Explore our
Online Post-Master's Certificate Program in Sex Therapy Training
Explore our
Online Post-Master's Certificate Program in Sex Therapy Training
Sexuality is a core dimension of human functioning which, too often, is overshadowed by shame, stigma, and silence. Sex therapy can help people explore, understand, and improve challenges experienced in sexual functioning. Ackerman’s sex therapy training program uses a systemic/relational framework that incorporates contextual variables (e.g., race, class, gender, sexual orientation, religion/spirituality, etc.), self of the therapist, and social justice. We seek to prepare therapists to employ a respectful and non-biased stance to the assessment and treatment of sexual issues that considers physical, psychological, and emotional factors that can cause sexual challenges.
About the Program
The Ackerman Institute for the Family (AIF) is one of the most highly regarded institutions for training post-master’s mental health practitioners in systems theory and thinking. We have a highly trained faculty and use the Ackerman Relational Approach (ARA), a comprehensive relational framework, in which sex and sexuality are viewed not just from the perspective of the individual but also within the larger contexts of relationships, family, society, culture, power and privilege, and the self of the therapist.
The AIF’s online Post-Master’s Certificate Program in Sex Therapy is comprised of the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists’ (AASECT) Core Knowledge Areas’ educational components and the Sexual Attitude Reassessment (SAR) seminar needed to become a certified sex therapist. The curriculum is designed for post-master’s level individuals who are trained in a mental health profession and want to expand their knowledge and skills in sex therapy. Others, such as medical providers, clergy, educators, and counselors may also benefit from the program if they aim to seek AASECT certification as a sex educator or counselor. The program is cost effective and convenient with online courses.
Please note, this program is in partial fulfillment of AASECT’s requirements for certified sex therapist. AASECT Certification is not automatic. AASECT stipulates that applicants must be licensed/certified to practice psychology, medicine, social work, counseling, nursing, or marriage and family therapy in the United States, Canada, Mexico, or Israel in order to qualify for certification as an AASECT Certified Sex Therapist. In all cases, the Certification Committee determines whether or not AASECT certification is awarded.
*Completion of this program does not ensure or guarantee AASECT certification. For further information please contact info@assect.org or visit www.aasect.org.
For the certificate program, applications are currently under rolling review. They will remain open until otherwise informed.
Registrants for standalone courses may register up to one week prior to the beginning of the course.
Sex Therapy Training
Ackerman sex therapy trainees will learn to work with common sexual challenges such as:
- Sexual desire and interest
- Ejaculation and erectile functioning
- Arousal, orgasm, and painful sex
- Impulsive/compulsive pornography
- Sexual trauma
- Sexuality and infidelity
- Open relationships
- Eroticism
- Kink
- Sexuality and intimacy
- LGBTQ+ sexuality
- Collaboration and referrals
Our online certificate program in sex therapy training covers a wide variety of topics that include assessment, case conceptualization, and treatment planning. Attention also is given to family of origin and socio-political-cultural influences along with an exploration of personal values, attitudes, and biases.
AASECT Continuing Education Credits
The AIF is an approved organizational provider of continuing education (CE) credits for the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT). Our online post-master’s certificate program in sex therapy training provides 90 credits in AASECT’s Core Knowledge Areas toward the total 150 credits required by AASECT for eligibility as a certified sex therapist. Also, we provide the SAR (Sexual Attitude Reassessment) seminar which satisfies the required 14-credits in AASECT’s Attitudes and Values Training. Optional add-on courses and/or workshops relevant to sex therapy training in Ackerman’s Community and International Training may be available toward the additional 60 CE credits in sex therapy training needed to satisfy the total 150 CE credits required by AASECT to apply for certified sex therapist.
Academic Calendar
AIF’s trimester online Post-Master’s Certificate Program in Sex Therapy Training meets on Wednesdays from 5:00 pm to 8:15 pm (ET). AASECT counts one (1) CE credit as 60 minutes. There is one 15-minute break during the class, which is accounted for in the class time of 5:00 pm to 8:15 pm (ET). For the 2024-2025 academic year, classes begin on Wednesday, September 25, 2024. Three 10-week courses are required to complete the certificate program, with one course in the Fall, Winter, and Spring.
The SAR is recommended and offered as a two-day workshop in Spring 2025 (dates to be decided). The SAR is not required as a condition of Ackerman to complete the certificate program. Please note that you will need to complete the SAR as a requirement of eligibility to become an AASECT Certified Sex Therapist.
Certificate Eligibility
To be eligible for our certificate program, you must have a graduate degree and one year of clinical experience.
Anyone interested in taking a standalone sex therapy course or the SAR without applying to the certificate program may register to take the course and/or the SAR. Please note that you must have a graduate degree to receive AASECT continuing education credits for any of the courses and SAR.
Tuition and Application Fee
- Tuition for the 2025–2026 academic year is $2000.00 per course for a total of $6000.00 for three (3) courses. Tuition for each course is due in the trimester when offered. See below timetable.
- Tuition for the Spring 2025 SAR is $575.00.
- Non-refundable tuition deposit upon acceptance is $1000.00.
- Non-refundable application fee for 2025–2026 is $100.00.
| Payment Type | Amount Due | Due Date |
|---|---|---|
| Application Fee | $100.00 | At time of application. |
| Payment #1 | $2,000.00 | September 12, 2025 |
| Payment #2 | $2,000.00 | December 18, 2025 |
| Payment #3 | $2,000.00 | March 13, 2026 |
Financial Aid
Financial aid is not available.
Program Completion
All three didactic courses must be taken to complete the certificate program. Courses should be taken sequentially. One course is offered each trimester. The certificate program may be completed on a full-time basis or part-time. To receive all 90 AASECT continuing education credits, you must attend each class in its entirety and complete an evaluation. To be present, you must have your camera on and be fully engaged in class. Classes cannot be made up. You will receive AASECT continuing education credits only for those classes you attend and are present.
Curriculum
The sex therapy training program goals are as follows:
- Understand sexuality as a basic and crucial human function.
- Promote relational/systemic approaches to sex therapy and counseling.
- Recognize personal sexual values and biases.
- Understand sexual functioning and dysfunction.
- Support ethical and professional integrity in the practice of sex therapy and counseling.
- Promote awareness of power and privilege in relation to sexuality and sexual functioning.
- Foster sensitivity to diverse sexual expression, behavior, and populations.
- Recognize need for collaboration and referrals.
There are three (3) required didactic courses and the recommended SAR, which are as follows:
September – December 2025
Wednesdays 5:00 – 8:15 pm (ET)
Tuition Fee: $2,000.00
Introduction to Sex Therapy, an online synchronous course, is the first of three 30-hour courses for the certificate program in sex therapy training. In this course, trainees will learn the Ackerman Relational Approach, which is a comprehensive systemic framework for viewing sex and sexuality within the broader contexts of the intimate relationship, family, society, culture, power and privilege, and the self of the therapist. Trainees also will learn the fundamentals of AASECT certification and the ASSECT professional code of conduct. Further, trainees will learn about the following including but not limited to history of sexology; sexual anatomy and physiology; sexual response cycles; sexual disorders; sexual assessment and treatment; sexual narratives; and diversity in sexual expression.
January – March 2025
Wednesdays 5:00 – 8:15 pm (ET)
Tuition: $2,000
Intimacy and Sexuality in Couples, an online synchronous course, is the second of three 30-hour courses in the certificate program in sex therapy training. The focus of this course will be on issues of intimacy, including but not limited to intimacy fears; commitment; secrets; resentments; affairs; communication; fantasies; and the impact of intimacy issues on sexuality in couples, including non-traditional couples (e.g., non-monogamy, polyamory), and specific techniques (e.g., sensate focus). In addition, this course will focus on contextual variables such as race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation, culture, religion/spirituality, power and privilege, age, ability, trauma, and the self of the therapist. The framework used is the Ackerman Relational Approach (ARA), a comprehensive, relationally based model.
March – May 2025
Wednesdays 5:00 – 8:15 pm (ET)
Tuition: $2,000
Systemic Sex Therapy, an online synchronous course, is the third of three 30-hour courses. The Ackerman Relational Approach will be used in focusing on advanced topics in sex therapy assessment and treatment. The topics include but are not limited to physical issues impacting sex; the multidimensionality of sex; sexual diversity; gender variance; transgender phenomena; paraphilias; alternate lifestyles; non-monogamy; sexual minorities; and preconceptions of normalcy. Self of the therapist also will be accentuated along with contextual variables such as race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation, culture, religion/spirituality, power and privilege, age, trauma, and ability.
Sexual Attitude Reassessment (SAR)
The SAR seminar is designed to facilitate participants’ exploration of their own conscious and unconscious sexual values, attitudes, feelings, behaviors, beliefs and biases relative to professional interactions. These are considered within the context of participants’ social identities and locations (e.g., race, ethnicity, class, gender, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, religion, spirituality, age and ability) along with positions of power and privilege.
Application Process
- A graduate degree and one year of clinical experience
- A resume
- Copy of degree
- A personal statement of interest
- One (1) professional letter of recommendation
- A completed application with a $100.00 non-refundable application fee
Application Deadline
For the certificate program, the deadline to apply is June 30th, 2025, after which applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Registrants for standalone courses may register up to one week prior to the beginning of the course.
Program Policies
Meet Our Faculty
Marjorie Nightingale, PhD, JD, LMFT
Couples & Family Therapist
FAQs: Sex Therapy Training at Ackerman
For the certificate program, the deadline to apply is June 30th, 2025, after which applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Registrants for standalone courses may register up to one week prior to the beginning of the course.
You will need the following:
- Completed online application form
- Copy of graduate degree
- Professional letter of recommendation
- CV / Resume
- $100 application fee
- Personal Statement: In 250 words, describe your interest in sex therapy training at Ackerman.
Financial aid is not provided for this course.
The Ackerman Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that relies on donors and earned revenue to work toward our mission. The full expense of training at Ackerman is subsidized by the generosity of our donors. Your tuition fees cover only a small portion of this expense. We thank you for investing in your professional future and for supporting the Ackerman Institute for the Family.
Applicants will be notified of acceptance or denial by email within 10 business days of receipt of the application.
The certificate program provides 90 AASECT CEs in AASECT’s Core Knowledge Areas. The recommended optional Sexual Attitude Reassessment (SAR) seminar provides 14 AASECT CEs in AASECT’s Attitudes and Values Training. Please note that the 14-hour SAR also is a requirement for becoming an AASECT Certified Sex Therapist.
Trainees can earn 30 AASECT CEs per trimester upon successful completion of each course. Attendance is required for the entirety of each class to receive 30 AASECT CEs for each of the three courses for a total of 90 CE credits. AASECT CE certificates are issued within two weeks of course and evaluation completion. No certificate will be issued without an evaluation within the time frame specified.
Continuing education credits for other mental health disciplines (e.g., social work, couple and family therapy, and psychology) are not offered for this program.
We understand that some applicants will be completing their master’s degree in advance of the course start date. We will consider applications with proof of a pending master’s degree.
If you have not yet received your master’s degree, you may upload a copy of your official transcript or a certificate of graduation letter from your master’s program. A degree must be provided at the time of enrollment.
This course will be presented online via Zoom. Trainees are required to attend online classes from a computer in good working condition with a strong WiFi connection. For the best experience, we recommend using headphones and a microphone during class meetings.
Trainees are not permitted to record class meetings. Unauthorized recordings may result in termination from the program.
Most questions can be answered by reading our Sex Therapy Certificate Program Policies.
If you have more questions about applying to the certificate program, contact our admissions department: admissions@ackerman.org