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Psychosexual Therapist

Accreditation criteria

There are minimum standards for Provisional and Clinical accreditation as a Psychosexual Therapist. Existing members can apply for accreditation through the Members Portal.

Provisional Psychosexual Therapist

It is necessary to have experience in counselling; this experience need not be in a psychosexual context. 

Supervision and Client Hours

  • A minimum of 200 client-contact hours. These do NOT have to be all sex therapy oriented and can be counted over an extended timeframe.
  • A minimum of 50 supervision hours consisting of a minimum of 30 hours individual supervision, with maximum 20 hours group supervision. Peer supervision is not counted for provisional accreditation. The supervisor needs to be approved by Society of Australian Sexologists Ltd.

    Sexological Psychotherapy Training

    A minimum of 72 hours (or RPL equivalent) is required covering the following areas:

    1. Communication skills training in a sexological context (interpersonal micro-skills, report writing) 
    2. Professional practice issues in psychosexual therapy (including sexual history taking, self-awareness/self in the therapeutic context, referrals, professional development, ethics, law) 
    3. Counselling theories
    4. Counselling issues in psychosexual therapy

    Sexological Education

    A minimum of 216 hours (or RPL equivalent) is required covering the following content areas:

    • Overview of the discipline of sexology (including historical and contemporary approaches to psychosexual therapy and sexuality research)
    • Socio-Cultural Aspects of Sex, Sexuality, and Gender (including sexual and gender diversity/identity, spirituality/religion, ethnicity/race, ability, sexual subcultures)
    • Sexual Function and Dysfunction (including diagnosis, testing/assessment, intervention)
    • Sexual and reproductive anatomy and physiology (including models of sexual response cycles)
    • Developmental sexuality across the lifespan
    • Knowledge of sexually transmitted infections and safer sex practices
    • Knowledge of atypical sexual behaviours (including rape and sexual assault, paraphilias, and fetishes)
    • Familiarity of current research in psychosexual therapeutic and sexuality-related (broad) research.

    Attitudes and Values Training Experience

    A minimum of 12 hours is required in:

    • A Society of Australian Sexologists Ltd. approved Attitudes and Values training experience (e.g. SAR); consisting of a process oriented exploration of the applicant’s own feelings, attitudes, values, and beliefs regarding human sexuality and sexual behaviour.

    Such training is not to be construed as personal psychotherapy or as an academic experience in which the primary emphasis is on cognitive information.

    The applicant will submit a one page comprehensive statement of his/her professional philosophy and goals of psychosexual therapy including how the SAR affected that philosophy.

    Proof of Registration with Approved Professional Association

    • AHPRA Occupations include: Medicine, Nursing & Midwifery, Physiotherapy, Psychology, and Occupational Therapy (the occupations listed for APHRA that are not appropriate for psychosexual therapy accreditation are: dentistry, podiatry, chiropractic, optometry, osteopathy, and pharmacy)
    • PACFA Mas
    • Australian Counselling Association
    • Australian Association of Social Workers
    • or equivalent Professional Association

    International Applicants: Applicants from countries other than Australia seeking accreditation as a Psychosexual Therapist will need to meet this criterion as appropriate to their national registration standards. Proof of registration with the respective professional body will need to be supplied.

    Proof of Professional Indemnity Insurance

    Proof of National Police Check (and/or Working with Children’s Check where appropriate)


    Clinical Psychosexual Therapist

    To achieve Clinical Accredited status a practitioner is required to have extensive experience in psychosexual therapy.

    Supervision and Client Hours

    • A minimum of 1000 client-contact hours (may include the 200 hours from Provisional accreditation). All hours except the first 200 hours MUST be sex therapy oriented.
    • A minimum of 80 supervision hours (may include the 50 hours from Provisional accreditation) consisting of a minimum of 50 hours individual supervision, with a maximum of 20 hours group supervision and a maximum of 10 hours peer supervision. The supervisor needs to be approved by Society of Australian Sexologists Ltd.

    Sexological Psychotherapy Training

    A minimum of 72 hours (or RPL equivalent) is required covering the following areas:

    1. Communication skills training in a sexological context (interpersonal micro-skills, report writing) 
    2. Professional practice issues in psychosexual therapy (including sexual history taking, self-awareness/self in the therapeutic context, referrals, professional development, ethics, law) 
    3. Counselling theories
    4. Counselling issues in psychosexual therapy

      Sexological Education

      A minimum of 216 hours (or RPL equivalent) is required covering the following content areas:

      • Overview of the discipline of sexology (including historical and contemporary approaches to psychosexual therapy and sexuality research)
      • Socio-Cultural Aspects of Sex, Sexuality, and Gender (including sexual and gender diversity/identity, spirituality/religion, ethnicity/race, ability, sexual subcultures)
      • Sexual Function and Dysfunction (including diagnosis, testing/assessment, intervention)
      • Sexual and reproductive anatomy and physiology (including models of sexual response cycles)
      • Developmental sexuality across the lifespan
      • Knowledge of sexually transmitted infections and safer sex practices
      • Knowledge of atypical sexual behaviours (including rape and sexual assault, paraphilias, and fetishes)
      • Familiarity of current research in psychosexual therapeutic and sexuality-related (broad) research.

      Attitudes and Values Training Experience

      A minimum of 12 hours is required in:

      • A Society of Australian Sexologists Ltd. approved Attitudes and Values training experience (e.g. SAR); consisting of a process oriented exploration of the applicant’s own feelings, attitudes, values, and beliefs regarding human sexuality and sexual behaviour.

      Such training is not to be construed as personal psychotherapy or as an academic experience in which the primary emphasis is on cognitive information.

      The applicant will submit a one page comprehensive statement of his/her professional philosophy and goals of psychosexual therapy including how the SAR affected that philosophy.

      Proof of Registration with Approved Professional Association

      • AHPRA Occupations include: Medicine, Nursing & Midwifery, Physiotherapy, Psychology, and Occupational Therapy (the occupations listed for APHRA that are not appropriate for psychosexual therapy accreditation are: dentistry, podiatry, chiropractic, optometry, osteopathy, and pharmacy)
      • PACFA Mas
      • Australian Counselling Association
      • Australian Association of Social Workers
      • or equivalent Professional Association

      International Applicants: Applicants from countries other than Australia seeking accreditation as a Psychosexual Therapist will need to meet this criterion as appropriate to their national registration standards. Proof of registration with the respective professional body will need to be supplied.

      Proof of Professional Indemnity Insurance

      Proof of National Police Check (and/or Working with Children’s Check where appropriate)

      The Society of Australian Sexologists Ltd (SAS) represents health and allied health professionals working in the area of sex therapy, sexuality education, sexual health and sexology. We are proud to be a member organisation of:

                                 

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