Who can be a member?
Broadly speaking, membership is open to all those who support the work and aims of ASIS and meet the requirements below. This is likely to include those involved in talking therapies (for example, coaching, counselling, education, psychotherapy and clinical psychology), those involved in somatic modalities (for example, body coaching, breathwork, massage, surrogacy and trauma release), and those involved in energy work (for example, healing, sexual shamanism and Tantric and Taoist practices). In addition, it might include journalists and other professionals who wish to support our work.
Details of the different categories of membership and the specific eligibility criteria are below.
Membership requirements
ASIS recognises that somatic and integrative sexology encompasses diverse modalities from a variety of training backgrounds. As such we welcome applicants with a variety of training backgrounds and each application is taken on its own merits.
In order to become a member of ASIS, applicants must meet the following criteria:
All members:
are fully committed to the Aims and Objectives of ASIS
are working with clients on issues related to sex and intimacy (with the possible exception of student members)
recognise the wholistic nature of their work
follow the ASIS Code of Conduct
are committed to supporting each other and the community. To enable ASIS to be primarily self-regulating, this requires that all ASIS members join an “ASIS Circle” to offer each other peer group support
that if required and on request, Professional and Associate Members offer mediation support to the ASIS Complaints and Disciplinary Procedure. It is hoped that no member (unless on the Committee) would be requested to do more than one case per year. It is intended that the collaborative and supportive structure of ASIS will keep such cases to a minimum, but inevitably they can occur.
ASIS invites practitioners to self-identify as ASIS members, based on the personal integrity of their own practice and their intention to follow the ASIS Code of Ethics.
Categories of membership
There are three levels of membership: Professional, Student & Associate.
Professional
A Professional Member is likely to have completed at least one foundational training programme in their field. They are likely to be involved in some form of ongoing supervision/mentoring and continuing professional development (CPD).
Professional Members can benefit from ASIS Insurance which gives insurance cover for touch sessions with clients. Insurance is available to Professional Members who are resident in the UK, Ireland and most of Europe. It is operative world wide (excluding the USA and Canada) and is particularly wide in scope.
We recognise that this profession is a calling, not just a qualification. Equally, a qualification alone does not necessarily a somatic sexologist make. However, as ASIS is acting as the verification body on behalf of the insurers, all applications need to be assessed by our Membership Committee.
Benefits: Professional standards, insurance, listing on our member's directory, ASIS Circles, access to a discounted mediation service, supervision opportunities, community support, CPD information.
Professional membership costs £65 p.a. plus a one-off £10 administration charge.
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Student
You are invited to become a Student Member if you are engaged in training with an aim of becoming a practitioner of somatic and integrative sexology.
For student members, ASIS can support a better understanding of how you want to develop your own gifts and offerings; what training is going to be most helpful to you; plus connect you into your new community through our member-only Facebook group and the ASIS Mentoring and Professional Supervision programs.
Benefits: Professional standards, insurance, ASIS Circles, mentoring opportunities, community support, CPD information.
Student membership costs £25 p.a. plus a one-off £10 administration charge. You will be supplied with a student membership logo you may use. When you supply evidence of completing your training we will supply you with a Professional Member logo and invoice you for the upgrade. Student membership is usually valid for one year.
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Associate
This membership category is for those who do not work in the field of somatic sexology but wish to support the work and aims of ASIS.
Associate Members may include:
psychotherapists, clinical psychologists and counsellors who may wish to refer to somatic sexologists
journalists and other professionals who wish to support our work
Benefits: Professional standards, ASIS Circles, supervision opportunities, community support, CPD information, insurance.
Associate Membership costs £35 p.a. plus a one-off £10 administration charge.