FAQ's

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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:

  1. Human Sexuality: A Therapeutic Integration (CPSY 6512) - Introductory course
  2. Basic Issues in Sex Therapy (CPSY 7522)
  3. Sexuality: Medical Issues, Trauma and Abuse (CPSY 7542)
  4. Dysfunctional, Compulsive/Addictive and Paraphillic Sexuality (CPSY 7532)
  5. 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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