AASECT REQUIREMENTS FOR SEXUALITY EDUCATOR CERTIFICATION 

 

The American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT) has established that the following educational and experiential activities will meet the requirements for certification as a Sexuality Educator.

I. Membership in AASECT:

The applicant may hold Full, Institutional, Retired or Life Membership in AASECT.

II. AASECT Code of Ethics:

The applicant will have read the AASECT Code of Ethics. By signing the certification application form, the applicant agrees to be bound by the AASECT Code of Ethics.

III. Academic and Professional Experience as a Sexuality Educator:

The applicant will have earned an academic degree from an accredited college or university and acquired professional experience as follows:

 

A.  Bachelor's degree plus four years of professional experience as a sexuality educator (1,000 hours per year), or;

B.  Master's degree plus three years of professional experience as a sexuality educator (1,000 hours per year), or;

C.  A Doctorate degree plus two years of professional experience as a sexuality educator (1,000 hours per year).

D.  Applicants from outside the United States must document equivalent academic and professional experience.

For each year of professional experience, a minimum of 100 student-teacher contact hours providing sexuality education must be documented. These hours are part of, not in addition to, the 1,000 hours required per year.

 

Sexuality education experience may have been obtained before, during, or after the completion of the highest degree earned.

 

What Qualifies As Professional Sexuality Education Experience?

Professional sexuality education experience may be paid or volunteer and may include classroom teaching at the elementary, secondary, and higher education levels. It also includes education for groups of children, adolescents, or adults, training for professionals, and outreach and education in community-based, healthcare, corporate, and faith-based settings.

 

Examples of professional experience include, but are not limited to:

 

A.  Participating in professional development seminars, training, conferences, and courses.

B.  Designing and conducting workshops, courses, and seminars.

C.  Contributing to the sexuality education literature, developing curriculum.

D.  Planning and administering programs.

D.  Delivering lectures and providing one-on-one client education sessions.

 

Sexuality educators teach and train about a range of topics, including but not limited to sexual health; sexual and reproductive anatomy and physiology; family planning, contraception, and pregnancy/childbirth; sexually transmitted infections; gender identity and roles; gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender issues; sexual function and dysfunction; sexual pleasure; sexual variation; sexuality and disability; sexuality and chronic illness; sexual development across the lifespan; sexual abuse, assault, and coercion; and sexuality across culture.

If you are uncertain whether or not certain experience counts, please contact the Chair of the AASECT Sexuality Educator Certification Committee.

IV. Human Sexuality Education:

The applicant will have completed a minimum of ninety (90) clock hours (1 clock hour = 60 minutes) of education in the following thirteen core areas:

A.  Sexual and reproductive anatomy/physiology.
B.  Developmental sexuality (from conception through old age) from a psychological, sociological, and biological perspective.
C.  Dynamics of interpersonal relationships.
D.  Gender-related issues.
E.  Sexual orientations and gender identities.
F.  Socio-cultural factors (ethnicity, culture, religiosity, socioeconomic status) in sexual values and behavior.
G.  Relationship and family dynamics.
H.  Health factors that may influence sexuality including illness, disability, drugs, abortion, pregnancy, contraception, fertility, HIV/AIDS, sexually transmissible infections , and safer sex practices.
I.  Sexuality research principles.
J.  Sexual exploitation, including sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and sexual assault.
K.  Learning theory and application.
L.  Presentation skills.
M.  Diversity in sexual expression.

It is expected that the applicant document at least three (3) clock hours (1 clock hour = 60 minutes) per content area listed above (A-M). The remaining hours can be spread as desired amongst the thirteen core areas, with a maximum of twenty (20) hours in any one area.

 

Education should be from accredited university or college, may include AASECT CE credits, or be a combination of both.

Please refer to Section VII of this document for examples of acceptable documentation sources.

V. Attitudes and Values Training Experience:
A.  The applicant will have participated in a minimum of ten (10) clock hours of structured group experience in which the major focus is on a process-oriented exploration of the applicant's own feelings, attitudes, values, and beliefs regarding human sexuality and sexual behavior (e.g., a Sexuality Attitudes Reassessment (SAR)). The applicant must have been an attendee in the SAR and not been functioning as a facilitator or co-facilitator in any capacity.

Such training may not be personal psychotherapy or an academic experience in which the primary emphasis is on cognitive information. It is strongly recommended that this experience occur early in the applicant's training to be most beneficial.

It is preferred that the SAR be AASECT sponsored or approved.

 

B.  The applicant will submit a one-page comprehensive statement of his or her professional philosophy and goals of sex education, including how the SAR affected that philosophy.

VI. Sexuality Education Training

The applicant shall have completed a minimum of sixty (60) clock hours of training in how to do sexuality education. A portion of these hours in sexuality education training may be in general education (e.g., undergraduate or graduate courses in counseling), but at least thirty (30) hours must be in sexuality education.  Sexuality education training may have been obtained through credit courses, tutorials, workshops, practicum experiences, etc. If you are uncertain if a training experience will qualify please contact the certification chair.  Sexuality education training will include, but is not limited to:

 

A.  Theory and methods of general education (including curriculum development, delivery, and evaluation).

B.  Theory and methods of sexuality education (including curriculum development, delivery, and evaluation).

C.  Ethical issues in sexuality education.

D.  Theory and methods of approaches to sexuality education with specific populations (e.g. youth, older adults, couples).

E.  Theory and methods of different approaches sexuality education delivery (e.g. small group work, one on one education, large group lectures).

 

Note:  The difference between the requirements in Human Sexuality Education (V) and Sexuality Education Training (VI) is that the education requirement in V is directed at general knowledge about human sexuality, while the training requirements in VI are directed at specific skills in sexuality education. The two overlap, but they are sufficiently different. Therefore, documentation is necessary in each.

 

VII. Consultation:
The applicant will have completed a consultation of at least 25 hours with an AASECT Certified Sexuality Educator. The minimum duration of the consultation will have been at least three (3) months. The twenty-five (25) hours of consultation must be provided by a consultant with a minimum of three (3) years as an AASECT Certified Sexuality Educator. Some experience in the consultation role is recommended for the person serving as consultant, but is not required.

 

Consultation should occur with some regularity once initiated (e.g. once a week or twice a month for a minimum of one hour per consultation session and a maximum of four hours per session). Consultation may include but not be limited to:

A.  Development of an educational/learning philosophy.
B.  Curriculum and syllabus development.
C.  Direct observation of teaching/training activities.
D.  Discussion and development of pedagogic styles and strategies.

In the event there is no AASECT Certified Sexuality Educator within a reasonable geographic location, an alternative method of consultation may be proposed to the AASECT Sexuality Educator Certification Committee. For example, although in-person consultation/supervision is preferable, long distance consultation/supervision is acceptable and should include telephone and email dialogue as well as review of audio or videotapes of the applicant’s teaching.

The consultant will review and evaluate the applicant's academic preparation, professional experience, and educational/facilitation skills. Through the provision of a sexuality education program developed and implemented by the applicant, the consultant will seek to determine the applicant's ability to:

A.  Assess educational needs.
B.  Define goals and objective.
C.  Match teaching strategies with proposed outcomes.
D.  Design and effectively use instruments which assess the performance (knowledge, behavior, attitude changes) of program participants and program effectiveness.
E.  Utilize evaluation feedback.
F.  Apply educational research findings.
G.  Access and use other human and material resources.
H.  Implement and effectively utilize educational methodologies which address the cognitive and affective dimensions of sexuality.

The following do not meet the consultation requirements:

A.  Consultation with a family member or a significant other.
B.  Consultation with a colleague with whom one is involved in a business partnership.
C.  Management or administrative meetings with an organizational director or executive.

Consultation can take place in either an individual or group context, with group consultation accounting for no more than 50% of the consultation hours.

Group consultation, to be most effective, should contain no more than 4 consultees per individual consultant and, where possible, should be extended beyond one hour. If two consultants meet together to do group consultation, they may have 5-8 consultees in the group. The time that each group meets should be equivalent to one hour per each consultee. (If there are 4 consultees, the group should then meet for four hours). Each consultee will be awarded however many hours the group meets as that many hours of GROUP consultation. (If the group meets for 3 hours with 3 consultees, each consultee will be credited with 3 hours of group consultation time). Consultation sessions are not permitted to last for more than 4 hours per session.

VIII. Documentation:
The following documentation must be submitted in  one copy, one sided with no binding or staples,  for review by the Sexuality Educator Certification Committee. The material will become the property of AASECT. Each document should be clearly marked so as to identify the requirements to which it applies. Include each of the following:

A.  Completed formal application for AASECT Certified Sexuality Educator that is signed and dated.
B.  Official transcripts of programs(s) in which degree(s) was earned (Item III).
C.  Official documentation of ninety (90) hours of education in the designated core areas of human sexuality. Documentation must include the dates, sponsors, faculty, and content of the educational experience, transcripts of course work, certificates of attendance, continuing education (CE) certificates, or other credible evidence. Dates of attendance, official sponsor, and faculty must be included on all non-academic materials (Item IV).

D.  Official documentation of participation in a structured group experience focused on personal attitudes, beliefs, and values (e.g., SAR) (Item V-A).
E.  Statement of philosophy of sexuality education (Item V-B).
F.  Letter(s) from employer(s) and/or supervisor(s) documenting required years experience in providing comprehensive sexuality education (Item III).
G.  Signed Certificate of Endorsement from consultant attesting to the applicant's having received twenty-five (25) hours of supervised consultation (Item VI) (use AASECT provided form).
H.  Signed Certificate of Endorsement from a professional colleague (use AASECT provided form).
I.  The appropriate certification fee.

IX. Miscellaneous:
A.  Upon the approval of the Sexuality Education Certification Committee, the successful applicant will receive a certificate in recognition of having met the AASECT requirements for certification in the area of sexuality education. This certificate will be subject to renewal after three (3) years, with subsequent renewals every five (5) years.
B.  Membership in AASECT must be maintained on an annual basis to retain the AASECT certification status. If membership in AASECT lapses, certification will also lapse.

X. Implementation of New Certification Requirements:
Individuals currently involved in the process of becoming certified by AASECT are subject to the requirements outlined in this document.

WHAT COUNTS AS CE CREDITS TOWARDS AASECT CERTIFICATION: 

The minimum requirement for certification as a Certified Professional is:

 

10 CEs (hours) of SAR

90 CEs (hours) of human sexuality education.
60 CEs (hours) of training specific to sexuality education.

SAR (10 CEs): It is preferred that the SAR be AASECT sponsored or approved.
 
Human Sexuality Education (90 CEs)
It is preferred that the 90 CEs (hours) of human sexuality education be acquired via university coursework. However, in some instances where attendance at university courses is impossible or creates undue hardship, AASECT will consider recognizing a combination of the following alternate mechanisms for accruing CEs.

NB:  Of the 90 CEs (hours) of human sexuality education, distance learning (such as the inserts in Contemporary Sexuality) can only count for a maximum of 30 CEs.

The applicant must have at least 30 hours of AASECT sponsored or approved and 60 hours of a combination of the following:
 
1. Tutorials by an AASECT Certified Sexuality Educator (various reading requirements and extensive discussion/dialogue, verified by a letter from the tutor). Up to a maximum of 30 AASECT credits. Certified professionals should have their tutorials approved by AASECT in advance. In unusual circumstances, 60 AASECT credits may be awarded, if this was approved in advance by AASECT.

2. Non-AASECT sponsored or approved sexuality education (2 hours = 1 AASECT credit). This does not apply to courses taken at a university or college. Distance learning in this category can only count for a maximum of 20 AASECT credits.

3. Publication of a sexually related book. The book must meet AASECT criteria as determined by the certification committee. Each book = up to 10 credits, depending on the subject, content, and length of the book, as determined by the certification committee. If there is more than one book, each book has to be about a completely different sexual related topic.

4. Publication of a paper in a professional journal or a chapter in a text book. The content must be about some aspect of human sexuality, and the journal or book must meet AASECT criteria as determined by the certification committee. Each article or chapter = up to 5 AASECT credits. If there is more than one paper or chapter, each of them has to be about a completely different sexual related topic.
5. Editing of collected works, books, or journals about sexually related issues. The certification committee will determine if the edited work meets AASECT criteria. Each edited work = up to 10 AASECT credits. If there is more than one edited work, each work has to be about a completely different sexual related topic.
6. Master’s thesis about some aspect of human sexuality. Up to 5 AASECT credits.
7. Doctoral dissertation about some aspect of human sexuality. Up to 15 AASECT credits.
8. Designing and conducting a sexually related training or sexually enrichment program for AASECT members (sponsored or approved by AASECT). Up to a maximum of 15 hours of presentation.
9.  Designing and conducting a sexually related training or sexually enrichment program for a non-AASECT setting, or one not sponsored by AASECT. The certification committee will determine whether the teaching experience meets AASECT criteria. Up to a maximum of 10 hours of presentation.