(Female) Sexual Health Therapist

Key skills/talents

Becoming a successful sexual health therapist in the UK requires a combination of specific skills and talents. Here are the key attributes essential for this profession:

• Empathy and Active Listening: A sexual health therapist must possess strong empathy to understand the emotional experiences of individuals or couples dealing with sensitive issues. Active listening skills are crucial for comprehending clients' concerns and facilitating open communication.

• Cultural Competence: Recognising and respecting diverse cultural backgrounds, values, and beliefs is essential. Cultural competence ensures that the therapist can effectively work with clients from various backgrounds, addressing the unique aspects of their experiences and challenges related to sexual health.

• Communication Skills: Effective verbal and non-verbal communication skills are paramount in helping clients feel comfortable discussing intimate topics. Therapists need to convey information clearly, ask probing questions, and facilitate open dialogues about sensitive subjects.

• Clinical and Diagnostic Skills: A solid foundation in clinical skills, including assessment, diagnosis, and treatment planning, is necessary. Sexual health therapists should be adept at conducting thorough assessments to identify both psychological and relational factors contributing to sexual difficulties.

• Professional Ethics and Boundaries: Maintaining high ethical standards and establishing clear professional boundaries is crucial in this field. Sexual health therapists must prioritise client confidentiality, adhere to ethical guidelines, and navigate potential ethical dilemmas with integrity.

• And of course computer skills to keep client records accurate and up-to-date, and indeed to book and schedule client meetings.

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​Qualifications required

To practise as a fully-fledged psychotherapist, it is crucial to undergo recognised training. This usually entails obtaining an undergraduate degree in a relevant field and/or being a qualified and experienced healthcare professional, such as a psychiatrist, psychologist, mental health nurse, or social worker. See Jen’s role for a full write-up about this career/field of work.

 

To focus more on the sexual health side of therapy, there are a number of courses you can do to become qualified and certified - which is essential - DO NOT do a 2-day online course and then put yourself out there; you could get into a very tricky situation with clients surrounding safeguarding. 

 

The College of Sexual and Relationship Therapists (COSRT) provides a diverse array of training and events: https://www.cosrt.org.uk/external-training-accredited-by-cosrt/accredited-professional-qualification-courses

 

As does the Contemporary Institute of Clinical Sexology (CICS): https://www.theinstituteofsexology.org/psychosexual-therapy-online-certificate

 

Relate also have an intensive 2 year course, accredited by COSRT: https://www.relate.org.uk/professional-diploma-psychosexual-therapy

 

Natasha did her 6-month course with Amy at Temple of the Feminine: https://www.templeofthefeminine.com/female-sexuality-practitioner-training

 

Training will come alongside all qualifications and any course you do, so we would not advise deviating from this (on friends and family)... Your training needs to be carefully supervised, so stay the course, and put the work in as required.

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Rules and regs

For a comprehensive list of all rules and regs relating to psychotherapy, and indeed for advice on indemnity insurance, then again, please refer to Jen’s role. These same rules will apply to being a sexual health therapist.

 

In a nutshell, however, they revolve around:

• Best interests of clients

• Professionalism

• Communication and consent

• Records and confidentiality

• Professional knowledge, skills and experience

• Social responsibility

• Trust and confidence​

Click here for more info: https://www.psychotherapy.org.uk/media/bkjdm33f/ukcp-code-of-ethics-and-professional-practice-2019.pdf

COSRT has a great information pamphlet on the need for Professional Indemnity Insurance: https://www.cosrt.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Professional-indemnity-insurance.pdf

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Remuneration framework

Sex therapy can be lucrative, with a starting salary of around £30,000. After five to 10 years' experience, this could rise to £45,000. A senior consultant to a hospital can secure £70,000-plus. And indeed via an experienced and well-recommended private practice, you could easily earn 6 figures (£100k plus).

 

Your salary will of course, always vary depending on factors like your experience, certifications and geographic location.

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How to get started

As previously mentioned COSRT is a great place to start looking for accredited courses. The list of courses gives details of whom you would be studying with & these companies are based throughout the UK: https://www.cosrtlearn.org.uk

 

COSRT also have a training platform, which gives information on self-access classes, seminars and conferences: https://www.cosrtlearn.org.uk

 

Tavistock Relationships have a diploma in Psychosexual Therapy and it states that the minimum entry requirements are:

• A clinical qualification in psychotherapy, counselling, or counselling psychology from a nationally recognized training, for example: UKCP, BACP, BPS

• Sufficient counselling and academic competencies demonstrating an ability to meet the demands of the course

• Two hundred hours of supervised face-to-face clinical work with individuals or couples

• Appropriate personal qualities (a high degree of reflexivity, capacity to make and maintain close personal relationships, ability to reflect on personal experience).

https://tavistockrelationships.org/training-courses/psychosexual-training-courses/diploma-in-psychosexual-therapy

 

And of course, the route Natasha took, and the course she did is listed above under qualifications. Of course there are limitations to what Natasha can practise with her certification, and what she can offer to clients, BUT, it could be a good entry-route for you… to see/verify if this is a route for you. If so, then you can become fully-fully qualified via a psychotherapy degree course and then onto a specialism in Sex Therapy, via the course links we’ve suggested above.

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Associations or official bodies to register with

The College of Sexual and Relationship Therapists is the UK’s only professional body dedicated to psychosexual and relationship therapists: https://www.cosrt.org.uk

 

However, and depending on how qualified you become, there are official bodies that represent psychotherapists, as we discussed in Jen’s role:

 

The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy is the UK's leading professional body for the counselling professions: https://www.bacp.co.uk/membership/home

The Counselling Directory has a list of more associations, some of which are more specialised: https://www.counselling-directory.org.uk/accreditation.html

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Job site links

Because it is such a specialism, most qualified sex therapists operate privately or via a larger psychotherapy clinic, so if a clinic route appeals to you, then google and research clinics near you and proactively send them your CV… It may well be that they don’t have a sex specialist, meaning you could fill that gap for them. It is likely you will still do this self-employed, though, so be mindful of that.

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The NHS Jobs website has some sex therapist (related) jobs as well: https://www.nhsjobs.com/job_list/Allied_Health_Professions/s4/Sexual_Health/d699

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Progression pathway​

Progression in this field/role very much depends on where you want to take it. Natasha is in the early stages of her career, and most likely (given her track record) qualifications in Sex Therapy, and of course the more qualified you become, the more work you can undertake and indeed the more money you can charge.

 

If you choose to do the full degree route, then like with Jen’s role, there are options to complete a PHD and focus on the research side of things, and/or indeed teach/lecture on the subject matter, alongside your clinic work.

 

And let's face it, it’s an interesting topic, so if you’re happy and confident enough to put your face behind your work - predominantly on social media - then you could quite easily become a public figure and do regular public speaking across the world… maybe even do some TV work.

 

As we always say on TWW, this is your life to live and if you're passionate enough, and driven enough, the world is yours to take.

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Additional links/FYIs

US weblink, but still full of great intel: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/how-to-become-sex-therapist