wish to take the course over a longer period, that is also possible. In addition, the program is approved for continuing education credits, so you can use courses to maintain your license as a psychologist or certified counselor. 

One of the biggest advantages of the Modern Sex Therapy Institute certification program is its flexibility. Although there are live courses available, and live supervision is required for certification, all workshops are available by webinar or via recording. Those courses may be taken asynchronously or synchronously, depending on your preference. Anyone can take individual classes, but certification is restricted to mental health professionals, students, medical professionals, clergy, and those in related fields.

The Ohio Center for Relationship & Sexual Health’s Sexuality Training Institute is one of the more affordable programs out there. Although this does not offer sex therapy supervision, the program is designed to be flexible and easy to complete over the course of a year.

The Sexuality Training Institute has been getting more attention in the field of sex therapy, with a good menu of offerings for both initial certification and continuing education. The full academic program is only $5,000, which makes it one of the most affordable programs out there.

In addition, its curriculum is designed to be appropriate for individuals from various backgrounds. People with a Bachelor's degree are welcome in the training program, as well as those with graduate education. (However, those who hold only a bachelor’s degree   are trained as sexuality educators, while those licensed in related fields are training for board certification as sex therapists or sex counselors.)

The Sexuality Training Institute offers a combination of synchronous online and in-person training with asynchronous online modules. That works well for people who want the convenience of studying on their own in combination with opportunities to learn face-to-face, whether that’s online or in-person. Individual courses are available as well as the full certificate program for people who have started training elsewhere, need continuing education to maintain their certification, or are just seeing if sex therapy is a good fit.

We chose the Widener graduate program in Human Sexuality because it's one of the few programs that allows you to work towards sex therapy certification while also getting a graduate degree that will lead to professional licensure. This is a great option for individuals who know that their goal is to be a sex therapist before they start graduate school. The Widener program is also unique in that it offers two pathways to clinical practice: a dual degree program in Social Work and Human Sexuality, and a School Counselor program based on a Master's in Education in Human Sexuality.

The Widener University Human Sexuality program is one of the oldest and most established programs training human sexuality professionals. It is designed to be completed by people who are currently working. As such, courses are held on regularly scheduled weekends, both online and in person. In order to be eligible for the standalone certificate program (which costs about $13,500), students must be medical providers, clergy, or otherwise trained in counseling. Sex therapy certification classes at Widener cost about $500 per credit.

One of the unique things about the Widener program is that human sexuality training can be completed at the same time as a graduate degree in counseling, either in social work or school counseling. This makes it one of the few sex therapy certification programs that are suitable for people who have not yet embarked on their journey towards professional licensure.

However, before choosing a clinical degree, it is important to make certain the training you receive will meet your needs. Social work is one of the more flexible clinical degree programs but tends to have relatively low pay. School counselors with a Master's in Education may have more restricted options for practice.

We chose the Institute for Sexual Wholeness because it overlaps with mainstream sex therapy, but draws from a biblical framework.

There are not many programs that cater to Christian therapists seeking sex therapy certification, and aspiring sex therapists who are religious Christians may find that many AASECT-based certification programs are not a good fit for them. Christian sex therapists are board-certified through a different organization: The American Board of Christian Sex Therapists. While many of the techniques they use are the same as for secular sex therapists, the goals and philosophies can differ.

Christian sex therapy and Christian marriage and family therapy tend to focus strongly on maintaining heterosexual marriages. They also explicitly include biblical teachings. This can be invaluable to Christian therapists working with Christian clients, who may find more socially liberal training incompatible with their religious ethics. 

The Institute for Sexual Wholeness offers classes at Richmont Graduate University and charges about $750 for each of its five courses. That also means that sex therapy certificate students can pursue a graduate degree in counseling at the same time. Richmont offers degrees in mental health counseling and pastoral care.

The University of Michigan Sex Therapy and Sexuality Education program is relatively affordable at roughly $7,500 and is a good option for people with diverse professional backgrounds. Unlike most sex therapy certification programs, participants complete this one as a cohort. This means that the students who start the program together stay together throughout the entire year they are enrolled. While some people prefer more flexibility, for others, the cohort model is a great way to build a network of friends and colleagues. 

The Michigan program has historically been offered as a hybrid option but will be online through at least the end of the 2022-2023 cycle. Whether online or in-person, training is designed to take place in six to eight weekend or week-long intensives over the course of the year. This gives students the opportunity to engage in intense instruction with time for study and practice in between sessions. It is a particularly good option for individuals who need to participate in ongoing continuing education as part of their professional licensure.

South Shore Sexual Health Center is one of the only programs to explicitly seek out cultural, sexual, and disability diversity in both its teachers and its students.

South Shore Sexual Health Center is explicitly affirming of people of all sexual and gender identities as well as individuals of different relationship styles and orientations. It is a research-driven training program and offers opportunities to learn about topics such as cybersex from a sex-positive perspective. Since training is offered at a consistent time, it allows individuals to plan out their schedules in advance (although it may make attendance difficult for those who work evening hours).

The sex therapy certification program at South Shore Sexual Health Center costs about $5,500 for a full year and is designed to be completed in 18 months (academic courses are offered over a 12-month period). While SAR and supervision are available through South Shore, they carry a separate cost and must be registered for separately (individual courses are offered at $120 per class and the SAR program costs an additional $600). This is useful for individuals who have supervision elsewhere or have already taken a SAR. However, it does add an additional cost for those seeking to complete the entire process at South Shore. 

The Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy (ICP) offers a unique opportunity to grow as a practitioner. All certificate students are required to take part in a year-long seminar in sex therapy where they will see two to three sex therapy patients from ICP. Students can also take courses in other ICP programs to learn more about family and couples therapy and gender and sexuality.

Based in New York City, the Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy is a long-established and well-respected institution offering certificate programs in a variety of specialty fields. Although its sex therapy certificate is relatively new, it is known as an affordable place to get high-quality education in clinical topics.

The certificate program is unique in that it provides access to patients with whom participants can work to build their skills in sex therapy. In most programs, participants must find their own sex therapy patients, which can be difficult when they are just starting out. While the ICP does not fulfill the full set of requirements for AASECT certification, most components can be used towards AASECT certification.

The total cost for the program is around $1,500 per year, and is designed to be completed in two to four years. ICP is a non-profit that offers sliding-scale care, as well as care covered by insurance. This allows it to keep its costs down compared to for-profit programs. Participants must have a New York State license in order to see patients at ICP.