Job outlook for sex therapists in the United States

What skills stand out on Sex Therapist resumes?

Dr. Nathan Tenhundfeld Ph.D.: Strong analytical skills are a must. This includes both logic and reasoning skills, but also data analysis skills. For many jobs, the ability to collect and scientifically evaluate data will be vital, if not an absolute necessity. Similarly, a strong understanding of experimental methods can put a candidate in a great position to be able to help a company evaluate existing programs and chart a path forward for new ones. Finally, I would say that a strong ability to write is critical. Those graduates who are able to effectively and persuasively communicate in writing are setting themselves up for success at any company and allowing the company to leverage them for increasingly important tasks.

What soft skills should all Sex Therapists possess?

Dr. Nathan Tenhundfeld Ph.D.: Students need to be able to read individual and group dynamics in order to act appropriately in any given situation. This includes not only the interactions with one's bosses but also peers and subordinates. Similarly, being comfortable with networking can help any company, but networking skills shine through in interviews.

What hard/technical skills are most important for Sex Therapists?

Dr. Nathan Tenhundfeld Ph.D.: Technical skills like the ability to perform statistical analyses are critically important for most Psychology-related jobs. This allows a candidate to collect and analyze data but also to interpret and understand other existing data. A strong statistical background can also help set a candidate apart from their peers in the application process. This includes understanding when and how to use various parametric and nonparametric statistics to be able to answer questions regardless of the data one is working with.

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Sex Therapists to find work opportunities?

Elizabeth Morgan Ph.D.: One potential outcome of the pandemic is that place may matter less as jobs are created and sustained with remote work environments. For example, it might be possible to participate in education endeavors, community mental health, human services in general, or consulting remotely, which render geography less important.

In addition, there will likely be changes in the types of jobs available to graduates in Psychology as employers are rethinking employee productivity in the wake of the coronavirus and need human resources specialists or industrial/organizational psychologists to consult on organizational change. Individuals with training and experience in delivering services remotely may find themselves able to secure some of these new positions; recent graduates will have a leg up in that regard, since they experienced training in a remote environment.

How do you envision technology impacting Sex Therapists in the next 5 years?

Elizabeth Morgan Ph.D.: The forced use of technology to connect with others during the pandemic will likely encourage lasting change in education, counseling and human services, business and marketing endeavors, research, and other areas where graduates in psychology end up. This will create shifts in what the jobs look like, what training is needed, and even perhaps, the mental health and well-being of workers in general. As these technological changes are introduced, new graduates will need to learn and embrace them to keep up with the trends, as well as evaluate their effectiveness.

What experience really stands out on Sex Therapist resumes?

Carlos Wilson Ph.D.: Typically, our students come in with a wealth of experience. Some have been in their careers for years and are looking to advance to a management level position. Their work experience shows them being well qualified. I think what does stand out on the resume is their earning of a degree. Being that the degree is in interdisciplinary studies, making sure to choose a concentration or emphasis in the career discipline students are seeking, and sharing their coursework on their resume is a great way to highlight students' preparation.

What experience really stands out on Sex Therapist resumes?

Sonia Manuel-Dupont Ph.D.: When I review resumes, I look for life skills and transferable skills. These include skills that emerge from leadership positions, interdisciplinary teamwork, work with individuals and communities who are ethnically and linguistically different from the applicant, and extended practice with technical and professional communication.

What Sex Therapist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Sonia Manuel-Dupont Ph.D.: If a student takes a gap year, I advise them to look for opportunities to build the skills listed above. Often this comes from community engagement and volunteer work. If the work situation does not align with the intended graduate work, the student should look for volunteer work to practice these skills.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Sex Therapists in the next 3-5 years?

Sonia Manuel-Dupont Ph.D.: Telehealth and teletherapy. Building meaningful relationships and providing top quality intervention through telehealth and teletherapy is already becoming an essential skill for new graduates.

What general advice would you give to a Sex Therapist?

Ron Precht: Generally, metropolitan areas have had more openings for massage therapists. This is a report from the end of 2019 that has the most recent data we have available. Report

What type of skills will young Sex Therapists need?

Lyndal Khaw Ph.D.: Most of our graduates in the field of Family Science and Human Development are in this field because they want to help professions that work with children, individuals, and families. Thus, there are several skills they should have when they graduate and enter the workforce. First, they need to have excellent interpersonal and communication skills. If you want to work with people, that is an absolute given.

Second, students should demonstrate their ability to adapt to new challenges and changes, including technology skills. When working with children and families, the natural ebbs and flows of family life, across the life course, necessitate flexible professionals and who can still be useful under changing circumstances. Third, skills make you stand out in working with people, like conflict management and leadership skills. Employers want to see that graduates are not only "book smart" but have the experience to use these skills when needed on the job.

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Sex Therapists to find work opportunities?

Lyndal Khaw Ph.D.: Families and children are ubiquitous and exist in every social space across the country. They are in homes, schools, workplaces, and communities. That being said, many issues impact children and families and services to support them best. With areas where populations are more extensive, there are typically more services and job opportunities for graduates in this field. Note, too, that with COVID-19 there is the capacity to work in the field remotely, so you may very well live in New Jersey and telecommute and be employed in New York state.

How do you envision technology impacting Sex Therapists in the next 5 years?

Lyndal Khaw Ph.D.: Quite a bit. COVID-19 notwithstanding, technology has changed how families interact with each other and effectively how others work with kids and families. Graduates should consider how services can be delivered virtually, but still in impactful ways. Because of COVID-19, many students in our program are completing internships or student teaching, almost, so they are already getting exposure to this type of experience. Students should also think about translational work in family science and human development. Consider a new parent who wants information on their child's first year of life. Chances are, they will seek this information online, use apps on smartphones to track their child's development, and attend online parenting classes. There has always been a market for this type of knowledge and service delivery in this field, and I envision this growing, even more so, under our current circumstances.

What experience really stands out on Sex Therapist resumes?

Charles Westerberg Ph.D.: I don't think it is particular experiences that make the most significant difference. Instead, I believe that telling a story about interests and skills across time makes resumes and cover letters stand out. The ability to show connections across different experiences demonstrates the sort of perspicacity that employers are searching for. If you insisted on one skill, I would highlight the statistical analysis. Being familiar with statistical software packages, coupled with the ability to do fundamental data analysis, opens up a wide range of career options. Data is everywhere, and more and more organizations are using it to advance their reach.

What type of skills will young Sex Therapists need?

Dr. Eva Moya Ph.D.: Graduates of the social work profession need to be able to work with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and mobilize communities to bring about social, economic, political, or environmental change, in addition to being involved in social policy development.

Skills in research, to study social issues, with the intention of developing social policy or micro-level approaches to practice to improve people's lives, and training in relation to multiculturalism, cultural competence, cultural humility practice is vital.

Key skills include:

1. Collaboration


2. Critical thinking


3. -Ethics in evidence based-practice


4. Assessment, intervention, and evaluation


5. Social work competencies to inform behaviors.


6. Administration and management


7. Community practice


8. Policy practice

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Sex Therapists to find work opportunities?

Dr. Eva Moya Ph.D.: Absolutely. Social Workers are well-positioned to work in multiple sectors at the local, state, national, and international levels. From health care, gerontology, safety net, mental health and substance abuse, child and family, education, immigration, and criminal justice sectors.

Employment is usually based on the market, economics, needs, and value of social work. The place does matter.

Social workers are in schools, courts, hospitals, community-based organizations, federally qualified health centers, mental health clinics, shelters, transitional living facilities, detention facilities, academic settings, prisons, industry, political arena, palliative care, hospice, research, international organizations, immigrant and migrant centers, elderly care facilities, protective services, the child welfare system, counseling centers, health and human service organizations, environmental and public health venues.

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Sex Therapists to find work opportunities?

Dr. Erica Holmes: The psychological impact of the pandemic has been widely acknowledged across the country, illuminating the shortage of culturally-aware, licensed therapists prepared to address the diverse landscape of the U.S. As such, jobs for mental health practitioners are on the rise, all across the country. There has historically been a dire need for Mental Health practitioners in "shortage areas" such as the rural counties in the southern states. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration predicts that by the year 2025, there will be a shortage of both Masters and Doctoral level therapists, across the country. I suggest that therapists think about beginning practice in shortage areas, not only because it might be easier to find a job, but there are also student loan repayment incentives for working in these areas.

How do you envision technology impacting Sex Therapists in the next 5 years?

Dr. Erica Holmes: The COVID19 crisis thrust many therapists into the world of telehealth. Many of whom, never imagined working with mental health clients over video-conferencing, and a large number were vehemently opposed to the idea. However, as the old saying goes, "Necessity is the mother of invention." With no other option, mental health practitioners and their governing licensing boards have been forced to move from the standard face-to-face delivery model to technology-based platforms, to continue providing much-needed services to their clients.

This has necessitated the development of HIPPA compliant software, adoption of new ethics and legal codes to protect client welfare, and a myriad of new protocols. I doubt that our field will ever completely return to operating the way we were trained, prior to the pandemic. I believe that our field will continue to have increased integration of technology in our standard operations to a much greater degree than any of us could have imagined at the beginning of this year. I foresee the use of teletherapy; electronic session note keeping, automated scheduling, using text messaging to communicate with clients, etc. will become standard practice over the next five years.

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Sex Therapists to find work opportunities?

Jennifer Hughes Ph.D.: Many of our psychology graduates go to graduate school, but those that do not, work for mental health facilities, not-for-profits, education, business consulting, etc. The pandemic is producing a mental health crisis in the United States, and those with psychology backgrounds will be needed more than ever.