Welcome to the Sexual Health Alliance’s Year-Long Kink Informed Certification Program! We are so glad you’re here. This is an exclusive certificate program in kink, BDSM, and alternative sexuality taught by SHA and international expert, Midori, along with more premier leaders in the sexuality field. This program utilizes a Strength-Based Approach to working with these populations. 

This program is for you if you are a kink-aware therapist, kink positive therapist, educator, coach, or consultant who works with individuals engaging in kink, BDSM, various sexualities. This program is for you if you strive to serve your clients’ needs through non-judgemental sex-positivity while celebrating their diversity in sexual expression. This program is for you if you not only want to grow your sexuality business but also expand your reach to more people and spread sex positivity and kink awareness.

Even with the best of intentions, many professionals lack access to additional training that would allow for their practice to be truly kink-aware or kink positive. Lack of current education can potentially lead to causing harm to the client by unknowingly introducing sex-negative stereotypes or misinformation into session. With this training, you will be able to better provide for clients’ needs around sexuality around those that engage in kink, BDSM, and alternative sexuality.

Sexual Health Alliance along with Midori, have created KIC, the Kink Informed Certification Program that educates therapists, coaches, educators, as well as other sexuality experts about kink, BDSM, and alternative sexuality which provides you with all the tools needed to truly become a kink-aware or kink-positive therapist or professional.

WHO IS THIS PROGRAM FOR?

All are welcome in the Sexual Health Alliance’s certification programs. This Kink-Informed program is for all professionals, therapists, educators, counselors, coaches, healers, or anyone interested in learning more about those that engage in kink, BDSM, and alternative sexuality. From college/graduate students and lifelong learners to helping professionals and novices. This program gives you the collaborative tools and background you need to help those that engage in kink, BDSM, and alternative sexuality.

Some of the Kink Informed Certification students are also students of another SHA certification program, thanks to SHA’s programs being self-guided. Another portion of the KIC students is SHA alumni.

WHAT CAN I DO WITH A KINK INFORMED CERTIFICATE?

Because this program is open to many professions, the options with what to do next are endless. You can use this program to apply towards your AASECT renewal or AASECT certification application. This program offers 125 AASECT CEs for your application.  

If you’re a practicing therapist, you can use your in-depth knowledge to treat even more patients and grow your business. If you are a sex educator, coach, or counselor, you can use the wisdom gained from this program in your everyday sessions. And if you’re neither of those, our Kink Informed Certification Program is suited for all interested in becoming kink aware and kink positive.

MIDORI, THE SUPERNOVA OF KINK

A program all about kink can only be as good and as positive as its teacher, and though we may be slightly biased, we believe we have one of the best current kink teachers in the country, Midori. Born in Tokyo, Japan, Midori brings a multicultural and holistic approach to the kink and BDSM community. After moving to the United States, she received her degree from the University of California, Berkeley with a BA in Psychology and graduated from the US Army, Military Intelligence, OBC.

Known as the “Supernova of Kink” according to Dan Savage, Midori emerged from the Sex Positive movement in San Francisco in the early 1990s and soon became one of the most highly regarded presenters on sexuality, personal fulfillment, and kinky adventures. Her reputation as an authority and leading expert on alternative pleasures stem not only from her unique and entertaining process of teaching concrete skills but from her ability to deconstruct and distill complex matters of desire into surprisingly accessible lessons with eloquence and humanity. 

She’s known for tackling challenging topics with fresh and relevant insights. She calls this her “head-heart-hands” method to create a space where people are allowed individual self-exploration. Fundamentally, she is motivated by helping people to create authentic and intimate relationships while emphasizing self-actualization, shame reduction, acceptance, and justice. Known for her ability to teach with equal parts expertise and heart, her intensives and pop-up classes are often booked months in advance. She is best known for her transformative small-group educational intensives, Rope Dojo and ForteFemme: Women’s Dominance Weekend Intensive.  

She is the author of The Seductive Art of Japanese Bondage, Wild Side Sex, and Master Han’s Daughter. She has also contributed her expertise and voice in numerous articles, columns, works of fiction, and instructional books. 

Along with her impressive list of accomplishments, she has presented at many renowned organizations such as:

When she’s not traveling and teaching, she’s creating provocative and haunting art and performances. For more information about Midori, visit her official website. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @PlanetMidori.

OTHER EXPERT CONTRIBUTORS

The experts that help contribute to our Kink Informed Certification Program are leaders in the alternative sexuality community including therapists, educators, coaches, and writers that will offer a diverse viewpoint on BDSM/kink. In this program, you will learn what it means to be an ally and how to progress the dialogue forward in your community. Some of the other contributors to this program include:

• Sunny Megatron

• Joe Zarate-Sanderlin

• Zoë Ligon

• Dr. Betty Martin

• Shay Tiziano

• Laura A. Jacobs, LCSW-R

• Patrick Califia

• Laura Antoniou

• John Pendal

• Lee Harrington

• Dr. Richard Sprott

We are always expanding our faculty to bring all perspectives to the conversation; we are better together.

PREVIOUS CONFERENCES AND GUEST SPEAKERS

We are passionate about sharing and spreading current, sex-positive knowledge which is why the Sexual Health Alliance is committed to offering regular, two-day conferences on a wide variety of topics and many expert presenters. Some of our recent conferences include BodySex expert, Carlin Ross, teaching us the basics of Betty Dodson’s revolutionary exercises, Doctor Michael Vigorito leading a conversation on problem sexual behavior, and even the first student-run and student-lead conference. Like the topics themselves, our guest speakers range in professions, ensuring all perspectives are contributed to our curriculum. 

We are lucky to have some of the top professors and lecturers in the world! Many of our presenters have lectured at prestigious Universities including USC, UCLA, Princeton, The Kinsey Institute, Harvard University, the University of Texas at Austin, Texas State University, and more. Many of them have been featured on Anderson Cooper, Dr. Phil, The Doctors, LoveLine, WE tv’s “Sex Box” and Logo tv’s “Bad Sex,” The Today Show, VICE, CNN, HLN, OWN, Nightline, Katie Couric, Dr. Drew and in Newsweek, New York Times, Daily Beast, Men's Health, Cosmo, and National Geographic, LA Times and the London Telegraph, Playboy and Hustler magazines. More information can be found here.

KINK INFORMED CERTIFICATE PROGRAM HELPS BUILD YOUR SEX CAREER

For those that are already practicing therapists or clinicians, adding a Kink Informed Certification to your repertoire expands your client community, allowing you to reach more people and grow your business. For those that are educators, coaches, or consultants, you too can extend or business by teaching workshops or giving lectures on kink and becoming kink aware, working one-on-one with clients or students, or by building any career around kink you want.

WHY SHA’S KINK INFORMED CERTIFICATION PROGRAM?

WHAT MAKES SHA best in class?

The Sexual Health Alliance (SHA) stands out as a leader in sexuality training because we connect you with the leading experts in the world. We build the most inclusive communities and offer support throughout the program with our original happy hours, mixers, Facebook groups, and in-person events with our sexceptional weekend conferences, study abroad programs all over the world, SARs in Mexico and Jamaica and Sex Nerd Trivia. Finally, our latest specialized programs are accelerated, self paced, and are one of the only programs with the option to attend live monthly events with the leading voices and stars in the field.

Our programs are at the forefront of the field because we focus on progressive and comprehensive content presented through multiple channels so that no matter what kind of learner you are, you will become sexceptional at graduation.

SHA consists of professionals from every walk of life that go on to change the field and make a huge difference in their client’s lives. We support and encourage our students throughout the program and provide a wealth of areas to network. We love offering collaboration with our presenters and through our conferences as well—we want your education to be about you!

Since 2015, SHA has hosted over 5500 people at our events, while certifying sex therapists, counselors, educators, and coaches. We have been lucky enough to collaborate with many of the leading experts in sexuality and relationships. Throughout the year, SHA facilitates communication among sexual health providers through our signature workshops and conferences, special events, and social media. Our events and programming are intended to build community, spark dialogue and encourage collaboration.

We build communities that are well-informed and all-inclusive. We're dedicated to bringing the brightest minds and biggest game changers in sexual health to every area of the world. Join a program that’s more than watching videos and answering questions, join SHA and transform your career and make lifelong friends.

SHA’S STANCE ON “SEX ADDICTION”

SHA believes that we as therapists and educators need to challenge the concept of sexual addiction and explore a different model of sexuality. We do not support CSAT (Certified Sex Addiction Therapist) programs or agree that compulsive sexual behavior or problematic sexual behavior is empirically supported and do not promote the language we deem to be shaming.

We currently have 8 FREE video interviews on Rethinking Sex Addiction and OCSB on our blog here with the top couples and sex therapists in the world. We also have a full sex therapy, counselor, educator & consultant certification program currently 100% online where we delve deeper into this topic!

SHA also supports the American Association for Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT)’s stance on this topic. For more information, please read AASECT’s Position on Sex Addiction here.

OTHER SHA PROGRAMS

Not interested or not qualified to get your Kink Informed Certificate? Sexual Health Alliance offers a variety of programs:

We make it easy to become a certified SHA and AASECT sexuality professional. All programs are AASECT certified and provide 200+ AASECT CEs*. Start your dream career in sexuality today and finish your program(s) at your own pace, online, from anywhere!

*This program meets the requirements of the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT) and is approved for AASECT 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 ce@aasect.org.