SEX THERAPY CERTIFICATION

BECOME AN EXCEPTIONAL SEX THERAPIST

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are enrolled in EDSE or EDST programming or have submitted an email or application, please add hello@everyonedeservessexed.com to your approved email list and check your spam and junk folders regularly. Our emails are frequently filtered — even if we have already corresponded — and we are not responsible for email correspondence you have missed as a result. This is one of many unfortunate realities for sexuality-related businesses in the U.S.

The expansive, relevant, & forward-thinking sex therapy certification that clinicians deserve.

EDST’s Sex Therapy Certification program is for progressive mental health professionals who want to expand into sex therapy and/or want to incorporate sexuality knowledge and protocols into their current practice, and they want a professional training that will equip them with the most up-to-date and innovative tools and interventions.

This one-of-a-kind comprehensive professional development training is provided using an intersectional lens that is informed by social, disability, gender, and racial justice frameworks. Our coursework centers empathy, justice, intentional language, and expansiveness while offering tools to help identify the ways power, privilege, and socially constructed belief systems influence the way we and our clients think about sex. This means you will not only receive knowledge, skills, and information, but also essential perspective on human identity, relationships, and development that will last a lifetime. Much of your learning process with EDST will also be an unlearning process. And that’s what makes this work so powerful.

CHECK OUT OUR FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)

who IS EDST FOR?

Traditional psychotherapy, social work, or clinical degree programs do not adequately prepare attendees to address sex, pleasure, trauma, non-normative relational dynamics, gender, and other sensitive and deeply personal issues that inevitably come up in their work.

Degree programs that do offer sexuality-specific training typically center normative perspectives that do not accurately reflect the expansiveness of human sexuality, and they often perpetuate outdated myths, harmful pathology, and false assumptions that modern research and analysis consistently challenge.

EDST attendees feel motivated to disrupt this cycle — they may already be doing so in their personal and professional lives — and choose to collaborate with mentors, supervisors, educators, and professional development programs that can help them along the way.

We especially recommend that you apply to the EDST program if you:

  • Prefer an active and interactive learning experience over watching pre-recorded webinars.

  • Enjoy or feel inspired by authentic discussions about stigmatized topics.

  • Feel driven to use your power to make impactful, incremental change within your field.

  • Recognize the political nature of sex, identity, and relationships and/or want to build a stronger understanding of how it all intersects.

  • Want a progressive, up-to-date Sex Therapy Certification that will automatically cover the training requirements for AASECT Sex Therapy Certification.*

WHO IS EDST not for?

We do not recommend that you apply to the EDST program if:

  • You are looking for a pre-recorded, fast-tracked way to get a Certified Sex Therapist credential.

  • You feel uncomfortable and unwilling to discuss topics like white supremacy, racism, classism, disability, patriarchy, misogyny, transphobia, fatphobia, and more.

  • You “stay out of politics” and/or believe sex is not political.

  • You are looking for a faith-based training centered in religious values and beliefs.

  • You do not support sex workers or believe sex work is work.

  • You consider yourself to be “gender critical” or believe that identity-specific words like “cisgender” are offensive.

  • You don’t believe that privilege — especially white privilege — exists.

WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS TO APPLY?

EDST applicants must:

  • Have a Master’s or advanced clinical degree in psychology, social work, family therapy, counseling, psychiatric nursing, or a related field. If the applicant lives outside of the U.S. or Canada, they must hold an equivalent degree. Email us if you aren’t sure if you’ve met these requirements.

    OR

    Be in the process of completing a Master’s or advanced clinical degree in psychology, social work, family therapy, counseling, psychiatric nursing, or a related field; and can provide proof of enrollment along with an expected date of completion.

  • Demonstrate a commitment to expansiveness as defined as: having respect and openness for, and supporting and promoting the differences in humankind, including race, culture, language, age, gender, ability, disability, sexual orientation, and relationship styles; and sex-positivity as defined as: practicing, holding, and promoting affirming attitudes about the vastness of sex and human sexuality; demonstrating respect for the sexual identity and sexual behavior** (or lack thereof) of others; and being willing and able to examine and take responsibility for biases, judgments, and knowledge gaps as they arise.

    *EDST attendees must also complete 18 months of supervision with at least one EDST-approved supervisor. This can be completed while attending EDST programming. If you plan to use your EDST certificaton to also seek AASECT certification, your supervisor(s) must be an AASECT-certified Supervisor of Sex Therapy.

    **In the context of sex-positivity, sexual behavior refers to consensual activity done with the intention of expressing, sharing, or experiencing sexual identity, pleasure, desire, or other forms of play or exchange. If it is not consensual, it is not considered sexual behavior — it is instead abuse or harm.

Complete your EDST Sex Therapy Certification from the comfort of your home, dorm, or office!

WHAT IS THE TRAINING LIKE?

EDST’s Sex Therapy Certification program takes place live online and can be attended from anywhere with an internet connection. Programming is hosted online once a month, on a Friday or Saturday, and takes place between the hours of 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. PT.

Each month’s training day features 6 total hours of content, either three 2-hour courses or two 3-hour courses. Each training day includes time for multiple 15-minute breaks.

VIEW THE 2026-2027 PROGRAM SCHEDULE

what are edst’s accessibility accommodations?

The following accessibility accommodations are standard in EDST programming:

  • Attendees are not required to have their cameras or microphones on during the trainings.

  • Attendees are encouraged to show up as they are. “Professional” attire or appearance is not expected, nor is it endorsed. Please prioritize your physical needs and comfort.

  • Eating, drinking, stretching/moving, and taking bio breaks are permitted and encouraged throughout the training, not just during designated breaktime.

  • The text chat is utilized in every training, and attendees are encouraged to participate using the chat if they are unable or do not want to participate verbally. Facilitators read out loud what attendees write in the chat so that it is included in the discussion.

  • Every training features live closed captioning, which shows up as white text on a black background at the bottom of the screen. Attendees can adjust the font size according to their needs.

  • Each session features a live transcript, which displays what is being said in real time on the right-hand side of the screen.

  • Facilitators are provided with written instructions for making their trainings more visually accessible. This includes: using presentations slides and creating them using high-contrast colors, large sans-serif fonts, and graphic and audio descriptions. Slides are also available to attendees to review afterward.

EDST works hard to improve accessibility with each training and we are always exploring capabilities that are unique to an online setting. If you require sign language interpretation, teaching materials additionally modified for vision or hearing impairment, or any other accessibility accommodations not listed here, please email us at edst@everyonedeservessexed.com 75 days prior to Day 1 of the training so we have time to accommodate your needs.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO GET CERTIFIED?

It takes approximately 2 years to finish the EDST Sex Therapy Certification. This is the amount of time it takes to complete EDST’s program requirements and supervision hours, while also covering all requirements for AASECT Sex Therapy Certification. NOTE: EDST is not simply a path toward AASECT certification — we cover far more content and training hours than AASECT requires!

If you are looking for a fast-track program, we understand! Unfortunately, that means EDST is not the right fit.

HOW DO I COMPLETE THE PROGRAM?

To complete EDST’s Sex Therapy Certification, you must:

EDST’s program schedule will be live soon!

WHAT TOPICS & SKILLS DOES EDST COVER?

EDST’s Sex Therapy Certification was made to address up-to-date topics, skills, perspectives, and interventions that are often missing from other progams! We built our curriculum using valuable feedback, perspectives, and experiences shared with us by therapists, supervisors, and clinicians working in academia and/or the sexuality field.

During your two years with EDST, you will cover sexuality topics like:

  • Sexual identity development throughout the lifespan

  • Understanding and working with libido beyond “desire discrepency”

  • Sexuality norms, expectations, and social constructs

  • Understanding gender as more than a “spectrum”

  • Bodies and pleasure anatomy through an anti-oppressive lens

  • “Paraphilias” and alternative sexual practices

  • Sex, death, and grief

  • Trauma-informed approaches to addressing pelvic pain

  • Identifying and combating red-pill ideology

  • “Sober sex” and pleasure in recovery

  • Sex, pleasure, and peri/menopause

And sex therapy skills like:

  • Sensate Focus

  • OCD presentations and impact on identity, pleasure, and relationship

  • Surrogate partner therapy and the triadic model

  • Modern approaches to infidelity, sex or porn “addiction,” and other common relational challenges

  • Navigating differing sexual values, beliefs, and practices

  • Neurodiversity, sensory variance, and sexual expression

  • Vulnerability, risk, and confrontation in sex therapy

  • Deconstructing the ego of the developing sex therapist

  • Techniques for masculine social scripts and presentations

  • Interprofessional practice: community through strategic collaboration and referral

  • Visual, sensory, and intuitive wisdom in sex therapy


Have questions that aren’t addressed here? Visit our FAQs page or email us here.