Introduction to Sex Therapy | An 8-Hour Online Intensive for Regulated Health Professionals | Transcend Training Institute

Transcend Training Institute

Where clinical
sexual health
training begins.

Introduction to Sex Therapy is a focused 8-hour online intensive for regulated health professionals. Four modules. Immediately applicable. The essential foundation before any other training in this area.

Enrol now View the curriculum
4
Focused modules covering ethics, diversity, sexual response, and applied assessment and intervention
~8
Hours of self-paced learning, including reading, video, interactive activities, and knowledge checks
70%
Required passing score on each module's knowledge check before advancing -- this is clinical training, not a webinar
Introduction to sex therapy online course materials and clinical handouts

Where this fits

Three levels of training.
This is the first one.

You are here
Introduction to Sex Therapy
~8 hours · 4 modules · Self-paced
The essential orientation. Ethics, cultural humility, sexual response theory, and applied assessment and intervention -- delivered in a focused, clinically grounded intensive.
Next step
Foundations of Sex Therapy
~16 hours · 8 modules
Deeper clinical grounding across the same areas, with expanded diagnostic knowledge, validated assessment tools, and a full intervention section. The natural next step after this course.
Certification
Canadian Certified Sex Therapist
12 modules · Competency evaluated
The full credential pathway. Graduate-level training with cohort consultation and a competency-based certification as a Canadian Certified Sex Therapist.
Sex therapy training pathway from introductory course to certification

What this course is

The clinical orientation every
clinician needs
before anything else.

"It does not certify you as a sex therapist. It gives you the language, the framework, and the practical tools to begin responsibly."

Most regulated health professionals encounter sexual health concerns in clinical practice long before they have received any training in the area. This course exists to close that gap directly and efficiently.

Across four sequentially structured modules, it covers the ethical foundation, the cultural competency, the theoretical grounding in sexual response, and the applied clinical skills that allow any regulated clinician to engage with sexual health presentations responsibly. Every module includes embedded video, interactive activities, and a knowledge check with a required passing score.

1
Non-pathologizing clinical language
How to talk about sexuality without importing normative assumptions. The ethics of clinical language and what diagnostic humility looks like in practice.
2
Scope of practice clarity
What you are and are not authorized to do, and the distinction between regulatory authorization and specialist competence. No ambiguity.
3
GSERD competency
The GSERD framework applied clinically. Minority stress theory, intersectionality, and cultural humility as a practice rather than a fixed endpoint.
4
Sexual response theory
Spontaneous versus responsive desire, arousal non-concordance, the Dual Control Model, and why these distinctions resolve most presentations that arrive labelled as disorders.
5
A first session framework
A 10-step practical structure for an initial sexual health session, from presenting concern through biopsychosocial assessment to preliminary formulation and next steps.
6
Foundational interventions
Permission-giving, responsive desire education, arousal non-concordance psychoeducation, desire discrepancy reframing, and the PLISSIT framework -- what you can use immediately and what requires referral.
Abstract navy and grey divider

The curriculum

Four modules.
Two sections.

Section 1 establishes the ethical, cultural, and attitudinal foundation. Section 2 applies it to clinical practice. The modules are sequenced deliberately -- each builds on the one before it. Complete them in order.

01
Section 1 — Foundations in Ethics and Clinical Humility
Modules 1–2 · Approximately 3–4 hours
01
Ethics, Scope, and the Clinical Stance
The ethics of clinical language and why words are never neutral; scope of practice defined by regulatory college registration, not specialty credentials; informed consent as an ongoing process; boundary maintenance and countertransference categories specific to sex therapy; diagnostic humility as a clinical competency; the CPA Ethical Decision-Making Model applied to sexual health dilemmas; sexual rights and public protection frameworks.
Clinical languageScope of practiceInformed consentCountertransferenceCPA ethics model
~90 min
02
Sexual Diversity, Inclusion, and Cultural Humility
Sexual Scripts Theory and the three levels of script analysis; clinical effects of religious, cultural, and racial influences on sexual development and help-seeking; the GSERD framework applied to assessment and formulation; desire diversity as a distinct clinical dimension; minority stress theory; intersectionality and common clinician errors; cultural humility as an ongoing orientation rather than a fixed competency.
Sexual scriptsGSERDMinority stressIntersectionalityCultural humility
~95 min
Abstract navy and grey divider
02
Section 2 — Clinical Application
Modules 3–4 · Approximately 4 hours
03
Understanding Sexual Response and Dysfunction
The four major models of sexual response taught critically; spontaneous versus responsive versus contextual desire; arousal non-concordance and its implications for trauma presentations; the Dual Control Model of excitation and inhibition; shame as the primary transdiagnostic perpetuating factor; the shame-SIS-avoidance cycle; performance anxiety and spectatoring; trauma as predisposing, precipitating, and perpetuating factor across sexual health presentations.
Responsive desireDual control modelArousal non-concordanceShameTrauma
~100 min
04
Assessment, Formulation, and Foundational Interventions
The 10-step First Session Framework; biopsychosocial domains and what to assess in each; medical awareness and when to refer -- including urgent versus routine referral indicators; diagnostic overshadowing as the error to avoid; the PLISSIT model and which levels are within foundational scope; permission-giving, responsive desire education, arousal non-concordance psychoeducation, desire discrepancy reframing, naming perpetuating cycles, externalizing, and sexual communication coaching. Closes with a clear scope guide -- what you can do now and what requires specialist referral.
First session frameworkBiopsychosocial assessmentPLISSITMedical referralFoundational interventions
~120 min

The PLISSIT framework

Know exactly where
your scope ends.

Module 4 teaches the PLISSIT model in full and applies it to real clinical scenarios. You will leave knowing precisely what you can do, and precisely when to refer.

P
Permission
Creating a clinical environment where sexuality can be discussed safely. Asking directly. Normalizing that sexual concerns belong in clinical settings.
All foundational clinicians
LI
Limited Information
Targeted psychoeducation that addresses a knowledge gap driving distress. Responsive desire, non-concordance, medication effects. Often the most effective intervention available.
All foundational clinicians
SS
Specific Suggestions
Targeted clinical suggestions based on assessment and formulation. Scheduled intimacy, communication exercises, sensate focus orientation.
Some foundational clinicians
IT
Intensive Therapy
Specialist sex therapy protocols. Structured behavioural programs, trauma processing in sexual health contexts, complex relational work.
Specialist referral only

What's included

More than reading.
Clinical learning.

Course reader, video lesson, worksheet, case scenario, glossary, and downloadable clinical tools
Core content
In-depth module reading
Substantive clinical reading for each topic. Written to the depth the clinical work actually requires.
Video
Embedded video segments
Short video segments embedded at key points in each module. Clinical illustration, not lecture.
Application
Interactive activities
PLISSIT level matching, scope sorter, assessment domain mapping, and clinical decision exercises throughout.
Accountability
Knowledge checks
Each module closes with a knowledge check requiring 70% to advance. Standards, not a completion certificate.
Reflection
Reflective prompts
Professional development reflections embedded throughout. Not graded. Designed to develop clinical self-awareness.
Reference
Glossaries and scope guides
Key terms defined at each module's close. Explicit scope-of-practice guides for every clinical intervention taught.

Who this is for

Built for registered
clinicians.

This course requires a clinical context to be meaningful. It is designed for professionals who are already seeing clients and want to engage with sexual health presentations competently.

This course is for you if…
  • You are a registered psychologist, social worker, counsellor, marriage and family therapist, physician, or nurse practitioner
  • You want a structured, accountable foundation in sexual health -- not a passive webinar
  • Sexual health concerns are coming up in your practice and you want to be able to respond competently
  • You are building toward the 16-hour course or the full certification and want a focused starting point
  • You are a registered graduate student or practicum student working toward regulated professional status
This course is not for you if…
  • You are looking for personal development content rather than clinical training
  • You are not registered or actively working toward registration as a regulated health professional
  • You want a certificate of attendance for passive content consumption
  • You need specialist sex therapy certification -- this is a foundation, not a credential

The training pathway

This is the beginning,
not the ceiling.

This course builds the foundation the next levels require. The 16-hour course and the full certification both build directly on what is covered here.

You are here
Step 1
Introduction to Sex Therapy
~8 hours · 4 modules · Self-paced
The essential orientation. Ethics, cultural humility, sexual response theory, and applied assessment and intervention in a focused, accountable intensive.
Step 2
Foundations of Sex Therapy
~16 hours · 8 modules · Self-paced
Deeper clinical grounding with expanded diagnostic knowledge, validated assessment instruments, and a comprehensive intervention section.
Step 3
Canadian Certified Sex Therapist
12 modules · Cohort consultation · Competency evaluated
The full credential pathway. Graduate-level clinical training with cohort-based consultation and certification as a Canadian Certified Sex Therapist.

Start where competent
clinicians start.

Eight hours. Four modules. The language, framework, and clinical tools to engage sexual health presentations responsibly.

Completion of this course does not confer specialist sex therapy certification. It provides foundational sexual health orientation for regulated health professionals working within their existing authorized scope. Explicit scope guidance is integrated throughout every module.

Enrol now View the certification program

Big Ideas,
Real Impact.

Driven by curiosity and built on purpose, this is where bold thinking meets thoughtful execution. Let’s create something meaningful together.

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