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The Erotic Highway

Re: Educationangry_smile
infomike 1 Reviews 6947 reads
posted

I can't believe that there are so few universities that offer human sexuality programs. I do know one lady who received a PhD from Widener (Chester, PA?), but I had no idea that college was one of so few. It's just disgraceful that such an important area is so badly neglected. No wonder there are so many problems in this society!

Maci_Grayston8221 reads

Hi LG,
I was curious what your educational/professional background is. More specifically, what steps did you take to gain the wisdom you now have and how long has the journey been? Also, if you would feel comfortable sharing the schools and programs, I would be interested in that as well...
Thank you!
xoxo
Gina Marie

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Love Goddess7783 reads

Dear Gina Marie,

Thank you for asking. I have attached a link to a brief description of my professional background. I'm in my 50s, so "the journey" has gone on for quite some time and still continues.

Depending on your current educational status, I would recommend going as far as possible. If you don't have a bachelor's - get one pronto. If you do, get a Master's, and so on. You're never too old - I'm doing my doctorate in human sexuality as we speak. Age, however, is not immaterial if you decide to get into a tenured track position at a university; if you are in your late 30s, chances are that a career in academia may be more difficult to achieve, since universities tend to snag people in their late 20s-early 30s fresh out of their PhDs and fellowships.

There are only a few specific human sexuality programs in universities these days, mainly because grants for researching sex are minuscule. Minnesota has a very public policy-oriented program, Widener, and of course the dear old Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality in San Francisco, which proudly proclaims not to take any federal funding in response to attemtps at government intervention in the curriculum. Another university in Montreal offers a Master's specifically in sexology; any other sex research usually takes place within the various social science disciplines concerned with human behavior, namely sociology and psychology. I started out with a Bachelor of Liberal Arts and a Master's in Clinical Psychology, with a license to practice psychotherapy. I am board-certified in California and New York. This means that I have gone through an internship process post-graduation and 3,000 hours of work prior to becoming licensed. I also have a certification from the American College of Sexologists and have completed their requirements for becoming a certified sexologist. You can check them out on the Net.

My final advice regarding any educational plans is to START NOW, wherever you are in your life. A bachelor's is ESSENTIAL - once you have that, the rest is gravy...

Good luck to you,
the Love Goddess

Related Link: Love Goddess and her professional background

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infomike6948 reads

I can't believe that there are so few universities that offer human sexuality programs. I do know one lady who received a PhD from Widener (Chester, PA?), but I had no idea that college was one of so few. It's just disgraceful that such an important area is so badly neglected. No wonder there are so many problems in this society!

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Maci_Grayston6167 reads

My undergraduate is in Liberal Studies as well.

I've just been accepted to IASHS for their certification programs in Sex Education and Clinical Sexology, so I was relieved to see the school on your list.

The program is quite expensive. Before I coughed up the cash, I guess I just wanted some reassurance that I'm heading in the right direction!

Thanks for your help!
xoxo
Gina Marie

P.S. One more question...Do you think it is possible to combine sexwork and therapy??? Once I receive my degrees and licensing, must I stop touching clients?

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Love Goddess6379 reads

You're welcome, Gina Marie,

If you become licensed as a LMFT or LCSW, then you must not touch therapy clients. Also remember that any subsequent certification obtained is always under the "jurisdiction" of the license you have...so if you're performing sexological bodywork and get into some kind of ethical trouble, the board will always look at the fact that you possess a state license that clearly stipulates no touching. For this reason, some psychotherapists and social workers practicing psychotherapy have let their licenses lapse (wouldn't advise it, quite frankly) just so they don't get into trouble with the boards.

Also remember that the practice of sexology per se is not regulated in any state except Florida. That gives you lots of leeway, but also carries the potential of lawsuits, etc. Some sexologists have been able to buy some form of malpractice insurance, but take it from a licensed therapist: even if there is the POTENTIAL of doodoo hitting the fan, my God, it's so great to know that your professional organization (in my case CAMFT) and your malpractice people are there to back you up. I've never been sued but I've had a scare or two, mostly coming from angry attorneys trying to force me to cough up client information. I'm not one to be frightened by ANY white-collar professionals, but still, it's a good feeling to know that you're protected. I'm happy to be a licensed professional and I don't need to touch my clients to work effectively with them. I leave the touching, if need be, to sexual surrogates. Of course for some reason, my clients don't seem to have a problem with being touched...in fact, some of them come to me because they've been touched a little too much ;-).

In any event, good luck with your studies,
the Love Goddess

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Maci_Grayston6753 reads

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