What Is The Cost of Becoming A Sex Therapist?
What is the cost of becoming a Sex Therapist?
Hey everyone! Recently, this question got brought up to me with my sex therapy background and training, so I thought I’d create a blog post for ya! Let’s get down to it, what was and is the cost of becoming a sex therapist, let’s break it down below what it was and continues to be for me personally…
Undergrad & Graduate degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling $56,000 ***This is NOT the norm or average by any means, it’s doubled for some, keep reading more
Additional Sex Therapy Certificate Training Coursework, 4 courses, travel, meals, books, and then seeking sex therapy supervision, paying a supervisor, being a member of AASECT, additional CEUs outside of this, $15,000 extra outside of my master’s degree
Once certified which I am not yet, it is an extra cost to keep my LPCC license to practice therapy annually $250 per year, then an additional membership fee for AASECT yearly of $220, then renewal of sex therapist certification every 3 years fee is $150, and in order to maintain my LPCC license, I need 40 hours of continuing education credits every 2 years, which depending on training can cost up to $2,000-4,000+ per year
Then any additional books, online research platforms, training that aren’t CEUs, memberships, or sex therapy intervention tools, can add up as additional costs for practicing sex therapists, this depends on the person
Again this is my personal lived experience in my training to become a sex therapist in Minneapolis, MN. Each state, country, and place is going to be different with costs, so keep that in mind!
How to Become a Sex Therapist…
In order to become a sex therapist you need a Bachelor's degree in order to move on to applying for graduate school and obtain a Master's in Counseling, Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Marriage and Family Therapy, Licensed Social Work, etc. For me personally, I knew going into graduate school I wanted to be a sex therapist and niche in this area of sex therapy. There was only one class for less than an hour which we talked about sex, so I had to go to another university to get those credits and then pursue certification. I went to UW-Stout’s sex therapy certificate program which was in person over two summers. The UW-Stout sex therapy program was four courses broken up over two summers and honesty, at least 40 hours of work for me personally. UW-Stout’s program was intensive and it’s because they want their students to really learn and understand the realm of sex therapy, which I appreciated. After getting this sex therapy certificate coursework completed, I had to continue with an internship to complete my master’s degree, complete so many client contact hours, and supervision hours, and take a test in order to get licensed (of course this depends on your licensure track), and then apply for your license to practice therapy on my own. I am not a certified sex therapist, yet, which I intend to do through AASECT, and in order to be certified you need so many additional hours of sex therapy supervision, client contact hours assessing and treating DSM-5 sexual health diagnoses and disorders, as well as, continuing to be up to date with research, sex therapy tools, interventions, readings, and then of course can apply to be a certified sex therapist once all those hours are completed. To learn more about their sex therapy certification requirements, take a look here on their website. You also need to keep up with a membership fee, re-certification fee, and many continuing education credits to maintain a certified sex therapist status.
What Do I Need To Know To Become A Sex Therapist?
As I previously mentioned before, once I am certified as a sex therapist the added cost of this is $15,000 extra. ***This is NOT the norm, typically master's & doctorate degrees in counseling or therapy can cost up to $100k+ depending length of courses and where you go - I went to the cheapest undergrad and graduate school in the state, so that helped! My Master's and Bachelor's Degree together were around $56,000, and I went to the lowest-cost university in my state for both. Some therapist's degrees and student loans can cost up to $100-150k plus with added training. We are the lowest-paid master's degree with the highest amounts of debt, which is why most therapists go the private pay route because insurance does not cover the cost of doing business and paying oneself, and insurance does not cover sex therapy. Learn more on my vlog here!
What Does Sex Therapy Near Me Cost On Average?
This depends on the sex therapist, the location where they’re practicing sex therapy, the cost of living, business, and their plan. For sex therapists and therapists out there, know that you can’t compare your rates to your fellow ones on Psychology Today and think, “Oh, that’s what I’ll charge, sounds good!” You need to have a business plan with this, which if you’re interested in learning more check out my business coaching page here and schedule a business consultation to let me help you figure out your rate so you don’t lose money in business! Let’s talk about sex therapy and therapy costs on average. Here are my rates of service for sex therapy in Minnesota: My rates - intake 50 minutes $277 and ongoing individual is $227, couples intake 80 minutes $387 & ongoing appointments $337. These can also be found on my rates of service page in case these are updated in the future and I don’t update this blog :) I have seen rates in Minnesota range from $160-190 for prelicensed private pay clinicians to $275-400 for licensed therapists per 50 minute or longer appointment. For sex therapy in New York Rates I've heard of from providers range from $300-500 per session. For sex therapy in California Rates, I've heard from providers range from $400-800 per session.
I hope this helps answer the questions of how to become a sex therapist, the cost of becoming a sex therapist, the steps to becoming a sex therapist, and what to expect with how much sex therapy is! If you are still reading this blog at this point, and have sex questions, then consider purchasing an email consultation with me for Q&A. This is a service through my business because of the additional schooling I pursued, paid for, and I know sometimes people want questions answered :) Please read the terms of service on that page.
If you want to work with me in therapy, couples sex therapy, sex therapy, or self care therapy, then Book your consultation here today!
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If you are looking for help with Sex Therapy, Couples Therapy, & Self-Esteem, you can read more about how I can help on those pages. If you are seeking Sexual Wellness Coaching Services or Holistic Healing Services, click on those links! If you are a therapist in Minneapolis or outside of Minnesota and seeking Consultation Services, Pick Your Brain 1:1 Consultation, or a Speaker or Trainer for Your Next Workshop, I can help here too! Let’s get started on your Shameless Goals in Minneapolis, MN today!
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