What sex therapists do and what their job description is for some people is still an unexplored topic. Sexuality as a set of feelings, behaviors and values related to sexual desire and identity is an integral part of the life of every human being according to chronic catastrophic illness counselling.
A large number of people encounter sexual disorders that can greatly affect the physiological, psychological and social component that sexuality includes, but also the overall satisfaction with life. For this reason, it is very important to discuss topics like this and inform people about where and how they can seek help if a problem arises.
Being willing to talk about sexuality can be key to establishing a healthy and comfortable partnership.
So, talk, share and most importantly - appreciate yourself!
Psychology as a scientific discipline covers a wide range of important and interesting areas of human behavior and experience, so I did not stop only at scientific and teaching work. Namely, my interest in psychotherapeutic work began after graduation when I had the opportunity to participate in workshops of the first and second degree of cognitive-behavioral therapy, followed by education in gestalt psychotherapy, which I officially completed in 2009.
This always happens when you start educating after formal education, that you want to expand your knowledge and skills even more, so I participated in workshops on systemic constellations and enrolled in education in sexual therapy. I am now a supervised sex therapist which means I still have one more part to do before graduation.
How to become a sex therapist? I will explain to you what it was like when I started my education, but for more detailed information it is best to contact the Society for Sexual Therapy, because they are a society that organizes education in sexual therapy. So, to become a sex therapist, you must first have completed education in a therapeutic field (e.g., CBT, transactional analysis, reality, gestalt, etc.) because you still need knowledge of therapeutic skills, techniques and understanding of the psychotherapeutic process. Sex therapy education is an upgrade as a form of subspecialization. Education is based on a biopsychosocial approach to understanding human sexuality, sexual disorders, and the study of sexuality as important aspects of human behavior and experience. If, on the other hand, you have not completed one of the accepted psychotherapeutic directions, in that case you can enroll in education and at the end you become a sexual health counselor.
What are the main goals of sexual therapy? Perhaps it is best to clarify the goals of sexual therapy through the very definition of sexual therapy. ST is a series of procedures aimed at establishing / improving individual sexual health and / or a sexually healthy relationship, i.e., mitigating the consequences of sexual health disorders and enabling easier coping with them. Here I would like to emphasize that a sexually healthy relationship has several features that are important to satisfy in order for that relationship to be called healthy.
