Abby Neuberg, LMFT / LPCC
What does it really take to become a certified sex therapist? Abby Neuberg joins us to talk about her path into one of the least-discussed careers in mental health, and what the work looks like day to day.
Abby is a licensed marriage and family therapist and licensed professional clinical counselor in California with more than 15 years of experience. She is also an AASECT Certified Sex Therapist who works mostly with high-achieving women in their 40s and 50s. Her early work focused on trauma, but when her clients kept running into challenges with intimacy, she went back for specialized training, and it grew into a specialty she loves.
Content note: This episode includes frank conversation about sex and sexuality.
In this episode:
✦ Why Abby added sex therapy to a practice built on trauma work, and why she now focuses more on pleasure than dysfunction
✦ How to become a sex therapist: a clinical license first, then AASECT coursework, an attitudes and values workshop, and supervised client hours over at least 18 months
✦ What brings people to sex therapy, from desire differences between partners to the lasting effects of past trauma, and why her couples intake starts with consent
✦ Why sex addiction is often better understood as sexual compulsivity, and why the goal is to find the need behind the behavior
✦ The cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques she uses to help clients track their patterns
✦ Spontaneous vs. responsive desire, illustrated with one very relatable kitchen scene
✦ Why she calls this “the golden age of perimenopause,” the grief and loss of identity many women feel in midlife, and how to advocate for yourself with doctors
✦ The skills the work requires (boundaries, empathy, and self-insight) and the part no one warned her about: running a business
MBTI vibe: INFJ / ENFJ / INFP / ENFP / ISFJ
Empathy/compassion • Active listening • Orientation toward others’ growth and healing • Emotional perceptiveness • Values-driven / service-oriented motivation • Discretion/ethics
Need to Know Facts*
Salary Range:
Entry-Level Education &
Additional Certification
Work Experience in Related
Occupation:
Type of organizations to
work for:
Job Outlook:
Resources:
• Average: $63,943
– Full Range: $35,500 – $112,000+
• Bachelor’s Degree
– Advanced clinical degree
including psychotherapy
training
• Master’ degree + 2 years
clinical experience, or
doctoral degree + 1 year
• State license / certificate
• Formal programs:
– 90 hours human sexuality
coursework
– 60 hours sex therapy skills
training
– 16 hours couples counseling
training
– 14 hours structured group
experience
– 50+ hours minimum supervision
– 300 hours clinical treatment
• Marriage & Family Counseling
• Licensed Professional Clinical
Counselor
• Psychology / Psychiatry
• Key skills include:
– Sexology & sexual health
– Assessment and DSM diagnosis
of psychosexual disorders
identification / grading basics
– Couples / relationship-systems
intervention
– Medical literacy & collaboration
– Evidence-based modality: CBT
– Standardized measures –
IIEF, FSFI
– Kink/BDSM culturally
competent practice
– Practitioner-level modality
stack in real practice
– Essential: Active listening,
speaking, reading comp, active
learning, critical thinking,
monitoring, writing, ethics,
non-judgment, self-awareness
• Private practice (solo / group)
• Medical settings:
– Cancer treatment centers
– Fertility clinics
– Women’s health centers
– Pain management clinics
– rehabilitation facilities
• Sexual health/ community clinics
• Community mental health &
forensic settings
• Universities / counseling centers
• Occupation is not tracked
specifically
– +14-18% overall employment for
Marriage / Family Counselors or
Licensed Professional Counselors
• Niche specialities / clientele:
– Couples / relationship systems
– LGBTQ+ and gender-diverse
– Kink / alt-sexuality clients
– Religious / conservative clients
– Trauma & sexual-abuse survivors
– Medical / integrated care
– Sex-offender / problematic
sexual behavior treatment
– Academia / sexuality education
About Abby Neuberg
Abby Neuberg is a licensed therapist in California with more than 15 years of experience. She works with high-achieving women in their 40s and 50s who look like they have everything together but feel exhausted, overwhelmed, resentful, or disconnected from themselves. Many of her clients have spent years managing everyone else’s needs, overfunctioning in their relationships, and trying to do everything right. Abby helps them understand why they feel responsible for so much, set boundaries without drowning in guilt, and create lives that include more rest, pleasure, intimacy, and freedom.
As someone navigating midlife herself, Abby understands that sleep, sexuality, ADHD, relationships, trauma, and perimenopause don’t exist in separate boxes. They overlap, shaping how people feel about themselves, their relationships, and their lives. Her style is warm, direct, practical, and often humorous.
Abby is an AASECT Certified Sex Therapist, Certified EMDR Therapist, certified CBT-I therapist, and Level 3 Gottman-trained couples therapist. She provides online therapy to adults and couples throughout California.
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