As a Sexologist

I discovered that Sexology was “a thing” during my Matric year of school. Imagine my disappointment at finding out that there were none of the Universities offered an official or legitimate course for this career. I found out that Sexology covers a wide spectrum of professionals, covering physical health and mental health. In addition to Sexology being a special interest that professionals in these fields pursue once they have qualified. 

I decided on Psychology and mental health as my base. Even before I was qualified as a Registered Counsellor, I began incorporating sexology into my university courses, whenever there was the opportunity to choose a topic for research. My Thesis for my Honours Degree looked at how comfortable people reported being when discussing certain sexual topics in conversation with different people in their lives. For my Masters Degree, my thesis asked young adults how well their school-based sexuality education prepared them for adulthood. 

I joined SASHA (The Southern African Sexual Health Association) in 2014, attending as many of the training sessions that I was able to attend. Through these trainings, I met other professionals who worked in the field of sexual health. 

As an HPCSA registered professional, I am required to attend 30hours of training a year as part of my Continued Professional Development (CPD). I have been selecting courses and trainings that would not only improve my knowledge and skills as a Registered Counsellor, but that also overlapped with my interests in Sexology.

In 2022 I attended the European Society for Sexual Medicine’s (ESSM’s) Residential School in Budapest, as the final requirement needed to write their Psycho-Sexology ceritification exam in 2023. One of the many other requirements included having worked in the field of sexual health for a minimum of 5 years. In April 2023 I passed the Certification Exam, and have since been an ESSM Certified Psycho-Sexologist.