AASECT Sex Therapy Supervision

Clinical Precision. Scientific Insight. Specialist Formation.

Key Takeaways

  • Kimberly Keiser, AASECT Certified Sex Therapist & Supervisor (CST-S), offers advanced clinical supervision that goes far beyond hour accumulation—designed to develop true specialists in trauma-informed sexual health.

  • This supervision model is grounded in empirical research, integrating trauma science, polyvagal/autonomic nervous system theory, attachment theory, EMDR, and IFS to help clinicians understand the psychophysiological roots of sexual dysfunction.

  • Ideal for licensed clinicians pursuing AASECT CST certification or seasoned professionals who want to master complex, trauma-related sexual health cases with clinical precision and scientific rigor.

Clinical Precision. Scientific Insight. Specialist Formation.

If you are a licensed clinician pursuing AASECT Certified Sex Therapist (CST) certification or an established professional seeking advanced supervision to deepen your expertise in trauma-informed sexual health, your supervision experience should do more than merely meet certification requirements. It should be a transformative process that sculpts you into a clinical specialist.

Supervision Designed for Transformation:

  • It should refine how you think. We move beyond standard protocols to explore the intricate connections between trauma, attachment, and sexual function, developing a sophisticated, integrated theoretical lens for each case.

  • It should sharpen how you intervene. You will gain precision in selecting and executing research-based therapeutic techniques, ensuring that your interventions are not just good but also client-centered and optimally effective.

  • It should develop you into a specialist. The goal is to cultivate true mastery—the ability to handle complex and challenging sexual health issues with confidence, ethical integrity, and profound therapeutic impact.

Meet Your Supervisor

I am Kimberly Keiser, an AASECT Certified Sex Therapist and Supervisor (CST-S) and an EMDRIA Certified EMDR Therapist. This unique dual certification enables me to offer an unparalleled level of clinical guidance. I provide advanced, research-informed supervision specifically tailored for licensed clinicians committed to mastering the treatment of sexual dysfunction and sexual health challenges.

My supervision model is built upon the robust intersection of:

  1. Trauma Science: Understanding how the experience of trauma—from acute events to chronic developmental wounds—is stored in the body and manifests in sexual distress.

  2.  Attachment Theory: Exploring the profound influence of early relational experiences on adult sexual patterns, intimacy, and satisfaction.

  3. Nervous System Integration: Applying principles of neurobiology to help clients regulate their physiological responses, fostering safety and the capacity for pleasure and connection.

This is supervision is designed for clinicians who are serious about building advanced careers—not merely collecting hours. It is for those who are ready to elevate their practice, move beyond entry-level competence, and become true leaders in the field of sexual health. Together, we will translate complex research into practical, powerful clinical skills.

A Deeply Integrated Approach to AASECT Supervision: Bridging Trauma, Neuroscience, and Sexual Health

Throughout my extensive career as a Licensed Professional Counselor and an AASECT Certified Sex Therapist Supervisor, I have developed a specialized practice focused on the intricate intersections of sex therapy and trauma therapy. This specialization has given me a profound understanding: the symptoms clients present when seeking care—often manifesting as sexual dysfunction—are not isolated issues but rather the visible expressions of complex, underlying psychological and physiological processes. These processes are critically linked to trauma, attachment history, and the regulation of the autonomic nervous system.

The Foundational Clinical Inquiry

My clinical curiosity—driven by a dedication to providing meaningful and lasting relief—spurred a rigorous exploration beyond conventional observation. Through advanced academic reading, formal specialized training, involvement in ongoing research, and intensive case work, I began to discern consistent and critical patterns in clients undergoing trauma therapy for sexual health–related concerns. These patterns consistently revealed a profound and complex interplay:

  • How past events, specifically childhood neglect and abuse, imprint on the body and mind.

  • The way early attachment wounds compromise relational templates and influence sexual intimacy.

  • The critical role of the vagus nerve and the polyvagal system in governing states of safety, connection, defense, and sexual response.

  • How disturbances in the ANS and attachment systems directly translate into difficulties with desire, arousal, pain, and orgasm.

The Scientific Foundation: Empirical Research Driving the Supervision Model

My approach to clinical supervision transcends mere anecdote and clinical experience, establishing a rigorous foundation rooted deeply in empirical research and the evolving psychophysiological literature on sexuality, trauma, and the body. The supervision model is thus scientifically informed and continually refined by ongoing research examining critical pathways between trauma and sexual health.

The key areas of empirical investigation that directly inform the structure and content of my supervision are:

  1. The Interplay of PTSD Symptom Clusters and Sexual Dysfunction: Research examining the differential impact of distinct Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptom clusters (e.g., hyperarousal, intrusion, avoidance, negative alterations in cognitions and mood), and their specific predictive relationships with various forms of sexual dysfunction (e.g., desire, arousal, pain).

  2. Childhood Maltreatment and the Adult Sexual Landscape: A deep investigation into the enduring consequences of childhood maltreatment, encompassing sexual, physical, and emotional abuse and neglect, and the resultant manifestations in adult sexual functioning, including difficulties with intimacy, pleasure, and the experience of sexual pain.

  3. Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) Dysregulation and Sexual Health: The foundational role of the ANS—specifically the sympathetic "fight or flight" and parasympathetic "rest and digest/freeze" branches—in mediating sexual response. This research explores how trauma-induced ANS dysregulation contributes to conditions like Vaginismus, Genito-Pelvic Pain/Penetration Disorder (GPPPD), and trauma-related sexual shutdown.

  4. Psychosomatic Pathways in Sexual Pain and Arousal Disorders: Examination of the reciprocal relationship between psychological distress (e.g., anxiety, depression, trauma history, attachment injury) and the development, maintenance, and expression of physiological sexual symptoms, particularly in disorders of sexual pain and arousal.

My active research collaborations, including specialized work affiliated with institutions such as Fielding Graduate University, focus on unpacking the mechanisms by which trauma is somatized—how it manifests not only psychologically, but also directly in the body as physiological sexual symptoms. This work aims to identify how distinct trauma mechanisms (e.g., disorganized attachment, developmental timing of trauma, type of abuse) predict different, specific forms of sexual dysfunction, moving beyond broad associations to mechanistic specificity.

Core Research Themes Shaping Supervision

The scientific themes explicitly integrated into the supervision curriculum include:

  • Understanding which specific PTSD symptom clusters (e.g., hypervigilance vs. emotional numbing) predict distinct sexual dysfunction patterns (e.g., hyperarousal-related pain vs. hypoarousal-related desire deficit).

  • Exploring the robust associations between general tendencies toward somatization—the experience of psychological distress as physical symptoms—and the severity and complexity of sexual dysfunction.

  • Investigating how the psychophysiological and emotional consequences of childhood sexual abuse and other forms of developmental trauma may unfold along different pathways for individuals of different sexes and genders, resulting in nuanced clinical presentations.

  • Detailed analysis of the role of the Autonomic Nervous System, specifically the defensive "freeze/shutdown" responses in triggering and maintaining trauma-related sexual avoidance, hypoactive desire, and genital numbing.

The Fundamental Impact on Supervisee Development

This rigorous research orientation fundamentally shapes the supervision process and the supervisee’s development. The core mandate is transformed from a focus on surface-level symptoms to a deep understanding of underlying etiology:

Supervisees learn to think in mechanisms—not just symptoms.

Clinical conceptualization moves beyond a descriptive diagnosis. We systematically analyze and address sexual dysfunction through a multimodal lens continuously informed by the evolving literature:

  1. Psychophysiology: Understanding the physiological basis of the client's symptoms, including ANS states, muscle tension patterns, and the integration of brain-body communication.

  2. Attachment Injury: Conceptualizing how early relational and attachment trauma sets the stage for adult difficulties with emotional and physical intimacy, self-regulation, and sexual safety.

  3. Trauma Sequencing: Analyzing the timing and sequence of traumatic events and how they imprint on the developing nervous system, affecting the structure of adult sexual response and relational capacity.

The Imperative for Scientific Integration

I became increasingly and profoundly convinced that merely observing these recurring clinical patterns—no matter how detailed—is insufficient. To truly alleviate suffering, we must move beyond description to scientific understanding. We are ethically compelled to rigorously investigate what is happening in the nervous system and systematically contribute to a cohesive, empirical body of knowledge. This body of knowledge must seamlessly integrate medicine and psychology, bridging the artificial divide between mind and body.

The Goal: Meaningful Relief Through Integration

This dedication to neurobiological and psychological integration is the only pathway to providing meaningful, targeted relief to individuals experiencing somatic symptoms associated with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), particularly as these symptoms manifest in the sexual realm. We see this psychosomatic manifestation across a range of sexual dysfunctions, including but not limited to:

  • Desire Discrepancies: Issues where the core mechanism of sexual interest is disrupted by hyper- or hypo-arousal states linked to trauma.

  • Genito-pelvic Pain and Penetration Disorders: Conditions where physiological pain often serves as a defensive wall against intimacy or vulnerability.

  • Erectile Dysfunction and Orgasm Disorders: Symptoms reflecting a shutdown or dysregulation of the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems necessary for full sexual response.

  • Erotic Shutdown and Dissociation: Trauma-driven defenses that manifest as emotional and physical detachment during sexual activity.

  • Trauma-Driven Sexual Avoidance: The behavioral manifestation of a nervous system perpetually on alert, perceiving sexual intimacy as a potential threat.

A Research-Informed Supervisory Philosophy

I am driven by a deep commitment to unraveling the specific neurobiological pathways and psychological mechanisms by which past trauma crystallizes into present physiological symptoms. Clinical experience consistently illuminates a metaphorical truth: the body’s physiological pathways and associated sexual symptoms carry untold stories of survival. The numbness, the pain, the avoidance, and the dysregulation are all communications from a system in defense.

My long-term professional objectives center on conducting and publishing robust empirical work in psychosomatic medicine, specifically on sexual dysfunctions and the trauma spectrum (PTSD, Complex PTSD). It is my sincere intention to maintain an active psychotherapy practice while contributing rigorous research that makes these untold stories known, validated, and treatable.

This research orientation—this commitment to integrating the neurobiology of trauma with the clinical practice of sex therapy—is the core of my approach to AASECT supervision. Supervisees under my guidance are challenged to look beyond the surface symptom and to understand the full mind-body dynamics of their clients, fostering a generation of sex therapists who are both clinically astute and neuroscientifically informed.

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The Imperative of Research Integration in Advanced Supervision for Sex Therapists

Many contemporary supervision models, while valuable, often place primary emphasis on fostering comfort with diverse sexualities or on encouraging community learning among practitioners. While these components are foundational, they often fall short in integrating the rapidly evolving body of scientific research, particularly regarding the complex interplay between trauma and sexual dysfunction, into clinical training protocols. For specialists working at the intersection of trauma and sexuality, this omission represents a critical gap. By grounding supervision in the latest scientific evidence, we elevate the quality of clinical work:

  1. You Develop Defensible, Research-Based Treatment Plans: Supervision rooted in current literature ensures that the interventions you design are not based merely on intuition or tradition, but are scientifically justified. This foundation is crucial for ethical practice and, if necessary, for articulating your clinical reasoning in professional or legal settings.

  2. You Sharpen Conceptualization of Complex Cases: Integrating psychophysiological frameworks, such as those related to the autonomic nervous system's role in sexual response and arousal, allows you to move beyond purely psychological explanations. You gain the tools to understand why a symptom manifests based on the body's protective mechanisms.

  3. You Build Advanced Clinical Reasoning Skills: This approach cultivates a capacity for critical thinking that seamlessly aligns empirical evidence (what the research says) with best-practice guidelines (how to ethically and effectively apply it). It shifts the focus from simply what to do to why we do it.

  4. You Master the Research-to-Practice Translation: The ability to take a peer-reviewed article and translate its findings into actionable, real-world interventions for diverse individuals and couples—who may present with co-occurring physical, psychological, and relational challenges—is the hallmark of specialist-level supervision. This orientation is precisely what distinguishes expert practice

Supervision in Context: Fostering Your Dual Growth as a Professional and a Scientific Practitioner

Advanced supervision is structured to support profound professional and scientific development. The goal is to move beyond case consultation to an immersive training experience where you are actively supported to:

  1. Skillfully Interpret Research Findings for Clinical Case Formulation: You will learn to dissect empirical studies, not just for their conclusions, but for their direct relevance to the nuanced details of your clients' histories and symptom presentation.

  2. Systematically Apply Trauma-Sexuality Research to Intervention Sequencing: This involves understanding how neurobiological principles dictate the therapeutic order—recognizing when stabilization and nervous system regulation must precede specific sexual communication or behavioral interventions.

  3. Think Critically About the Interdependence of Psychophysiology and Sexual Symptoms: You will develop a sophisticated understanding of how chronic stress, historical trauma, and attachment patterns manifest as physiological symptoms (e.g., pain, lack of arousal, difficulty with orgasm) and how to address these somatic experiences directly.

  4. Integrate Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) Principles into Treatment: Mastery of polyvagal theory and other ANS frameworks enables you to view sexual dysfunction not as a moral or relational failure, but as an understandable, often protective, state of the body's defense system. You learn concrete techniques for regulating these states.

  5. Differentiate Symptom Mechanisms Based on Empirical Evidence: Instead of treating all instances of low desire or sexual pain uniformly, you will gain the understanding to use current evidence to discern the underlying mechanism—is it endocrine, neurological, relational, or trauma-driven?—and tailor the intervention accordingly.

This intensive focus on scientific application and critical appraisal elevates the supervisory relationship from simple professional consultation to rigorous scientist-practitioner training, preparing you to lead in the field.

Why Choose Kimberly Keiser for AASECT CST Supervision?

While many excellent AASECT supervision groups provide invaluable support—often focusing primarily on general case sharing or accruing certification hours—my approach to supervision is unique in structure and clinically intensive. I offer a comprehensive, integrative, and highly specialized supervision experience designed to transform competent practitioners into masterful sex therapists.

My supervision emphasizes the intersection of advanced clinical skills with the complexities of sexual health and trauma. Specifically, my supervision incorporates training in and application of:

  1. Structured Diagnostic Differentiation: Moving beyond broad diagnoses to precise, nuanced identification of the underlying psychological, relational, and physiological drivers of sexual distress and dysfunction.

  2. Trauma-Informed Intervention Sequencing: Developing a systematic and safety-oriented approach to therapeutic intervention, ensuring that trauma processing is appropriately paced and integrated before addressing more complex sexual concerns.

  3. Nervous System Regulation Applied to Sexual Functioning: Enhancing understanding of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and its direct role in arousal, desire, pleasure, and responses to sexual trauma, as well as teaching specific techniques to promote somatic regulation.

  4. EMDR-Informed Trauma Integration: Applying principles and techniques from Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy to effectively process and integrate traumatic memories that interfere with healthy sexual expression and intimacy.

  5. Internal Family Systems (IFS)-Informed Parts Mapping: Applying the IFS model to help supervisees understand the clients’ inner landscape, recognizing and working with "parts" (e.g., protector parts, exiled parts) that influence sexual behavior, relational patterns, and core identity.

  6. Attachment-Based Couples Integration: Utilizing advanced models of attachment theory (e.g., EFT, PACT) to address sexual issues within the context of relationship dynamics, focusing on forming secure attachments as the foundation for vibrant, intimate connections.

  7. Research-Informed Case Formulation: Grounding clinical hypotheses and treatment plans in the latest empirical research across sexology, neuroscience, and psychology, fostering a commitment to evidence-based practice.

  8. Clinical Precision in Complex and High-Conflict Cases: Developing the expertise required to navigate ethically challenging situations, clinical impasses, and highly contentious cases, particularly those involving infidelity, paraphilias, coercive dynamics, or severe trauma histories.

This integrated approach is built upon a solid foundation of nearly two decades of intensive clinical practice. My work is continually informed by ongoing engagement with cutting-edge research in areas vital to sex therapy, including complex trauma, childhood maltreatment, the neurobiology of autonomic regulation, and the full spectrum of adult sexual functioning. Choosing my supervision is choosing a path toward advanced clinical excellence and confidence in treating the most intricate cases in the field of sex therapy.

Areas of Advanced Clinical Supervision: Trauma-Informed Sexual Dysfunction Mastery

This supervision track is designed to develop highly specialized expertise in conceptualizing, assessing, and treating complex sexual dysfunctions through a sophisticated, trauma-informed lens. Supervisees move beyond a purely technical or behavioral approach to master the psychophysiological and relational dynamics underlying sexual distress.

Trauma-Informed Sexual Dysfunction Mastery

Supervisees develop advanced clinical expertise in treating the full spectrum of sexual concerns, including:

  • Differentiating between desire issues rooted in prior trauma, relational conflict, and attachment patterns, or underlying physiological/endocrine factors. Mastery involves tailored interventions for each etiological pathway.

  • Moving beyond a focus on muscle tension to integrate a deeper understanding of sympathetic nervous system overactivation, pelvic floor trauma, psychological conditioning, and the pain-fear-avoidance cycle.

  • Conceptualizing these issues not only through a vascular/hormonal lens but also through performance anxiety, shame physiology, early developmental shame imprints, and nervous system dysregulation (e.g., hypervigilance inhibiting parasympathetic necessary for arousal/orgasm).

  • the perspective from moral failure or addiction to seeing OCSB as a maladaptive coping mechanism for overwhelming emotional states. These states are often linked to unresolved developmental trauma, attachment insecurity, and efforts to soothe the nervous system.

  • Specialized focus on the neurobiological effects of relational betrayal, supporting the trauma-processing required for both the betrayed and the betraying partner, and guiding the complex process of healing intimacy and attachment.

  • n-depth exploration of how early, complex trauma affects the ability to form safe connections, vulnerability, and erotic engagement, leading to dissociation or "erotic shutdown." Interventions focus on establishing internal and relational safety.

  • Learning to stabilize highly reactive couple systems where sexual dysfunction is intertwined with chronic emotional dysregulation, power struggles, and polarized attachment dynamics.

The core objective is to learn to conceptualize sexual dysfunction through the critical lenses of trauma and psychophysiological mechanisms — not just surface-level technique.

Nervous System & Psychophysiological Integration

Supervision is deeply rooted in modern neurobiology and integrates autonomic nervous system science directly into the assessment and treatment of sexual health concerns. This serves as a framework for understanding and treating the biology of sexual dysfunction.

  • Mastering polyvagal-informed approaches to reduce the defensive fight-or-flight response that drives chronic pelvic floor guarding, hypersensitivity, and vulvodynia/vaginismus.

  • Recognizing and intervening in the freeze/shutdown response, a dorsal vagal mechanism that leads to emotional and erotic numbness, dissociation during intimacy, and chronic avoidance of sexual activity.

  • Deep dive into how shame manifests physically—triggering the sympathetic nervous system and inhibiting the parasympathetic systems necessary for safe, relaxed arousal and orgasm. Interventions focus on neutralizing embodied shame responses.

  • Applying the principles of trauma memory processing to sexual issues, including identifying and desensitizing traumatic sexual memories, performance anxiety loops, and relational trauma triggers that surface during intimacy.

  • Using an IFS framework to identify and compassionately engage the "parts" of self involved in sexual conflict (e.g., the Anxious Protector, the Shameful Exile, the Critical Manager) to restore internal harmony and sexual integration.

This is not general nervous system work; this is nervous system regulation applied precisely to the complex dynamics of intimacy and sexual functioning.

Couples & Attachment Integration

Drawing on psychodynamic theory, modern attachment models (e.g., Emotionally Focused Therapy principles), Gottman-informed frameworks, and relational neurobiology, we explore the systemic and historical roots of sexual distress in partnerships.

  • Differentiating between desire issues rooted in prior trauma, relational conflict, and attachment patterns, or underlying physiological/endocrine factors. Mastery involves tailored interventions for each etiological pathway.

  • Moving beyond a focus on muscle tension to integrate a deeper understanding of sympathetic nervous system overactivation, pelvic floor trauma, psychological conditioning, and the pain-fear-avoidance cycle.

  • Conceptualizing these issues not only through a vascular/hormonal lens but also through performance anxiety, shame physiology, early developmental shame imprints, and nervous system dysregulation (e.g., hypervigilance inhibiting parasympathetic necessary for arousal/orgasm).

  • the perspective from moral failure or addiction to seeing OCSB as a maladaptive coping mechanism for overwhelming emotional states. These states are often linked to unresolved developmental trauma, attachment insecurity, and efforts to soothe the nervous system.

  • Specialized focus on the neurobiological effects of relational betrayal, supporting the trauma-processing required for both the betrayed and the betraying partner, and guiding the complex process of healing intimacy and attachment.

  • n-depth exploration of how early, complex trauma affects the ability to form safe connections, vulnerability, and erotic engagement, leading to dissociation or "erotic shutdown." Interventions focus on establishing internal and relational safety.

  • Learning to stabilize highly reactive couple systems where sexual dysfunction is intertwined with chronic emotional dysregulation, power struggles, and polarized attachment dynamics.

Inclusive & Evidence-Based Sexual Healthcare

Supervision prioritizes structured, clinically rigorous engagement with cultural competency and ethical practice to ensure the delivery of truly affirming and anti-oppressive care.

  • Developing specialized knowledge in the unique sexual health concerns, identity development processes, and relational dynamics within the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual communities.

  • Moving beyond basic tolerance to genuine clinical competence, including understanding risk-aware consensual practice (RACK/C-S-E-C), power exchange dynamics, and integrating these practices into a client's sexual identity and relationships.

  • Providing supervision on the clinical implications of polyamory, open relationships, and other forms of ENM, focusing on advanced communication skills, boundary negotiation, jealousy management, and navigating complex relational agreements.

  • Deeply understanding the psychological, physiological, and relational damage caused by religious or cultural sexual repression and mastering the interventions needed to de-pathologize sex, rebuild a healthy sexual ethic, and reclaim embodied pleasure.

  • Dedicated time for supervisees to engage in critical self-reflection on their own biases, privilege, and cultural blind spots to ensure their practice is actively anti-racist, anti-heteronormative, and culturally humble.

  • Addressing how clients integrate their sexual identity and practices with their core spiritual beliefs, guiding them toward congruence and wholeness without imposing the therapist's own worldview.

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Clinical Supervisor’s Comprehensive Scope of Competence and Qualifications

My extensive background in both academic and clinical settings forms the foundation of my supervisory practice, ensuring a highly competent and diverse approach to clinical supervision.

Educational Foundation

My academic preparation is extensive and highly interdisciplinary, spanning foundational psychological science, generalist clinical training, and specialized counseling methodologies:

  1. Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology: A strong undergraduate foundation providing a comprehensive understanding of human behavior, development, and psychological theory.

  2. Master’s Degree in General Psychology (Psychodynamic Concentration): This degree deepened my theoretical understanding, establishing psychodynamic thought as a key framework for complex case conceptualization and insight-oriented work.

  3. Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology (Rogerian, CBT, and Family Systems Concentrations): This clinical degree provided essential, evidence-based therapeutic skills, concentrating on person-centered principles, cognitive-behavioral techniques (CBT) for symptom reduction, and systemic approaches to relational dynamics.

  4. Postbaccalaureate Premedical Studies: This rigorous coursework provided a deeper understanding of biological and physiological processes, enhancing my ability to recognize the interplay between mental health and physical well-being—a vital perspective in trauma and sexual health.

  5. Research Affiliation: Active affiliation in Dr. Kristine Jacquin’s Clinical Forensic Neuropsychology Lab at Fielding Graduate University demonstrates a commitment to empirical science, critical thinking, and the integration of neuropsychological principles into clinical practice.

Professional Credentials and Certifications

My professional qualifications reflect a commitment to high standards of practice and specialized expertise, particularly in sex therapy and clinical supervision:

  1. Licensed Professional Counselor—South Dakota (#LPC-MH2246): Full licensure to practice clinical mental health counseling, including the Mental Health (MH) specialization, in the state of South Dakota.

  2. Licensed Mental Health Counselor—New York (#LMHCXXX): Full licensure in process to practice clinical mental health counseling in the state of New York.

  3. Board Certified Supervisor— South Dakota: Authorization by the South Dakota Board of Examiners of Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists to provide clinical supervision to licensure candidates.

  4. AASECT Certified Sex Therapist (CST): Certification from the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists, signifying specialized training and clinical competence in addressing sexual health and functioning.

  5. AASECT Certified Sex Therapist Supervisor (CSTS): This advanced certification authorizes me to provide supervision specifically for professionals seeking AASECT Sex Therapist certification, a recognition of expertise in sex therapy pedagogy and ethical practice.

  6. EMDRIA Certified EMDR Therapist: Certification by the EMDR International Association, confirming proficiency and consistent clinical application of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) for trauma resolution.

Advanced Training and Professional Development

My continuous professional development ensures my practice remains current, sophisticated, and responsive to complex client needs:

  1. Gottman Method Levels I & II: Specialized training in the Gottman approach for couples therapy, focusing on assessment, intervention, and long-term relationship stability.

  2. Internal Family Systems (IFS): Advanced training in the IFS model, allowing for a non-pathologizing, self-led, and transformative approach to working with clients' internal parts and systems.

  3. Mindfulness Meditation Teacher (MMTCP Certified): Certification from the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program, providing a comprehensive understanding of integrating mindfulness and contemplative practices into therapeutic work.

  4. Adjunct Teaching Appointments in Psychology and Counseling: Experience as an educator in undergraduate Psychology and Counseling programs, which continually refines my ability to explain complex concepts, mentor developing professionals, and stay current with academic literature.

Clinical Experience

My clinical career spans over two decades of involvement, including more than 15 years in licensed professional roles, providing a deep reservoir of practical experience across diverse client populations and settings:

  1. Private Practice: Extensive experience managing a diverse caseload of individuals and couples with a wide range of mental health and sexual health concerns.

  2. Community Mental Health: Direct experience providing accessible, high-volume care in a public service environment, treating severe and persistent mental illnesses, and managing crisis interventions.

  3. Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Programs: Experience in brief, solution-focused therapy for workplace issues, stress management, and crisis intervention, emphasizing efficient and practical results.

  4. Research Settings: Involvement in clinical research, ensuring a practice that is evidence-informed and continually evaluated for effectiveness.

Theoretical Orientation and Integration

My clinical and supervisory orientation is eclectic and integrative, meticulously tailored to the unique needs of each client and supervisee. This approach is anchored by a sophisticated framework:

  1. Psychodynamic Case Conceptualization: This serves as the foundational lens, focusing on unconscious processes, developmental history, relational patterns, and attachment dynamics to inform the why of client distress.

  2. Integration of Core Instruments: This strong conceptual base is coupled with targeted intervention strategies, including:

    1. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): For measurable symptom reduction and modifying maladaptive thought patterns.

    2. Family Systems: Tools for understanding and intervening in relational and intergenerational patterns.

    3. EMDR and Trauma-Informed Frameworks: Essential for effectively resolving trauma memories and managing trauma-related symptoms.

    4. Internal Family Systems (IFS): For deep, internal healing and cultivating self-energy leadership.

    5. Attachment Theory: Used to interpret and repair early relational injuries and improve current interpersonal skills.

This comprehensive and integrated model ensures that supervision moves beyond technique, fostering a deep capacity in supervisees for holistic, ethical, and effective clinical work.

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Advanced Areas of Supervision Focus

Supervision is meticulously structured to support the supervisee's journey toward structured differentiation and clinical mastery in the following highly specialized areas.

Trauma-Informed Sexual Dysfunction

This area focuses on moving beyond symptomatic treatment to thoroughly understanding the psychophysiological and relational roots of sexual dysfunction through a trauma-informed lens.

  • Desire Discrepancy Differentiation: Comprehensive analysis and differential diagnosis to distinguish between desire issues stemming from unresolved trauma (e.g., past abuse, developmental trauma), underlying relational dynamics (e.g., power imbalances, communication breakdown), and physiological factors (e.g., hormonal changes, medical conditions).

  • Genito-Pelvic Pain and Penetration Disorders (GPPPD): Advanced clinical approaches for conditions such as vulvodynia, vaginismus, and dyspareunia, focusing on the integration of pelvic floor awareness, nervous system regulation, and trauma processing.

  • Erectile and Orgasm Disorders: Exploring the nuanced interplay of performance anxiety, shame, attachment style, and underlying trauma in the causes and persistent presentation of these common dysfunctions in all genders.

  • Out-of-Control Sexual Behaviors (OCSB): Utilizing a trauma-and-attachment model, shifting the focus from pathologizing addiction to understanding OCSB as a maladaptive coping mechanism for emotional distress, relational ruptures, or unresolved trauma.

  • Developmental Trauma and Erotic Shutdown: Deep-dive into how early, chronic relational trauma (Complex-PTSD) can lead to a pervasive sense of disconnection from one's own erotic self, resulting in emotional and sexual avoidance or "shutdown."

  • Betrayal Trauma and Infidelity Recovery: Specialized focus on the complex trauma response experienced by the betrayed partner, navigating the intersection of sexual fidelity, emotional security, and rebuilding or dissolving relational trust.

Nervous System & Psychophysiological Integration

This domain emphasizes the importance of integrating Polyvagal Theory and somatic psychology into sexological practice, moving sex therapy beyond talk therapy into the realm of felt, embodied experience.

  1. Autonomic Regulation and Arousal Patterns: Mastery in assessing and intervening with dysregulated autonomic states to facilitate genuine, regulated sexual arousal and response.

  2. Sympathetic Overactivation in Sexual Pain: Specific techniques for downregulating the sympathetic nervous system's "fight or flight" response, which often drives muscular tension and hypervigilance associated with chronic sexual pain.

  3. Freeze/Dissociation in Erotic Avoidance: Recognizing and working with the "Dorsal Vagal Freeze" state as a key avoidance and defense mechanism in response to perceived or actual sexual threat or vulnerability.

  4. Shame Physiology and Inhibition Cycles: Understanding shame not just as a cognitive belief, but as a potent physiological state that inhibits access to eroticism and vulnerability, and developing somatic strategies to metabolize and resolve shame.

  5. Trauma Sequencing in Sexual Trauma Recovery: Learning advanced techniques for slow, methodical, and titrated processing of sexual trauma memories, ensuring the client remains within their window of tolerance and avoids retraumatization.

Couples & Attachment Integration

Focus on systemic and attachment-based interventions that address the sexual dynamic within the larger framework of the couple's bond.

  1. Attachment Injury Repair: Utilizing emotionally focused and trauma-informed interventions to heal significant wounds in the couple's bond that show up as sexual or intimacy issues.

  2. High-Conflict Relational Stabilization: Developing skills to stabilize couples in volatile, high-reactivity patterns, focusing on de-escalation and creating a foundation of emotional safety necessary for sexual exploration.

  3. Sexual Avoidance Cycles: Analyzing and disrupting the often-entrenched pattern where one partner seeks a sexual connection while the other avoids, linking the dynamic back to each partner's unique attachment fears and defenses.

  4. Emotional Reactivity and Shutdown: Distinguishing between active emotional "flooding" (reactivity) and passive emotional "withdrawal" (shutdown) in sexual contexts and teaching couples skills for self-soothing and co-regulation.

  5. Intimacy and Erotic Reconnection: Guiding couples past functional, transactional sex toward genuine, vulnerable erotic connection, by integrating emotional depth and playful exploration.

Inclusive, Culturally Responsive Care

Commitment to advanced self-reflection and clinical practice that centers justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in all aspects of sex therapy.

  1. LGBTQIA+ Affirming Frameworks: Moving beyond basic competence to advanced understanding of the unique sexual health challenges, resilience, and nuances within diverse sexual and gender minority communities, including non-binary and trans-affirming care.

  2. Kink and BDSM Competency: In-depth training on ethical, relational, and psychological dynamics within BDSM/Kink communities, ensuring practitioners can affirm and skillfully navigate issues of consent, negotiation, risk-aware play, and power dynamics.

  3. Ethical Non-Monogamy (ENM) Literacy: Expertise in guiding clients through the complexities of various ENM structures (e.g., polyamory, open relationships, swinging), focusing on effective communication, boundary setting, managing jealousy, and navigating multiple ethical attachments.

  4. Purity Culture Recovery: Specialized work assisting individuals deconstruct the psychological and sexual damage inflicted by restrictive religious or cultural doctrines ("purity culture"), fostering sexual autonomy and pleasure reclamation.

  5. Anti-Oppressive Reflection in Clinical Practice: Developing a critical self-awareness of one's own biases and privileges, and actively integrating anti-racist, anti-ableist, and anti-homophobic/transphobic principles into case conceptualization and clinical intervention.

A Comprehensive Approach to AASECT Supervision

My approach to supervision is a dynamic, collaborative process meticulously designed to foster your comprehensive development as a competent, ethically grounded sexuality professional. Supervision is more than just case review; it is a dedicated space for profound professional and personal growth, ensuring you are equipped to handle the complex and nuanced realities of sex therapy, sex education, or sexuality counseling.

Supervision is strategically structured to assist you in significantly improving the following core domains of practice:

  • We will systematically analyze your clinical techniques, focusing on the effective application of micro-skills, advanced therapeutic interventions, and cultivating an affirming and non-judgmental therapeutic presence. This includes honing your abilities to address resistance, manage strong emotional reactions, and facilitate deeper insight for your clients, particularly in the context of sexuality.

  • A central focus will be on moving beyond surface-level descriptions to developing robust, theoretically informed understandings of your clients' presenting concerns. We will explore how personal history, relational dynamics, cultural context, and systemic factors intersect with sexual health and identity, allowing you to formulate comprehensive and individualized treatment plans.

  • We will work to sharpen your differential diagnosis skills, ensuring accurate identification of underlying psychological and physiological issues affecting sexual function and satisfaction. This involves an in-depth review of diagnostic criteria relevant to sexual health, distinguishing between sexual dysfunctions, paraphilic disorders, and the complexities of trauma-related sexual issues, all while maintaining a sex-positive and non-pathologizing perspective where appropriate.

  • Supervision is a vital process for defining and owning your identity within the field. We will explore ethical dilemmas, boundary management, the development of a professional network, and the process of establishing a sustainable and ethical practice. The goal is for you to emerge as a confident, autonomous, and respected practitioner.

  • Effective sexuality work demands a high degree of self-awareness. We will explore how your personal values, biases, and emotional reactions (countertransference) influence your work. This introspection is critical for maintaining professional boundaries, enhancing empathy, and preventing burnout, to ensure that your personal self functions as a finely tuned instrument for therapeutic change.

  • In service of these developmental goals, I adopt a flexible yet intentional multi-role approach, shifting perspectives as the supervisory context demands:

    1. Teacher: I will actively instruct on theoretical models, ethical standards (particularly the AASECT Code of Conduct), relevant research findings, best practices in the field of sexuality, and practical techniques you can immediately implement. This didactic role focuses on filling knowledge gaps and introducing cutting-edge developments in the field.

    2. Consultant: I function as a specialized resource, offering expert opinions and strategic guidance on complex or challenging cases. In this role, my focus is on problem-solving, exploring alternative interventions, and navigating complex ethical and legal gray areas, providing a collaborative second set of eyes on your clinical work.

    3. Counselor (or Process Facilitator): This role is limited to the impact of the work on the supervisee. We will process the emotional and relational dynamics within the therapeutic space, including countertransference, burnout risk, and professional stressors. It focuses on the self of the therapist to ensure professional and personal well-being, but it does not replace personal therapy.

    4. Evaluator: I am tasked with ensuring you meet the competency standards set forth by AASECT and the ethical demands of the profession. This involves providing structured, constructive, and ongoing feedback on your clinical performance, documentation, ethical reasoning, and professional development, culminating in the formal recommendations required for AASECT certification.

  • I am committed to supporting and deepening your established theoretical orientation—whether it is CBT, psychodynamic, EFT, or systemic—while also introducing you to additional, evidence-based approaches. This eclectic strategy is strategic, designed to expand your toolkit and theoretical flexibility. A key focus of our work will be on trauma-sexuality integration, exploring models and techniques that safely and effectively address how past relational and physical trauma manifests in and impacts current sexual function, desire, and identity. This ensures you can work competently and sensitively with the most complex presentations in the field of human sexuality.

  • The supervision process is grounded in a multimodal approach, intentionally drawing on established, evidence-based models to ensure a comprehensive, insightful, and growth-oriented experience for the supervisee. This integrated framework allows for flexibility in addressing the unique complexities of clinical practice and professional development.

  • This model operates on the fundamental psychodynamic principle that the relational dynamics unfolding in the therapist-client relationship are often mirrored or paralleled in the supervisee-supervisor relationship. Specifically:

    1. Examination of Relational Dynamics: We meticulously examine how the emotional and behavioral patterns, resistance, or transference present in the clinical case (supervisee-client) may be unconsciously re-enacted within the supervision session (supervisee-supervisor).

    2. Insight and Skill Development: Exploring these relational parallels provides profound opportunities for insight. By identifying and processing these dynamics in a safe, controlled supervisory environment, the supervisee gains a deeper understanding of their own emotional responses, countertransference, and interactional style.

    3. Clinical Implications: The issues that emerge within the supervision relationship—whether they relate to communication, boundaries, authority, or emotional vulnerability—are viewed as invaluable data points that frequently have meaningful and direct implications for improving the supervisee's clinical work, fostering therapeutic breakthroughs, and preventing burnout. The ability to observe and process one's own role in a relationship is a cornerstone of advanced clinical skill.

  • The developmental model acknowledges that professional competence is not static; it is an evolutionary process. Supervision is, therefore, deliberately fluid and responsive to the supervisee's current stage of professional growth and expertise.

    1. Tailored Approach: Supervision is highly tailored, adapting the level of structure, challenge, and support provided based on the supervisee's demonstrated competence, years of experience, and comfort level with specific clinical tasks (e.g., assessment, crisis intervention, handling difficult disclosures).

    2. Stages of Growth: This model recognizes varying stages, often moving from a high need for structure, direct advice, and affirmation (characteristic of a beginner) toward greater self-reliance, autonomy, complex case conceptualization, and consultative peer interaction (characteristic of an advanced practitioner).

    3. Evolving Support: As the supervisee's skills grow and their clinical confidence increases, the supervisor's role evolves. Initially, the supervisor may function more as a teacher or coach; over time, the role shifts to that of a consultant or colleague, encouraging the supervisee’s independent critical thinking, ethical decision-making, and professional identity.

  • The holistic model broadens the scope of supervision beyond mere clinical technique to encompass the supervisee's entire professional self, emphasizing the integration of personal well-being and innate therapeutic presence.

    1. Safety, Trust, and Growth: The foundation of this model is to establish a supervisory relationship characterized by deep safety and unwavering trust. This secure base is essential for honest self-reflection and risk-taking necessary for true professional growth.

    2. Strengthening Natural Abilities: Supervision focuses on identifying, articulating, and strengthening the supervisee's natural therapeutic abilities, personal strengths, and innate talents (e.g., empathy, humor, capacity for non-judgment, strong relational skills). We believe that effective clinical work stems from an authentic, well-integrated self.

    3. Expanding Areas for Development: While celebrating strengths, this model also strategically targets areas requiring development. This includes expanding the supervisee's theoretical knowledge, diversifying their intervention repertoire, improving their cultural humility, and enhancing their capacity to manage emotional labor, thereby ensuring comprehensive and sustainable professional practice.

Benefits and Risks of Supervision

Supervision involves both benefits and risks. Growth may involve discomfort, anxiety, or temporary confusion. I see this discomfort as a meaningful component of professional growth.

It is a privilege to contribute to the development of future clinicians and to broaden trauma-informed sexual healthcare resources. Supervision, at its essence, is a transformative and intricate process that entails both significant benefits and inherent risks. The pursuit of professional growth and competence is often a deeply personal and challenging journey. Within this context, it is important to acknowledge that expansion frequently involves periods of profound discomfort, anxiety, and even temporary confusion. I view these moments not as obstacles, but as a meaningful and necessary component of genuine professional development and expansion. The temporary nature of this unease is simply a sign that established boundaries of understanding are being pushed, leading to the integration of more complex skills and perspectives.

It is a profound honor and privilege to engage in this work and contribute directly to the professional development of future clinicians in the fields of sexuality and trauma. By guiding emerging practitioners, I aim to ensure the delivery of high-quality, ethical, and evidence-based care. My commitment is to not only facilitate the certification process but also to broaden the availability and expertise of trauma-informed sexual healthcare resources. This deliberate focus helps build a more competent and compassionate workforce, ultimately serving a wider community in need of specialized, sensitive care.

AASECT Certification Supervision: Options & Investment

Investing in high-quality, trauma-informed supervision is a critical step in achieving and maintaining AASECT Certification as a Certified Sex Therapist (CST). I offer a tiered supervision structure to meet clinicians at every stage of their professional development, from those new to the field to seasoned practitioners seeking mastery in complex areas. All supervision is provided by a seasoned AASECT-Approved Supervisor and adheres strictly to HIPAA compliance standards.

Tier 1. Individual AASECT CST Supervision

Our core individual supervision track is designed for clinicians actively pursuing AASECT Certification. These sessions provide the focused, one-on-one attention necessary to develop essential skills and navigate the certification process effectively.

  • 60-minute, confidential, HIPAA-compliant virtual sessions.

    1. Structured CST Roadmap Planning: Strategic guidance tailored to your specific AASECT requirements (hours, log documentation, case diversity) to ensure a clear, efficient path to certification.

    2. Trauma-Informed Sexual Dysfunction Integration: Training and applying methods for addressing sexual function concerns (e.g., desire, arousal, pain) through a lens that acknowledges and integrates the impact of past and present trauma.

    3. Research-Informed Case Conceptualization: Developing a sophisticated understanding of client presentation using the latest evidence-based models, ensuring interventions are grounded in sexological and psychological research.

    1. Standard Rate:$250 per 55-minute session.

    2. Package Savings:

    3. 6-Session Commitment:$1,425 (a $75 savings) – Ideal for quarterly focused support.

    4. 12-Session Commitment:$2,700 (a $300 savings) – Recommended for sustained, in-depth work over several months of the certification process.

Tier 2. Advanced Trauma-Informed Sexual Health Specialist Track

This specialized track is for licensed clinicians who have completed or are nearing completion of their basic AASECT requirements and are seeking a mastery-level integration of sexual health and complex trauma. It represents a commitment to advanced clinical excellence.

  • A sustained, monthly commitment to deepening clinical expertise.

    1. Two Hours Per Month of Structured Supervision: Dedicated time to process complex, multi-layered cases and ethical dilemmas.

    2. Diagnostic Differentiation Training: Focused training on discerning between organic, psychological, relational, and trauma-based contributors to sexual and relational concerns (e.g., differentiating CPTSD-related shutdown from sexual apathy).

    3. Trauma Sequencing Frameworks: Learning and applying advanced models for safely and effectively sequencing trauma processing within the context of sex and intimacy therapy.

    4. Priority Scheduling: Guaranteed access to preferred time slots.

    5. Optional Between-Session Case Reflection Guidance: Access to asynchronous, secure communication for brief check-ins or guidance on pressing case issues between scheduled sessions.

    1. A La Carte: $300 per 55-minute session.

    2. Structured Monthly Track: $550–$600 per month (pricing determined by commitment length and level of optional support selected).

Tier 3. Elite Small-Group Supervision

This highly selective option is reserved for advanced clinicians who thrive in a collaborative, peer-consultation environment and are committed to rigorous intellectual engagement. Enrollment is extremely limited to maintain intimacy and depth.

  • 90-minute sessions.

  • Highly selective, maximum of 4 clinicians per group. Applicants must demonstrate prior experience and competence in trauma-informed care.

    • Advanced Case Mapping: Utilizing sophisticated systemic and psychoanalytic frameworks to map complex client dynamics, including intergenerational patterns and projective identification in sexual health contexts.

    • Trauma-Integrated Sexual Dysfunction Consultation: Focused, expert consultation on the most challenging cases involving the intersection of severe trauma and sexual health.

  • $225 per person per session

Tier 4. Complex Case Intensive (2-Hour Deep Dive)

The Complex Case Intensive is designed for clinicians facing a single, high-stakes clinical situation that requires immediate, in-depth focus and strategic consultation beyond the scope of a standard 60-minute session.

  • Rapid conceptualization, intervention planning, and ethical risk management for critical cases.

    1. High-conflict relational dynamics involving complex sexual issues.

    2. Severe sexual shutdown or dissociation.

    3. High-risk betrayal trauma scenarios (e.g., infidelity with high emotional distress or legal implications).

    4. Chronic or severe sexual pain conditions requiring multidisciplinary integration.

  • Fixed Rate: $700 per 2-hour intensive session.

Who This Advanced Clinical Supervision Is Designed For:

This specialized supervision is uniquely tailored for professionals dedicated to achieving clinical excellence and specialization in sex therapy, trauma, and complex relationship issues. Our focus is on fostering advanced integration, rigorous case conceptualization, and ethical practice.

Specifically, this supervision is an ideal fit for:

  1. Licensed Clinicians Pursuing AASECT Certified Sex Therapist (CST) Certification: This is an essential pathway for licensed mental health professionals, including psychologists, social workers, marriage and family therapists, and licensed counselors, who are actively working to meet the individual supervision requirements set by the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT) for Certified Sex Therapist status.

  2. Therapists Specializing in Trauma, Couples, or Sexual Dysfunction: Clinicians whose practice primarily involves complex presentations—such as individuals and couples navigating sexual pain, desire discrepancies, infidelity, paraphilias, sexual orientation and gender identity issues, or those integrating sex-specific interventions with complex trauma (e.g., PTSD, developmental trauma) and relationship issues.

  3. Clinicians Seeking Advanced Integration Beyond Foundational Skill Development: This level of supervision moves beyond core competencies. It is intended for practitioners ready to deepen their theoretical frameworks, integrate multiple therapeutic modalities (e.g., CBT, psychodynamic, EFT, Somatic Experiencing) with sexological theory, and refine sophisticated clinical decision-making skills for challenging and nuanced cases.

  4. Professionals Committed to Clinical Rigor and Specialist Formation: This group includes those who view supervision not just as a requirement, but as a vital, ongoing part of professional development. It is for those committed to ethical excellence, self-reflection, mitigating countertransference, and maintaining the highest standards of practice within the field of sexuality and relational health.

Note on Enrollment:

This supervision is selective and is structured to ensure a synergistic fit between the supervisor's expertise and the supervisee's specific learning objectives and client population. The process begins with a mandatory consultation to thoroughly discuss your current caseload, clinical philosophy, prior training, and specific professional goals. This initial conversation is essential for determining alignment and creating a focused, high-impact supervisory relationship.

The Transformative Outcome of Supervision

This supervision experience is meticulously designed to be far more than just a collection of required hours; it is a catalyst for profound professional transformation. Our goal is to ensure supervisees leave with not just competence, but genuine clinical mastery and leadership capacity in the field of sexual health.

Supervisees leave this comprehensive process equipped with the following advanced skills and positioning:

  • Moving beyond surface-level assessment, you will develop a rigorous, multi-layered framework for identifying complex, overlapping sexual health issues. This includes the ability to accurately differentiate between primary, secondary, and co-morbid sexual concerns, leading to precise and effective treatment planning.

  • You will expertise in the ethically and clinically sound integration of trauma-informed care into sexual health treatment. This involves mastering the strategic sequencing of interventions—knowing when and how to address trauma-related barriers, sexual dysfunction, and relational dynamics to ensure client safety, maximize therapeutic progress, and prevent iatrogenic harm.

  • The program provides in-depth exposure and guidance on the most challenging cases, for example, persistent genital arousal disorder (PGAD), complex chronic pain (e.g., vulvodynia, vaginismus, chronic prostatitis), desire discrepancies, and issues related to non-traditional relationship structures. You will gain the clinical courage and technical skills to treat these presentations effectively.

  • Supervision heavily emphasizes bridging the gap between current scientific literature and daily clinical practice. You will learn to critically evaluate sexual health research and integrate evidence-based protocols directly into your therapeutic decision-making process, ensuring your practice is both modern and highly defensible.

  • This is an essential outcome. Supervisees are mentored to view themselves as future leaders, consultants, and educators in the field. You will develop a strong professional identity, advanced ethical decision-making abilities, and the capacity to advocate for comprehensive sexual health within your communities and professional organizations.

The Research-Driven Outcome: Elevating Your Clinical Expertise

The supervision model is meticulously designed to transform your clinical practice, ensuring that every supervised hour contributes to a profound, measurable enhancement of your skills and professional identity. Clinicians who complete this journey don't just meet AASECT requirements; they emerge as leading specialists ready to tackle the most complex cases in sexual health with confidence and scientific rigor.

Upon completion of this comprehensive supervision model, you will be equipped with:

  1. Structured, Science-Aligned Diagnostic Frameworks: Move beyond symptom management to develop a profound understanding of the etiological underpinnings of sexual dysfunction. You will master evidence-based diagnostic protocols rooted in current sexological and neuroscience research, enabling precise, reliable, and mechanism-based differential diagnoses. This includes integrating biological, psychological, interpersonal, and sociocultural factors into a cohesive, practical assessment model.

  2. Trauma-Informed, Mechanism-Based Intervention Plans: Learn to develop dynamic and personalized intervention strategies that directly address the core mechanisms driving your clients' sexual challenges. Every intervention will be guided by a deep commitment to trauma-informed care, ensuring safety, empowerment, and respect for the client’s lived experience. Your treatment plans will be highly specific, ethically grounded, and focused on sustainable, long-term change, not just symptom relief.

  3. Increased Confidence Treating Complex Sexual Dysfunction: The structured approach and consistent integration of current research will dramatically reduce clinical uncertainty. You will gain the competence to confidently manage multifaceted presentations, including persistent genito-pelvic pain disorders, desire discrepancies, sexual trauma aftermath, and conditions unresponsive to standard treatment. This confidence is built on a foundation of expert guidance and evidence-based mastery.

  4. The Ability to Bridge Research with Clinical Practice (The Scientist-Practitioner Model): This supervision model champions the scientist-practitioner ideal. You will learn to critically evaluate current sexological literature, translate complex research findings into accessible clinical language, and apply emerging evidence directly to your client work. This skill ensures your practice remains cutting-edge, ethical, and continuously evolving, transforming you from a consumer of information into a sophisticated clinical scholar.

  5. Recognition as a Specialist in Sexual Health and Function: Achieving competency through this rigorous, research-driven process sets you apart. This specialized knowledge and skill set enhances your professional reputation, positioning you as a highly sought-after expert and thought leader in the field of sexual health.

In essence, your supervision journey is not just a requirement; it becomes a purposeful, intensive extension of your scientific curiosity and clinical identity, cultivating a practice that is both deeply empathetic and rigorously evidence-based.

The Distinction:

You will move beyond completing the supervision hours necessary for certification. Our expectation is that by the end of this process, you will practice differently. Your therapeutic approach will be more structured, trauma-aware, research-backed, and ultimately, far more impactful.

Closing Philosophy: The Journey of Clinical Formation

Supervision is far more than a simple box to check or a regulatory hoop to jump through; it is, fundamentally, a process of formation.

This formative process is a sacred space dedicated to the disciplined refinement of your professional self. It is where you hone the very mechanisms of your practice: how you think critically about complex cases, how you conceptualize the intersecting biopsychosocial dynamics of human sexuality, and how you select interventions with precision, empathy, and ethical rigor.

The core of effective sexual health practice lies in integration. Supervision acts as the crucible in which seemingly disparate elements are forged into a cohesive, powerful clinical identity. This integration involves the seamless weaving together of:

  1. Science: The latest evidence-based research, neurobiological insights, and established theories of human sexuality and attachment.

  2. Theory: The foundational models (e.g., psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, systemic, narrative) that provide a framework for understanding and addressing clinical issues.

  3. Lived Clinical Experience: The moment-to-moment realities of client interactions, the wisdom gained from successful and challenging cases, and the development of intuitive clinical judgment.

The ultimate outcome of this intensive supervisory relationship is to elevate your practice to a level characterized by mastery in three essential domains:

  1. Clinical Precision: Moving beyond general interventions to execute targeted, ethical, and highly effective strategies tailored to the unique needs of the client and the complexity of their sexual health concerns.

  2. Scientific Insight: The ability to critically evaluate and apply research, ensuring your interventions are informed by a deep and current understanding of sexual science, moving beyond anecdote to evidence.

  3. Trauma-Informed Sexual Health Mastery: A comprehensive capacity to work with sexual health issues through a lens that recognizes the pervasive impact of trauma, ensuring safety, autonomy, collaboration, and trustworthiness are paramount in every clinical decision and interaction.

Application Process for AASECT Supervision: A Selective and Personalized Journey

Supervision with Kimberly is a selective process, designed to ensure a deep, high-quality, and personalized experience for every supervisee. We are committed to fostering excellence in sex therapy, counseling, and education, and this begins with a thoughtful application and vetting process.

 

All prospective supervisees are required to complete the following three core steps:

  1. Initial Consultation (Discovery Call): This is a mandatory first step—a confidential conversation to discuss your background, current practice, and specific supervision needs. It allows both you and the supervisor to assess initial compatibility, philosophical alignment, and the suitability of this supervisory relationship for your professional trajectory.

  2. Review of Professional Goals and Practice: Following the initial consultation, candidates submit a summary of their professional aspirations, including short-term and long-term career objectives in the field of human sexuality. This review focuses on understanding your current areas of expertise, any identified knowledge or skill gaps, and how supervision will directly facilitate your growth. We specifically look for a demonstrated commitment to ethical practice and ongoing professional development.

  3. Discussion of AASECT Certification Timeline and Alignment: For those pursuing AASECT Certified Sex Therapist (CST) status, this step is crucial. We will meticulously review your progress toward meeting all AASECT requirements, discuss a realistic timeline for completion, and ensure that your caseload and clinical focus align with the depth and breadth necessary for certification. This step ensures that our supervision hours are as effective and strategically used toward your final goal.

A Note on Capacity: Supervision spots are limited. This limitation is intentional and integral to our commitment to high standards. By maintaining a small roster of supervisees, I ensure that each individual receives the dedicated time, depth of focus, and personalized support necessary to achieve meaningful professional growth and high-quality clinical or educational practice.

Take the Next Step in Your Professional Development

If you are a dedicated professional ready to meet the rigorous standards of AASECT Certified Sex Therapist (CST) certification through the lens of advanced, modern, and trauma-informed supervision—or if your primary goal is to significantly deepen your clinical expertise in the assessment and treatment of complex sexual dysfunctions and sexual health issues—your next step is clear.

If you’re seeking supervision that challenges and deepens your work, we invite you to begin with an initial consultation. Together, we can explore how this model might support your growth as a AASECT Certified Sex Therapist.

Frequently Asked Questions About AASECT Sex Therapy Supervision

Q: What is AASECT supervision and how does it help me get certified as a sex therapist?

A: AASECT supervision is a required component of the AASECT Certified Sex Therapist (CST) credential. It involves working with an AASECT-approved supervisor to develop the clinical competencies needed to assess and treat sexual health concerns. Quality supervision goes beyond fulfilling certification hours—it builds your theoretical framework, sharpens your clinical skills, and prepares you to treat complex cases with confidence.

Q: How is trauma-informed sex therapy supervision different from regular clinical supervision?

A: Trauma-informed sex therapy supervision addresses the deep connection between trauma history, nervous system dysregulation, attachment wounds, and sexual dysfunction. Rather than focusing only on behavioral or relational interventions, this approach trains you to understand the psychophysiological mechanisms driving your clients' symptoms—integrating frameworks like polyvagal theory, EMDR, and Internal Family Systems (IFS) into your clinical reasoning and case formulation.

Q: What qualifications does Kimberly Keiser have to provide AASECT supervision?

A: Kimberly Keiser holds dual certification as an AASECT Certified Sex Therapist and Supervisor (CST-S) and an EMDRIA Certified EMDR Therapist. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor with over two decades of clinical experience specializing in the intersection of trauma and sexual health. Her work is continually informed by ongoing research into the psychosomatic pathways linking trauma and sexual dysfunction, including work affiliated with Fielding Graduate University.

Q: What types of sexual dysfunction will I learn to treat in this supervision program?

A: Supervision covers the full spectrum of trauma-related sexual dysfunctions, including desire discrepancies, Genito-Pelvic Pain and Penetration Disorders (GPPPD), erectile dysfunction and orgasm disorders, out-of-control sexual behaviors (OCSB), betrayal trauma and infidelity recovery, erotic shutdown and dissociation, and trauma-driven sexual avoidance.

Q: How does this supervision model incorporate neuroscience and the autonomic nervous system?

A: Using polyvagal theory and autonomic nervous system (ANS) principles, supervisees learn to identify whether a client is in a sympathetic (fight/flight) or dorsal vagal (shutdown/freeze) state and apply targeted interventions to promote regulation, safety, and the capacity for connection and pleasure.

Q: Is this supervision right for me if I am already a licensed therapist but not yet pursuing AASECT certification?

A: Yes. This supervision is designed for licensed clinicians actively working toward AASECT CST certification and for experienced professionals seeking to deepen their expertise in trauma-informed sexual health without necessarily pursuing certification.

Q: What makes Kimberly Keiser's AASECT supervision unique compared to other supervision groups?

A: Many AASECT supervision groups focus on case sharing, community learning, and accumulating required hours. Kimberly's model goes further by grounding supervision in empirical research and integrating EMDR trauma processing, IFS parts mapping, attachment-based couples frameworks, structured diagnostic differentiation, and nervous system regulation into a cohesive, specialist-level curriculum.

Q: What research areas inform the supervision curriculum?

A: The supervision curriculum is directly informed by empirical research on: the interplay of PTSD symptom clusters and sexual dysfunction; childhood maltreatment and adult sexual functioning; autonomic nervous system dysregulation and sexual health; and psychosomatic pathways in sexual pain and arousal disorders. Supervisees learn to translate peer-reviewed findings into actionable, research-based treatment plans.