How to become a sexologist? Indications, training and advice

Sexology causes a lot of interest as a professional and study path. Let us clarify some doubts.

Sexology is the science that studies sexual behavior in the broad sense of the word. Many people, interested in this science, wonder where to study, what requirements are necessary for access to this profession and even what are the functions performed by a sexologist or sexologist.

This article is about just that, about how to become a sexologist and what basic information must be taken into account to consider this professional career.

What are the areas of sexology?

Sexology is made up of three fundamental areas. The first has to do with education where, through educational projects, we work on objectives and contents of general interest with different populations (youth, elderly, disabled, etc.), and contexts: schools, institutes, senior centers, among others.

The second area is clinicalwhich addresses not only sexual dysfunctions in patients (rapid ejaculation, erectile dysfunction, anorgasmia, etc.), but also couple problems and any other difficulty of a sexual nature.

Finally, the third pillar of sexology, and the one least addressed by professionals, is sexological researchwhich is the one that nourishes the two previous ones with scientific knowledge.

Is sexology a specialty of psychology, medicine or other disciplines?

Over the last few years, sexology has become a has been closely linked to psychology and more specifically to the clinical area of psychology.It is one more subject to be dealt with in many masters of clinical psychology.

However, the independence of sexology from other disciplines is as indisputable as its multidisciplinary nature, which means that this science is made up not only of psychologists but also educators, social workers, doctors and other health professionals.

What functions does this professional perform?

Training in sexology is an opportunity for many professionals because of the specificity of the discipline. because of the specificity of the discipline. The functions of a sexologist can be summarized as follows:

• Assess and treat sexual problems within a clinical context.
• Programming and executing sex education projects.
• Research and publish articles related to sexual behavior.
• Disseminate knowledge generated by sexological science.

Thus, the scope of action of sexologists is very broad, since sexuality has various facets and all of them are of great importance in society and in people's private lives. For example, three main areas can be distinguished: research, intervention and education. In all of them, moreover, psychology has a relevant role linked both to sexual physiological processes and to the generation of a self-concept based on experiences of this type.

What degree is necessary to become a sexologist?

In no country in the world is sexology officially recognized as a discipline like psychology, medicine or nursing, among others, with the exception of Canada, where it exists as a university degree. In this sense, we find in most cases the absence of requirements and official absence of official requirements and itineraries The recommendations do exist, however, that lead a person to develop the competencies attributed to the sexology professional, the sexologist, although there are recommendations.

These recommendations come from the hand of specialized training in sexology, in the form of an expert or a master's degree.. Thus, we can opt for two training paths, the university one, choosing one of the many universities that offer this type of training, or the private path, usually entities (psychology and sexology centers) that have professionals who act as teachers who manage different sexological projects in the educational and clinical field.

It is important to point out that it makes no difference whether this type of training is offered at a university or at a private entity in order to practice as a sexologist, since the absence of regulations in this regard does not make it necessary to opt for one or the other option.

However, if the motivation is to obtain a training that allows us to have a good base from which to start practicing at a lower price than that normally offered by the university, whose fees are increasingly higher than the private route, we could choose one of the many sexology centers that offer an expert or master of this type.

As is logical, each university, sexological center or academy will establish the contents to be worked on by the student. It is essential to choose the training that contemplates a sufficient agenda that addresses the two most relevant branches of sexology, the educational and the clinical. For example, the contents covered by Formación Psicológica in its master's degree in sexology in its two levels: expert in sexology and specialist in sex therapy.

It is important when choosing a training, to opt for one that allows to obtain the necessary skills for the performance of the functions as sexologists and sexologists in both educational (sex education projects) and clinical (consultations).

A recommendation: Professional Master's Degree in Sexology and Couple Therapy.

In Murcia, Instituto de la Pareja offers an interesting training program for specialization in Sexology from the perspective of psychological intervention: the Professional Master's Degree in Sexology and Couple Therapy. Thus, this Master also trains students in couple therapy, one of the facets of the activity of psychologists that most often go hand in hand with sexual problems.

It is a 10-month training and professionalization program, consisting of 60 ECTS credits and 600 practical hours, to learn the theoretical and practical foundations of sexology. In addition, all its teaching staff comes from the world of sex therapy, medicine, psychotherapy, and related sciences.

Among its contents there are interesting and important topics such as the treatment of paraphilias and sex addiction, sex education, the components of love in couples, jealousy and insecurities, jealousy and insecurities, and sex education.The components of love in the couple, jealousy and insecurities, exercises to be used in sexual therapy, etc.

• If you are interested in knowing more about this Master, click here.

Conclusion: how to become a sexologist?

To sum up, we are talking about a relatively new science, which is not subject to any regulations. This means that it can be accessed by practically anyone interested in advanced training with a minimum quality that allows them to acquire the necessary tools to deal with cases or projects related to the subject.

Each student who wants to train in this specialization, however, has the responsibility to train in a way that allows him/her to provide a service of the highest quality.