Careers in Sexual Health and Sexuality
Our students are drawn from a wide range of professional disciplines and go out to work in varied and very exciting settings. We plan to maintain contacts with our alumni and develop an alumni registry for graduates.
General career areas include:
- Sexual Health and Sexuality Counselling and Therapy
- Sexual Health and Sexuality Education
- Sexual Health and Sexuality Research
1. Sexual Health and Sexuality Counselling and Therapy
Sexuality Counsellors and Therapists come from a host of academic disciplines, including medicine, psychology, counselling, education, social work, nursing, theology, marriage and family therapy, sexology, sociology, women's studies and any of the allied health professions (occupational therapy, rehabilitation counselling, leisure and health).
Graduates of our program can work in specialised sexual health units, or as sexual health specialists in health professional teams. Some work in private practice as sex counsellors or therapists.
Examples:
The Graduate Certificate of Health Science (Sexual Health) provides the competencies for students to work in professional settings where sexuality and sexual health is an integral part of, but not the main service provided. This would include allied health professionals such as
Occupational Therapists,
Rehabilitation Counsellors,
Leisure and Health Workers,
Aged Care workers,
Disability care workers (Spinal injury units, Brain injury units)
The Graduate Diploma of Health Science (Sexual Health) is suitable for those who are involved in providing specific advice and guidance in sexuality and sexual health in a professional setting such as a clinic, health centre, school or other similar institution. This would include:
Sexual Health Centres
Family Planning Clinics
School Counsellor
Prison Officers
AIDS/HIV counselling centres.
The Master of Health Science (Sexual Health) is a degree that provides students with the competencies to set up and function as independent counsellors and/or therapists. This degree will soon be accredited with the Australian Society of Sexuality Educators, Researchers and Therapists.
2. Sexual Health and Sexuality Education
Sexual health and sexuality educators can be found in a myriad of settings, including health clinics for men and women, hospitals, social service and family counselling agencies, primary and secondary schools, as well as colleges and universities. The majority of sex educators do not teach sexuality education full time. Generally, sex education is only part of what they do. Education is an integral part of healthy sexuality and our graduates will be qualified to work in educational and community settings.
The graduate program is structured to provide flexibility of choice in terms of topics of study and placement opportunities to allow for individual differences in training requirements.
Students interested in a professional career in Sexuality education are advised to enrol in the Graduate Diploma or Masters in Health Science (Sexual Health). These two provide the student with the opportunity to experience a sexual health placement in sexuality education.
Students enrolled in the Master of Health Science (Sexual Health) will be in a position to develop and deliver sexuality education programs to the community.
3. Sexual Health and Sexuality Research
Those who conduct and publish research on sexuality-related topics are usually trained within a particular home discipline (such as anthropology, biology, communications, health promotion, history, family studies, nursing, psychology, sociology, women's studies, etc.). The coursework program provides a holistic training in sexual health and sexuality and provides the opportunity for students to explore options for advanced research in sexual health and sexuality.
The coursework Masters degree is an ideal starting point for a research PhD. The multidisciplinary nature of the course and the multi professional nature of the research staff will enable students to explore a diverse range of research options. Many students use the Masters course to develop a research project that they then continue as a research PhD.