Course series

Pelvic Health Sexuality Counseling Certificate Program

Registering Cohort 6:
September 15-December 15, 2024

CEUs:

  • 40 hours
    (+BONUS Q&A)
  • 40 PT/OT CEUs applied for in all 50 states.
  • 30 ASSECT Asynchronous CEs
  • 10+ AASECT Live CEs

    • Access:

    • This course is set up in cohorts.
    • Self-paced content with 3x/month live office hours. 
    • After your 3 month cohort, you'll have unlimited access to the course material. 

    Audience: 

    • Medical Providers & Fitness Professionals
    • PT/PTA, OT/OTA
    • Mental Health Providers
    • Sex Educators, Counselors, and Therapists
    • No pre-requisites
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    Praise from past cohort members:

    It is difficult to articulate how much this course has meant for my own personal growth, as well as my empowerment as a physician to care for my patients holistically. This course provided personal challenges to reflect and address my own beliefs and understanding, which prepared me to empathetically ask patients to participate in these growth and counseling techniques.

    I was especially fired up regarding the social justice framework of this course and reinvigorated to recognize the intersectionality and needs of each patient as an individual. That portion of the course also challenged my own foundational beliefs, as well as my medical education shortcomings, that I can now more easily identify in learning how to provide equitable care.

    UC and Heather also provided personalized, practical information on how to implement this work with my patients, and how to demand continued DEI and reproductive justice education and growth in my future career so that this learning doesn’t end here. I believe with my whole being that this type of education is critical for all OBGYN physicians in order to provide equitable, inclusive, empowering care for our patients.
    - Elise Edwards-Cavalieri, MD

    This is a program for the disrupters.

    Regardless of what medical profession you’re in, if you work with clients in pelvic health and you want to create an intersectional foundation of sexual knowledge for clinical practice and be a part of a kick-ass community of like-minded people, this program is for you.

    What should you expect? 

    • A robust program that starts with the foundational aspects of sexology and sexual health as a human right
    • A three-month cohort with 40 hours of pre-recorded instruction (plus bonus learning material)
    • 10 live office hours led by the course designers (Heather & UC) for facilitated discussion and guidance of weekly course content. Attending live is not mandatory. All are recorded. 
    • Handouts, videos, and resources to use in all areas of practice (clinical, academic, and research)
    • The ability to go through the program content at your own pace
    • Cultivate a community of fellow disrupters in sexual health
    • Specific frameworks and intervention strategies that can be used in real-time in clinical, academic, and research settings
    • Facebook Group Community for discussion and collaboration with your colleagues.  
    • The Sexy Pop Up Series: ongoing, quarterly lectures on hot topics in the field of sexuality followed by a structured Q&A - Exclusively for alumni and members of the current cohort.
    • A quarterly newsletter to keep you on top of educational opportunities

    As a medical provider who wants to make sexual health more accessible, you might be asking yourself the following: 

    • How does sex counseling fit in with what I actually do in the clinic?
    • How can I make sure I’m seeing the WHOLE person?
    • What are my professional boundaries?
    • Where does what I do end and mental health therapy begin?
    • Am I being inclusive in the way that I offer care?
    • As a pelvic health provider, how do I work with couples around sexuality?

    Curriculum Outline
    The following topics will be covered:

    Month 1:
    • An integrative approach to sex counseling 
    • Sexology history and an intersectional considerations for medical care 
    • Interviewing and Assessment for Sexual Health
    • Trans and Intersex inclusive anatomy and clinical communication 
    • Medical interventions for sexual health 
    Month 2: 
    • Power dynamics for providers and patients 
    • Dysfunction and distress surrounding arousal and desire                          
    • Trans sexuality 
    • Sexuality and aging 
    • Pelvic Pain and Sexuality
    • Neurodivergence and sexuality 
    • Physical disability and sexuality 
    • Fertility, pregnancy, postpartum sexuality
    Month 3: 
    • STIs and stigma 
    • Sexually advanced patients, sex work 
    • Relationship structures and clinical implications                                          
    • Advanced power dynamics and sexuality 
    • Red Flags, Abuse, Reporting, Resources 
    • Psychosocial interventions and teaching tools 
    • Advanced case studies 
    • Sex counseling business basics 


    And your education doesn't end there... 

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    Exclusive Ongoing Access to The Sexy Pop Up Series!

    Ongoing, quarterly lectures on hot topics in the field of sexuality followed by a structured Q&A - Exclusively for alumni and members of the current cohort.

    After the program ends, you've still got us for support! 

    Fall behind? 

    No problem. We know that life happens.

    In addition to your office hours, you can join the LIVE OFFICE HOURS for any following cohorts! 

    How this program works with the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT)

    Does this program get me AASECT certified?

    No. However, participants will be able to use the credits from this program toward an application for AASECT certification to earn the Certified Sex Counselor (CSC) title. 

    At the end of this certificate program, participants will: 

    • Hold a Certificate in Pelvic Health Sexual Counseling through Pelvic Global Academy. 
    • Feel confident in being able to address the sexual counseling needs of your patients.
    • Have continued opportunites for FREE Sexy Pop Ups which will have synchronous AASECT CEs available. 


    We've collaborated with partners to bring you the entire AASECT pre-requisite experience: 

    • We give you 30 Asynchronous Counseling Training hours and 10 Asynchronous Core Knowledge hours.
    • The Institute for Sexual Education and Enlightenment (ISEE) has a package exclusive to our participants that gets you the rest of the 30 Synchronous Counseling Training hours and the rest of the 80 Core Knowledge hours.
    • We have amazing partners offering a SAR that is exclusive to our participants. 
    • Heather is one of the rare AASECT Sex Counseling Supervisors, and UC is a supervisor in training, so we can offer supervision hours to you as well. 


    This program meets the requirements of the American Association of Sexuality Educators,

    Counselors and Therapists (AASECT) and is approved for 40 CE credits. These CE credits may
    be applied toward AASECT certification and renewal of certification.

    Completion of this program does not ensure or guarantee AASECT certification. For further
    information please contact info@assect.org.

    Still have questions?

    Email courses@pelvicglobal.com




    Meet the instructorS

    Heather Edwards, PT, CSC-S, CSE

    Heather Edwards, PT, CSC-S, CSE (she/they) has been a pelvic physical therapist since 2003 and is an AASECT certified Sexuality Counselor, Sex Educator, and Counseling Supervisor. They achieved their dual certificate at the University of Michigan Sexual Health Certificate Program. They have presented at APTA, AASECT (sex therapy, counseling, and education), Teen PEP (comprehensive sex ed in schools), InterConnect (intersex advocacy), and transgender conferences and teaches for Pelvic Global Academy on the topic of Trans-Inclusive Sexual & Pelvic Health. They have a series of courses that address specific sexual psychosocial aspects of medical care called Clinical Blindspots. They provide community sex edutainment live and online as Vino & Vulvas and Bubbles & Bubbly. In addition to education and clinical work, Heather is an artist, illustrator, and author of the coloring book series "Coloring Books for the Crotch Enthusiast" an illustrated story about a nonbinary vulva, “Finding VaJoyJoy”, and mostly recently of a novel, June Full Moon. Her latest is erotica that is pelvic-health informed, consent-focused, and models emotionally intelligent dialogue as a new platform for her sex education work. They are an advocate of promoting the inclusion of all minorities into sexual health, especially those who have historically faced many barriers to care. 

    Uchenna "UC" Ossai, PT, DPT, WCS, CSC-SIT

    Dr. Uchenna “UC” Ossai is a sex-positive pelvic health physical therapist, sexuality educator and AASECT certified sexuality counselor. Dr. UC received her clinical doctorate from University of Illinois Chicago and completed her resident in Women’s Health and Movement Science at Washington University at St. Louis. She currently serves in the role as assistant professor at University of Utah in Salt Lake City in the Department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training. She is also currently on faculty for the University of Michigan School of Social Work’s Sexual Health Certification Program. Dr. UC previously served as assistant professor at the University of Texas Dell Medical School in Austin as well as pelvic health program manager and clinical education rotation director at UT Health Austin for five years. Dr. UC has clinical, research, and educational expertise in complex pelvic floor disorders, sexual function and dysfunction that centers intersectionality and biopsychosocial factors. She is a national and international speaker and is on the medical advisory boards for Origin, O.School, and Dame Products. Dr. UC also serves as a consultant for DEI strategy as well as clinical and educational audit and planning for small businesses and large start-ups. When it comes to sexual intelligence and great sex education, UC embraces always being unapologetically real, happily crunk, and deliciously kind.