| FAQ's
This page is currently being expanded. Please email
us with questions not answered here.
Logistic Questions
Course Questions
Other Questions
Registration
As course credit is offered by Psychological Studies Institute,
all students must apply to be a student at Psychological
Studies Institute. This means you must meet minimum requirements
for admission to PSI. Students must have completed
a bachelors degree to apply. You do not need a masters
degree. Many of our students are currently pursuing their
masters while taking the courses.
You do not need to be a therapist (Psychologist, Marriage
& Family Therapist, Professional Counselor, Clinical
Social Worker, etc.) to attend ISW courses. Many pastors/pastors
in training take our intro courses. It should be noted that
the intermediate and advanced courses are designed for therapists.
Students can find information on applying to the program
and registering for classes on our Registration
Page.
Cost
Tuition
Cost for the courses is based on Psychological Studies Institute
current charges. Their
current charges for non-degree students can be found
on their web site. Contact Moose
Lutes, PSI Business Manager, for payment arrangements.
Books
Textbooks can be purchased through your preferred bookseller.
Cost for textbooks varies greatly with the course. Readings
for some courses are predominantly professional articles
that can be downloaded, others use books available through
discounters and others use current textbooks. A list of
books required for each course is available on the course
syllabus or on the course
web page.
Travel/meals/lodging
Meals, travel and lodging are not included in registration
costs.
Fees
Psychological Studies Institute charges students two fees in
addition to tuition. The first is a $50.00 application fee
(paid one time) and a $50.00 student fee (access to library
resources). Students who do not register during formal registration
period pay PSI an addition $50.00 over published PSI tuition
rates.
Location
All courses are taught at Psychological
Studies Institute - Atlanta Campus. Professional students
(those seeking post-masters training) will take the ISW courses
at PSI.
In addition to PSI, the intro course is also taught in other
masters level counseling and marriage and family therapy
programs to students who are currently pursuing a degree
in that program. Students who take the intro course in these
programs are able to transfer credit for the intro course
to PSI before taking additional ISW courses. (Contact the
registrar at PSI for current transfer procedures.) These
schools/courses include:
Does
ISW provide an online or other distance learning option?
None of the courses are taught online or through distance
education. Due to the nature of the classes and the material
presented, we currently plan to teach all courses (except
initial course) on the PSI campus.
Travel
Atlanta is a major airline hub and easily accessible by most
of the country. Hartsfield -Jackson International Airport
is 21 miles from PSI.
Click
here for directions to the PSI campus in Atlanta.
Lodging
PSI is located near the intersection of I-75 and 285 on
the north west corner of Atlanta near the Cobb Galleria.
(Hotwire identifies closest hotels as being in the Marietta-Vinings
area. Priceline places PSI in the Marietta area.) There are
a large number of hotels and suites in the area. Students
stay at a variety of different places in the area depending
upon the deals they can locate online. The following links
are provided to help you begin the search process:
Will these courses count
toward my professional CEU requirements?
Each course is a 2 semester credit hour (30
contact hours) masters level course from Psychological Studies
Institute (PSI). PSI is accredited by the Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools to award masters
degrees. The courses are provided within PSI's professional
counseling and MFT program. Most state licensing boards recognize
post-masters courses from accredited schools in the therapy
track to qualify for CEU's. Your attendance in courses can
be verified by requesting
an official transcript from PSI. State licensing boards
have different CEU requirements, please check requirements
for your state. Should you need more information on the official
designation of the course, please contact PSI.
Do
I have to take all the classes in order?
No. Students may choose to take one, several,
or all of the courses. Please note that courses offered in
this program build on each other. Because of this, you are
encouraged to take the whole program but it is not required.
Please note that intermediate courses require that you have
taken the ISW Introductory course (CPSY 6512). Students must
complete all listed prerequisites prior to taking Advanced
(specialization) courses.
The program is designed to build in the following
order:
- Human Sexuality: A Therapeutic
Integration (CPSY 6512) - Introductory course
- Basic Issues in Sex Therapy
(CPSY 7522)
- Sexuality: Medical Issues, Trauma and Abuse
(CPSY 7542)
- Dysfunctional, Compulsive/Addictive and Paraphillic
Sexuality (CPSY 7532)
- Choice of Advanced course.
Are there exceptions
to the prerequisite policy for courses?
ISW has designed the courses to build on each
other. Because of this, the prerequisites are critical. Based
on feedback from previous students who received exceptions
to the prerequisite policy and the intentional design of the
program, we no longer allow exceptions to the prerequisite
policy.
Can I count
a course I took at another school toward the required intro
course?
In the first few years of the program ISW
allowed students to appeal the prerequisite policy and apply
Masters level courses in Human Sexuality and Sex therapy
from other schools toward the ISW intro course (CPSY 6512).
The consistent feedback from each student who received this
waiver was that ISW should not allow it in the future. While
much of the content was typically similar in the course they
had taken, the way ISW courses are designed to fit together
could not be duplicated in other programs. Based on this
consistent feedback and our observations of students going
though the program, we have made a change in our policy.
Effective in the Fall of 2005, ISW will no longer accept
a course from another program in place of CPSY 6512.
Please note that this is not to say that courses
taught in other programs are inferior to the ISW intro. Most
Human Sexuality and Sex Therapy courses taught in other schools
use similar texts and are generally taught by knowledgeable
and experienced professors. They are often excellent courses.
They are not seeking to lay the foundation for a 150 hour
program, however, and cannot duplicate
some of the critical elements present in CPSY 6512.
Note that intro courses taken through ISW at any school
are automatically approved and can be transferred
to PSI and will appear on the PSI transcript as transfer
credit.
I only need one more course to apply
for ABCST certification. Can I take it at ISW?
Most students seeking training through ISW
have certification as a sex therapist as their goal. ABCST
does not require students to receive their training through
ISW so it is not uncommon for someone to need specific training
in a certain subject area(s) to meet ABCST requirements (i.e.,
training in ethics of sex therapy). ISW welcomes students
who only want to take specific courses and not complete the
whole program. Please note that even with prior experience
and training, the prerequisite policies still apply. Therefore,
CPSY 6512 is required before you can take any intermediate
or advanced course and some advanced courses have additional
prerequisite requirements.
What happens
when I complete the entire program?
Students who complete the introductory course,
three intermediate courses and an advanced course will receive
a certificate of completion identifying their area of specialization.
What is
the relationship between Sexual Wholeness, ISW, ABCST, AACCSAS
and PSI?
Sexual Wholeness, Inc. is a 501(c)3 non-profit
ministry that serves as the parent ministry for ISW and
ABCST. The Institute for Sexual Wholeness (ISW) is a ministry
of Sexual Wholeness, Inc. ISW was established to provide
training in Sex Therapy from a Christian perspective. Sexual
Wholeness, Inc. entered into a contract with Psychological
Studies Institute to provide the structure for this program.
PSI is a graduate school accredited by the Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools to award Masters degrees
in professional counseling, marriage and family therapy and
Christian psychological studies. Students who take classes
at ISW are registered as non-degree students at PSI. All academic
credit for ISW courses is issued by PSI.
The American Board of Christian Sex Therapists
(ABCST) is a second distinct ministry of Sexual Wholeness,
Inc. It was established to provide certification in sex therapy.
While ISW and ABCST work hand-in-hand, one does not need to
take ISW courses to be certified by ABCST. Nor does completing
the ISW program ensure certification by ABCST.
The American Association of Certified Christian
Sexual Addiction Specialists (AACCSAS) is a certifying body
organized and run by it's own board (learn
more about AACCSAS here). AACCSAS has worked with ISW
to develop and provide a training program that meets the educational
requirements for certification by AACCSAS. While ISW and AACCSAS
work hand-in-hand, one does not need to take ISW courses to
be certified by AACCSAS. Nor does completing the ISW program
ensure certification by AACCSAS.
Thus, while each organization works closely
together, they are separate entities and are responsible for
different functions.
Is
this training recognized by organizations other than ABCST?
We have had ISW students apply
for and receive certification from AASECT
using the training they received at ISW.
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