Unravelling Sexology

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Written by Lounette Graaff

Personally, I wanted to pursue Sexology when I started my journey in Psychology. I never saw myself as a mental health professional that would only discuss topics around everyday life struggles. Instead I was always excited to delve into the nitty gritty experiences of people. I wanted to talk about SEX. The good stuff, the bad stuff and even the ugly stuff. I wanted to talk about the subjects that no one wanted to talk about. The kind of topic that might seem "unladylike". The stuff that makes you cover your eyes, but also tempts you to peak through your fingers. I wanted to speak about the most intrinsic part of being human.

Because I was curious, and I knew my friends were curious... I assumed that others would be curious too! So, I started doing my research on becoming a sexologist and I introduced myself to Professor Elna McIntosh (a well-known clinical sexologist in South Africa). I also binged watched the series called Masters of Sex about the researchers who started it all, namely William Masters and Virginia Johnson. I really recommend this series, but please do not confuse sexologists with professionals watching others having intercourse or practicing masturbation. In the early days of human sexual research, this seemed to have been what Masters and Johnson spent most of their time doing in the name of ‘experimental observation’. However, to highlight what sexologists do in contemporary society, I have kindly asked Prof McIntosh to provide me with credible information on all you need to know about the field of Sexology. This includes how to become a sexologist in South Africa, as well as what services sexologists provide, and additional recommended resources.

What is a sexologist?

A sexologist is engaged in the scientific study of sex and is interested in understanding what people do sexually, and how they feel about what they do. A sexologist learns about the broad spectrum of human sexual behaviour and the many factors that influence people's behaviour and feelings about their sexuality. Sexologists work predominantly in the field of research, education, and counselling. For this blog, I will be focusing on the services provided by a clinically trained sexologist, more commonly known as a sex therapist.

A clinical sexologist is a sexologist who offers sex counselling to help people understand and accept themselves as sexual beings and meet their sexual goals. Sexologists are sex-positive and maintain a broad perspective by taking biological, psychological, sociological, anthropological and historical factors into consideration when addressing sexual issues. They use an educational approach to help clients meet their goals and are non-judgmental, which means that they do not have any preconceptions of what a client’s sexuality “should” look like.

How do sexologists work?

Clinical sexologists facilitate clients’ sexual growth by helping them to identify their sexual goals and by offering education, resources, tools, and techniques to help them meet those goals and ultimately manage their own sexual growth.

The process entails the following steps:

Helping clients to identify where they are when they arrive and where they want to be when they finish their work with a sexologist.
Helping clients to identify the factors that allow them to feel safe and those that prevent them from meeting their sexual goals
Helping clients to identify the factors that allow them to feel safe and those that prevent them from meeting their sexual goals.
Designing and suggesting exercises to help clients to progressively expand their sexual comfort zones until they reach their goals.

This is considered “brief therapy,” which is a goal-oriented counselling. If sexual difficulties appear to be rooted in deeper issues that require intensive therapy, a sexologist will refer clients to a therapist. Similarly, if they feel that a client requires medical attention before or during these sessions, they will be referred to a medical practitioner.

What types of sexual concerns can a clinical sexologist help with?

The following are common concerns that a clinical sexologist helps individuals and couples address: feeling ‘abnormal’ (in terms of sexual behaviour, fantasy, capability, physique, etc.); feeling uninformed or misinformed about sex; feeling inexperienced, unskilled, ashamed of their sexuality or sexual desires; feeling negative about one's body; desire discrepancy between and among partners; exploring sexual orientation identities; navigating various sexual relationship structures (such as monogamous, polyamorous, polysexual, open, swinging, etc.); discussing issues around infidelity; negotiating kinky relationships; difficulty maintaining arousal or reaching orgasm; fear of or aversion to touch, intimacy, penetration or pain and unconsummated marriages or relationships.

Moreover, sexologists often address relational challenges such as the difficulty identifying satisfying activities for both partners; difficulty communicating sexual needs, desires and intimacy; finding satisfying sexual activities after surgery, a health crisis, ongoing health challenges or limited mobility and sexual compulsion; as well as concerns around pornography use. Lastly, sexologists should aid individuals and couples in building supportive networks through seeking resources and finding communities of like-minded people.

What kind of training do sexologists have?

Sexology is currently an unregulated and unrecognised field in South Africa, which means that people can call themselves sexologists without earning credentials in the field. However, many practicing Sexologists have a PhD on a topic related to Human Sexuality and certificates in sex education and clinical sexology from an accredited institute such as the American College of Sexologists (ACS). Training in these certificates include studying the many facets of human sexual behaviour and participating in experiential courses. This training should prepare the practitioner to work with a broad range of sexual issues and the awareness gained by experiential courses enables them to confront their personal biases in order to maintain a non-judgmental space for clients. This formal training is offered overseas-mostly in the US and Australia.

How does clinical sexology differ from sex therapy? How do I choose a practitioner?

Like sexology, the sex therapy field is unregulated in South Africa, which means that people who are registered to practice psychological counselling or therapy can call themselves sex therapists without additional training in human sexuality. A sex therapist is usually trained as a clinical or counselling psychologist with an interest and some additional training in human sexuality. A qualified and registered sexologist, on the other hand, has completed an accredited course on the biological, psychological, and sociological perspectives of sexuality and has successfully registered with an accredited body such as the American Association of Sex Educators, Counsellors and Therapists (AASECT), or ASSERT in Australia. It is important to note that sexology training alone does not qualify someone to practice intensive psychological therapy and psychological training alone does not qualify someone to practice sex counselling.

Furthermore, techniques used by clinical sexologists and sex therapists can be similar, but sex therapists are therapists first, which means their approach to addressing sexual issues can be very different. To determine if someone is qualified to help you with your sexual concerns, ask about their training and approach to treating sexual concerns in order to ensure that it is empowering, non-judgmental, and sex-positive.

Resources

Useful information around sexual health can be found on the following sites:

What I have learned in my time reading and researching in this field, is that communication between partners is always crucial, as well as our personal internal dialogue-inside and outside of the sexual encounter. Human sexual health is a complex phenomenon and individuals who seek to explore this with a sexologist require compassionate listening and a safe and non-judgemental space to share. It is just as important as looking after your physical wellbeing and mental health. So let us open the line of honest communication. If you feel you need help, if you feel you are peaking through your fingers in curiosity… then reach out to a trained professional near you.