Sex Professions

Sexologist, sex therapist, sex educator are just a few of the many terms that get used by people of varying educational and professional backgrounds who make a living talking, teaching

and counseling about human sexuality.

But what about Escorts?

Most sexuality professions are unregulated, which means that anyone can use these job titles regardless of their training or credentials. This makes it especially important, before you engage the services of any sexuality professional, to understand what, if any, training they have had, and whether or not they are associated with any professional body that requires them to adhere to a code of ethics.

Having a college or university degree doesn't mean someone will be good at what they do. It also doesn't mean they only know theory. There isn't one background you should look for. What's most important is that you understand what you're getting when you pay for any kind of sexual help services.

Below is a brief description of some of the different sexuality helping professions. Follow the links for more information.

Sexologist
The broadest umbrella term for sexuality professionals, a sexologist is simply someone who studies sex. A sexologist might be someone with a PhD in anthropology who studies sexual practices and cultures. A sexologist may also be someone who has written a book and wants to make themselves sound scientific. If we want to use the term to distinguish a sexologist from someone who is interested in sex, we might say that a sexologist is someone who has set out to study sex in a systematic way.

Sex Educator
Sex educators teach about sex. They usually work with groups of people in a classroom or other kind of institutional setting, or with organizations, developing curriculum or policy.As with all sexuality professions, it's good to ask about credentials and whether or not a sex educator has any professional affiliations.

Sex Therapist
Sex therapists usually work one on one or with couples, and tend to focus on sexual problems or dysfunctions. Many sex therapists first receive training in general counseling or psychotherapy and then seek out specialized training in human sexuality. But in most countries and states in the U.S. anyone can call themselves a sex therapist and some sex therapists have no certification or professional affiliation at all.

Sex Surrogate
A sex surrogate, or sexual surrogate, is someone who has received training to work in conjunction with a sex therapist, to address sexual concerns or sexual dysfunction with an individual or, less often, with a couple. This may involve them touching clients and having clients touch them, it might involve them being sexual with clients.

Sex Coach
A sex coach is the newest of the terms being used by people who identify themselves as working in a helping sexuality profession.  One difference seems to be that a lot of sex coaching takes place in phone sessions, whereas most sex therapy involves people being in the same room. As well, sex coaches seem to talk less about sexual dysfunction, and most of them wouldn't likely diagnose.

Which one am I??