To be certified as a sexuality educator (and I am certified by two different certifying bodies - The American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists and the National Council on Family Relations)it is more than taking a test. To be a certified expert in our field there is the accumulation of knowledge which is measured first by the coursework that has been taken in a variety of related subjects in a Master's degree or doctoral program. This coursework or training must cover a huge variety of subjects including the biology of sexuality, marriage and family issues, childhood and adolescent development (to name only a few). Then we are required to participated in a SAR (Sexual Attitude Reassessment) which helps identify the attitudes we hold and how our attitude may affect the clients/students/participants we work with. We also need a thousand hours of actual teaching in the field of sexuality, a hundred or more that must be supervised by another certified or professional sexuality educator.

In addition to all this we need to attend workshops and trainings to continually update our knowledge. This accumulation of hours (20+) must take place every three years.

We also have to be recommended by at least two other known professionals to certify our competence.

I hope that helps you with what certification requires.

Reviewed by Sexual Health Editorial Team