The Contemporary Institute of Clinical Sexology (CICS) is a leading educational institution specialising in psychosexual and relationship therapy training. Established in 2016, CICS offers a range of accredited programs designed for professionals seeking to enhance their expertise in clinical sexology.
Our courses are informed by a diverse team of specialists, ensuring comprehensive, research-based education that addresses the complexities of human sexuality and relationships. We are committed to inclusivity, anti-oppressive practice, and providing a supportive learning environment for all students.
After graduating from Manchester University with a BA in English and American Literature, Julie pursued a career in management and leadership with Courtaulds Textiles, working at senior level in manufacturing management for several years. She went on to qualify with the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and moved into leadership level Human Resources roles with Allied Bakeries, Buckingham Foods, Uniq and Tibbett and Britten.
Julie started her training in psychotherapy with the BeeLeaf Institute of Contemporary Psychotherapy in 2008 and achieved UKCP Registration in 2012. Continue bio here.
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Natasha Anderson-Foster is a senior COSRT accredited psychosexual psychotherapist, a UKCP Registered Clinical Psychotherapist, and an EMDR therapist working in private practice and within the NHS in the West Midlands as a sexual health specialist. She sees individuals and couples presenting with a wide range of sex and relationship issues. She is an executive committee member of CSRP, and a member of the Black and Asian Therapist Network.
Natasha has over 15 years experienced in working with clients presenting with FGM/c, rape and sexual violence, HIV, compulsive sexual behaviours, and is particularly interested in psychosexual issues experienced by black people and anti-discriminatory practice.
Natasha and has delivered workshops on how therapist can open the space for clients to share their experience of racism. She has also been internationally interviewed (South Africa, Canada) exploring historic and current psychosexual and sexual health issue in Black Caribbean and Black African communities.
Natasha is a COSRT registered clinical supervisor, offering psychosexual and specialist sexual health supervision: utalkaboutit.co.uk
Tracy is a COSRT accredited Psychosexual and Relationship therapist. She works with individuals, couples, families, children and young people on a wide range of presenting issues including sex and relationship issues and compulsive sexual behaviours. Tracy is a qualified clinical supervisor and works with counsellors in training and qualified counsellors within her private practice.
Previously Tracy was the service lead for a Local Hospice and developed a counselling service within a local prison. She was also invited to guest speak at a national Hospice UK conference about her work with marginalised communities and bereavement. Tracy has extensive experience of teaching counselling, sex and relationship therapy at Masters level in several educational settings.
Kathy holds a combined role in our team, supportingas Course Administrator and Sex Therapy Herts Practice Manager. She has spent her working life in mental health, initially as an NHS administrator at Fairfield Hospital and latterly as Practice Manager for Local Counselling Centre. Kathy brings with her an in-depth knowledge of different healthcare models and healthcare providers. A naturally warm and empathic person, Kathy has enormous skill at helping our clients access the appropriate help they need.
Read course information and how to apply here.
Dan graduated from Birmingham University with a BSocS in Public Policy. His postgraduate career was in public relations, working with a range of international health focused NGOs including the World Health Organization and the World Hepatitis Alliance as well as commercial companies.
During his time in PR, Dan worked at some of the UK’s leading PR agencies including Edelman and Ketchum. His last agency role was as Head of the Healthcare Department and Co-Chair of the Global Aid practice at Fleishman Hillard UK. In 2015 he made the decision to go freelance to focus more on his counselling and teaching. Continue bio here.
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Justine is a COSRT Registered Psychosexual and Relationship therapist with COSRT and a CICS Pathway 1 graduate. Justine works with a broad range of sexual function issues and relationship problems within her private practice. She also works as the psychosexual therapist for the counselling division of a domestic violence charity based in Chelmsford.
Prior to training as a sex and relationship therapist, Justine worked hands on with horses. As almost entirely silent communicators, horses have instilled in Justine an ethos of listening, patience and empathy. This background has nurtured a keen interest in the parallels between human and non-human animal behaviour, especially within the areas of communication, trauma and compulsive behaviours.
Loki has completed the CICS Diploma in Clinical Sexology and Relationship Therapy and is working towards Registration with COSRT as a Psychosexual and Relationship Therapist. Loki works on placement, both online and in-person, with a range of sexual function issues, alongside relationship problems and low-desire presentations. Loki is affirming of Gender, Sexuality and Relationship Diversity (GSRD), kink identities and is also skilled in working with neurodiversity and autistic spectrum conditions.
Prior to training with CICS, Loki gained Qualified Teaching and Learning Status (QTLS) in post-compulsory education and has taught adult learners for many years, lecturing across both HE and FE settings. In addition, Loki trained as an inclusive Sex Educator and worked as a Curriculum Lead in specialist SEND provisions and community mental health settings, teaching Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) to neurodiverse adults and leading multi-disciplinary RSE task groups that support people to understand and better manage problematic sexualised attitudes and behaviours.
Our Principal, Julie Sale, leads our flagship qualification pathway course, taught by our wonderful team of Co-Tutors, all of whom are COSRT Registered Psychosexual and Relationship Therapists. Subject experts provide in depth video lessons for the online aspect of this course and attend our live teaching days to either lead their specialist subjects or to provide case study supervision and question and answer sessions.
Read course information and how to apply here.
Catriona Boffard is a Clinical Sexologist, Psychotherapist, and Sexuality Researcher. She is an accredited member of the College of Sex and Relationship Therapists and the UK Council for Psychotherapists. Catriona has two Masters degrees from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg and from the University of Sydney, Australia. She further obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in CBT from Royal Holloway University of London. She holds the European certification as a psycho-sexologist with the European Society of Sexual Medicine and European Federation of Sexology. She has been a member of the My Sexual Health team lead by Dr Elna Rudolph for over ten years, and she is currently undertaking her doctorate in psychotherapy with Metanoia Institute and Middlesex University.
It was while doing this work that Stephanie realised that her real strength lay in listening and offering emotional support. She therefore began her MSc in Therapeutic Counselling at the University of Greenwich in 2007 – an integrative training which combined psychodynamic, person centred and cognitive behavioural approaches. She qualified as a counsellor with a Post Graduate Diploma in 2009 and converted this to an MSc in 2011.
Stephanie graduated from Goldsmiths College, University of London, with a music degree in 1999 and followed this with a 3-year City & Guilds qualification in Woodwind & Brass Instrument Making and Repair. She taught and repaired woodwinds part time while working as a student support worker for several years in universities and further education colleges across London. Continue bio here.
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Ryan has always followed a path of wanting to understand and support people as best as he could and informed by life experiences in both Portugal and the USA, he decided to enrol in a Joint Honours Degree in Politics and Theatre Studies at the University of Glasgow in 2006. There, he studied Human Rights, International Development, Nationalism, Politics of Latin America, Postmodern Performance, Queer & Feminist Theory in Performance, Autobiography in Performance, Post-Colonial Theatre, and Scottish Theatre. But it was alongside this degree that the seeds for a future career as a psychotherapist would be planted. Continue bio here.
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Meryem (May) Adem has been a practicing Integrative Psychotherapist since 2012. She holds professional memberships with HCPC, COSRT and is a accredited member with BACP.
Meryem was inspired to train as a creative psychotherapist after completing her jewellery degree and working in the industry alongside her work as a Drugs Educator for Haringey council. Through the combination of these roles Meryem noticed a connection between creative expression and psychology, prompting her to look into Art Therapy. Meryem completed her MA in Integrative Arts Psychotherapy in 2012 with the Institutes of Arts and Therapy in Education (IATE). In her training she learnt various creative therapies such as dramatherapy, art, sandtray , play therapy to name a few, alongside the various therapeutic modalities and theories enabling her to adapt her clinical work to the individual needs of her clients. Continue bio here.
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With a professional background in nursing, I bring over a decade of experience in sexual and reproductive health to my role as a tutor at the Contemporary Institute of Clinical Sexology. My clinical practice is grounded in supporting individuals and couples through a wide range of sexual wellbeing and psychosexual challenges, emphasising the importance of holistic care, compassion, and education. Continue bio here.
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Christopher is a Chartered Psychologist and Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society, registered Clinical Psychologist (HCPC), and Registered Psychosexual and Relationship Therapist and Supervisor with COSRT. His postgraduate training includes an MSc in Health Psychology from UCL, a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Essex and a Diploma in Clinical Sexology from CICS. He is currently working towards a postgraduate qualification in Clinical and Medical Education that will lead to becoming a Fellow of Advanced Higher Education.
Christopher currently works as a Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Tutor on the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the University of Oxford. He also holds a lectureship at the University of Essex, where he supervises doctoral level research and contributes to teaching on clinical health psychology. In addition to his academic posts, he works part-time in the NHS where is a Clinical Psychologist and Psychosexual Service Lead at the world leading 56 Dean Street clinic. He also has a small private practice, which is predominantly focused on sex and relationship therapy.
Christopher has a specialist interest in compulsive sexual behaviours and ChemSex. Prior to his role at 56 Dean Street, he led the high risk sexual behaviour and ChemSex pathway at the Royal London Hospital. He also has a specialist interest in anxiety disorders affecting gay and bisexual men, such as HIV health anxiety. This prompted him to conduct research into the psychological and psychosexual impact of PrEP in gay and bisexual men who struggled with HIV health anxiety.
Imogen began her career in the non-profit sector after completing an undergraduate degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the University of Manchester. She worked in various roles with carers in Trafford, Greater Manchester including as a project manager overseeing a commercial initiative to fund local services. This early work gave an insight into community level need. Imogen continued working with carers after her career change to provide both direct and group therapy to carers in the Trafford area. Continue bio here.
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Angela is a GP, British Menopause Society trained Advanced Menopause Specialist and Clinical Sexologist. She has a background in Palliative Medicine and spent over ten years working in a hospice, involved in both inpatient and community care of the dying and those living with life-limiting illnesses. This gave her plenty of chance to practice her skills in having difficult conversations, and to learn the value of a holistic, bio-psycho-social approach to problems.
Having become frustrated at not having the right skills to help patients who were struggling with sexual dysfunction as a result of their medical issues, she trained in Clinical Sexology with CICS. She enjoyed the subject so much that she went on to attend the ESSM Advanced School of Sexual Medicine. She is now a Fellow of the European Committee of Sexual Medicine. Angela is also a member of the Institute of Psychosexual Medicine and the National Association for Premenstrual Syndromes.
Angela currently spends half her week working in her surgery in North Yorkshire, taking a lead on women’s health and sexual health. She also works in an NHS clinic in Hull, taking referrals for women with complex menopause problems, premenstrual dysphoric disorder and sexual dysfunction.
Beck graduated from the University of Leicester with a BA in English and took a further year of study at the University of Newcastle to pursue a career as a journalist. As part of their study, they were required to create two documentaries, and they reached out to Hart Gables, an LGBT+ charity in Hartlepool.
When Beck joined Hart Gables, they wrote their sexuality down for the first time. After forming relationships with other attendees, they created two short documentaries on the lives of trans people in the town. They were awarded a Distinction in MA Media and Journalism and began looking for a work opportunity. Continue bio here.
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Dominic Davies is the Founder of Pink Therapy. He has been in practice as a psychotherapist, clinical sexologist and clinical supervisor for almost forty years, pioneering in the UK the development of working with Gender, Sex and Relationship Diversities (GSRD) as a new specialist field of clinical practice. Dominic adopts a norm-critical, kink-knowledgeable and sex-positive stance to his work.
Dominic is a Fellow of both the National Council for Psychotherapy and the National Counselling Society. He directs an international training programme for qualified mental health professionals in GSRD therapy worldwide and regularly presents at national and international conferences on the importance of specialised training to work with GSRD clients. He has won several awards for his work in sexual freedom and mental health.
Dr Lori Beth Bisbey is a clinical psychologist, accredited advanced GSRD therapist, sex and intimacy coach, author, speaker, and specialist therapist on Channel 4’s Open House: The Great Sex Experiment. She has been working with people for 36 years, helping them to create and maintain relationships that contain sex without shame. She has a speciality in the treatment of trauma (and specifically PTSD). Dr Bisbey has hosted the A to Z of Sex® podcast since 2016. She has been touring the UK since spring 2023 speaking for SeedTalks. Her primary talk is The Psychology of Fetish and Kink. Dr Bisbey identifies as a queer polyamorous leather woman. She is in a 24/7 long-term authority transfer based relationship.
Michelle Donald is a COSRT Senior Accredited Psychosexual Therapist and her expertise is in the areas of sexual issues related to spinal cord injury (SCI) and the strains on a relationship that SCI may bring.
Michelle’s long-term aim is focused on the development of a comprehensive sexual education programmes within rehabilitation centres and care agencies. She currently provides education and therapy programmes to patients and staff at Southport Spinal Centre and The Sue Ryder Neurological Centre in Preston to enable staff to feel more comfortable in opening up these conversations and for patients, help with feelings about embarking on a different intimate life.
Michelle also Volunteers for The Back Up Trust, a Spinal Injuries Charity, helping with putting together the on line sexuality learning. She works closely with Enhance the UK, working to change societies view on disability and SHADA (Sexual Health and Disability Alliance) with a keen interest in making sexual services available and accessible to all disabilities.
Gwendolyn Jones is a sexologist and relationship therapist registered with COSRT. She has an MSc in Occupational Psychology and is a graduate of the first CICS cohort in Clinical Sexology and Relationship Therapy. She is also a PCC-trained coach and mentor. She specialises in neurodiversity and allyship.
Gwen has over 25 years of experience working with neurodiversity. She is also a neurodiverse woman, partner to a neurodiverse man and mother to 4 unique neurodiverse children. This perspective allows her to use the pluralist mindset to create a space which allows neurodivergent people to discover and live in their own authenticity.
Gwen has worked tirelessly for many years to create a more neuro-inclusive world. Her reach has extended from the classroom to the therapy room to the board room as she advocates for neurodivergent affirmative practice allowing access to opportunity and the ability to thrive for those whose brains are not typical.
Tracey Sainsbury is a fertility counsellor accredited by the British Infertility Counselling Association, providing counselling for support and implications counselling ahead of treatment for patients and donors. She is a member of the Advisory Panel for Fertility Network UK, and designs and facilitates training in fertility for the College of Sexual and Relationship Therapists. Her first book, ‘Making Friends with your Fertility’ was published in October 2017 and she has a chapter on Egg Freezing included in ‘The Specialists’ Guide to IVF’, due for publication in 2018.
Tracey has over 15 years’ experience in the fertility sector, speaking regularly at conferences, both for professional and public audiences and is a regular contributor to fertility podcasts. Prior to working within a clinic setting she worked with fertility charities and on committees for the HFEA, Fertility Network and the National Infertility Awareness Campaign and served on the Executive Committee of the British Infertility Counselling Association for 4 years.
Tracey feels passionately about the provision of exceptional care for patients making fertility related decisions and accessing assisted conception treatment, she believes that getting it right for the patient in terms of support, from the moment they step foot through to the door, makes sound business sense.
Tim Blackstone is a Liverpool based COSRT Accredited Psychosexual Therapist. Working for the Abacus Sexual Health Service, part of the Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, he sees patients with a wide range of sexual dysfunctions and relationship problems. He also set up and co-ordinates the Liverpool, Sefton and Knowsley Trans Support Service (TSS) for patients with gender related issues. He was a founder member of the So To Speak Sex and Relationship Education and Outreach Team and has delivered SRE to vulnerable young people across Merseyside for over 18 years. He also writes and delivers SRE training packages to professionals working in educational and care settings. Having previously been on the board of trustees for the Merseyside Brook Advisory Service, he now holds a similar role with COSRT.
Shona is a COSRT registered psychosexual therapist practising in the NHS and a university lecturer in sexual health. She has worked predominantly with people who have been marginalised due to sex work, poverty and substance use in third sector and NHS health services. Shona has a special interest in sexual violence, previously practising as an Independent Sexual Violence Advisor, lecturing on sexual violence for psychosexual therapy students and undertaking Masters research into the psychosexual care within sexual violence care pathways.
Lisa Etherson is a Psychosexual Therapist and PhD researcher.
Lisa is a qualified psychosexual therapist who has run a busy private practice for over a decade. She works with couples and individuals and has a particular interest in compulsive sexual behaviour.
Before retraining, Lisa was a registered nurse who specialised in working with drug injectors and blood borne viruses, such as Hep B, C and HIV.
Lisa is currently undertaking a PhD in shame, relational trauma and compulsive sexual behaviour. As a result of her PhD, Lisa has developed Shame Containment Theory, a new way of understanding and working with shame.
Hazel is a specialist in Divorce and Family Law. For some 40 years, she worked as a solicitor, gaining accreditations and regularly named as a leading lawyer in numerous journals and guides. She was an early adopter of and advocate for working in a collaborative way, with a commitment not to take a case to court. For the last 30 years she has also worked as an accredited mediator.
She gained considerable experience in advising people whose relationships had broken down. Her main work was in financial disputes, or where there were issues relating to children. Many of her clients had international connections in jurisdictions where quite different laws might apply.
Professionally, her aim was to try to sort matters out without going to court, always mindful of the impact of such proceedings on adults and children. In pursuit of that goal, she worked increasingly closely with colleagues in relevant professions to form teams to support, guide and represent clients. Those included therapists and counsellors, tax barristers and immigration practitioners and many others. In court, she was noted as tenacious and tough, going the extra mile for her clients.
Since her retirement from the law in 2019, she has increased her teaching of private family law, mainly working in the charitable sector. She maintains a small mediation practice.
Read course information and how to apply here.
John is a COSRT Accredited Psychosexual and Relationship therapist. He has a portfolio career and splits his time between working clinically and as an academic. John is a senior lecturer in counselling at Sunderland University as well as working as a freelance trainer for several organisations. In his clinical work he sees individuals, couples, and people in multi-partnered relationships for psychosexual and relationship therapy.
John has been training therapists for over 15 years and has been working as a relationship therapist since 2006, initially with Relate and for the past 10 years within NHS sexual health services and a NHS gender service.
John is currently studying a PhD with Huddersfield University part-time on ‘Improving practice in relationship therapy with non-binary clients’.
Read course information and how to apply here.
Tracy is a COSRT accredited Psychosexual and Relationship therapist. She works with individuals, couples, families, children and young people on a wide range of presenting issues including sex and relationship issues and compulsive sexual behaviours. Tracy is a qualified clinical supervisor and works with counsellors in training and qualified counsellors within her private practice.
Previously Tracy was the service lead for a Local Hospice and developed a counselling service within a local prison. She was also invited to guest speak at a national Hospice UK conference about her work with marginalised communities and bereavement. Tracy has extensive experience of teaching counselling, sex and relationship therapy at Masters level in several educational settings.
Skye attended Glasgow University and studied Psychology and Theology, and then went on to do Theology to Honors level. She predominantly focused on Eastern Traditions and her undergraduate dissertation focused on a cross comparison of different sexual attitudes and practice in Islam and Buddhism.
Skye then moved to London to continue her Higher Education and completed a three-year Masters programme in Integrative Counselling. She completed her placement at One in Four, a specialist charity working with adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Continue bio here.
FULL BIORead course information and how to apply here.
Silva Neves is a COSRT accredited psychosexual and relationship psychotherapist, a UKCP Registered Psychotherapist, a trauma psychotherapist and an EMDR therapist working in his Central London private practice and online. He sees individuals and couples presenting with a wide range of sex and relationship issues.
Silva specialises in working with sexual trauma, infidelity and compulsive sexual behaviours. He works extensively with the LGBTQ community as well as the heterosexual population.
Silva is a clinical supervisor offering psychosexual and relationship therapy, trauma therapy and compulsive sexual behaviour treatment supervision and ad-hoc supervision. He is a faculty member of IOSS (International Online Sexology Supervisors).
Silva delivers a range of trainings on psychosexual and relationship therapy, trauma therapy and compulsive sexual behaviour treatment. He is an accreditation assessor for COSRT.
Silva often contributes to articles on various sex and relationship topics and recently featured in the BBC programme Sex On The Couch.
Silva is the author of Compulsive Sexual Behaviours. A Psychosexual Treatment Guide for Clinicians. He often contributes to articles on various sex and relationship topics and recently featured in the BBC programme Sex On The Couch.
'Zanna' is an HCPC Practitioner Psychologist, BPS Chartered Counselling Psychologist and an Associate Fellow of the BPS. She completed a BSc (Hons) in Psychology at Manchester University in 2004 and a Professional Doctorate in Counselling Psychology at City University London in 2014.
She has worked in the field of mental health since 2009 and has offered psychological therapy to adults with a range of mental health concerns and relationship challenges. Her clinical experience spans primary and secondary care NHS mental health settings and a number of private practices and hospital health care settings with adults experiencing physical health difficulties. She set up her own private practice in 2018 and now runs a busy full-time practice. Continue bio here.
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Rachel is a BACP registered psychotherapist, working with couples and individuals. She completed her training at Tavistock Relationships. Rachel was a part of the first cohort of therapists undertaking studies on the CICS Diploma in Compulsive Sexual Behaviour in 2020. This was the catalyst and inspiration for her work in this area with clients in private practice. She has a particular interest in attachment and compulsive sexual behaviours, and also the impact of work identities and career stress on relationships. Continue bio here.
FULL BIORead course information and how to apply here.
Tracy is a COSRT accredited Psychosexual and Relationship therapist. She works with individuals, couples, families, children and young people on a wide range of presenting issues including sex and relationship issues and compulsive sexual behaviours. Tracy is a qualified clinical supervisor and works with counsellors in training and qualified counsellors within her private practice.
Previously Tracy was the service lead for a Local Hospice and developed a counselling service within a local prison. She was also invited to guest speak at a national Hospice UK conference about her work with marginalised communities and bereavement. Tracy has extensive experience of teaching counselling, sex and relationship therapy at Masters level in several educational settings.
After graduating from Manchester University with a BA in English and American Literature, Julie pursued a career in management and leadership with Courtaulds Textiles, working at senior level in manufacturing management for several years. She went on to qualify with the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and moved into leadership level Human Resources roles with Allied Bakeries, Buckingham Foods, Uniq and Tibbett and Britten.
Julie started her training in psychotherapy with the BeeLeaf Institute of Contemporary Psychotherapy in 2008 and achieved UKCP Registration in 2012. Continue bio here.
FULL BIORead course information and how to apply here.
Tracy is a COSRT accredited Psychosexual and Relationship therapist. She works with individuals, couples, families, children and young people on a wide range of presenting issues including sex and relationship issues and compulsive sexual behaviours. Tracy is a qualified clinical supervisor and works with counsellors in training and qualified counsellors within her private practice.
Previously Tracy was the service lead for a Local Hospice and developed a counselling service within a local prison. She was also invited to guest speak at a national Hospice UK conference about her work with marginalised communities and bereavement. Tracy has extensive experience of teaching counselling, sex and relationship therapy at Masters level in several educational settings.
It was while doing this work that Stephanie realised that her real strength lay in listening and offering emotional support. She therefore began her MSc in Therapeutic Counselling at the University of Greenwich in 2007 – an integrative training which combined psychodynamic, person centred and cognitive behavioural approaches. She qualified as a counsellor with a Post Graduate Diploma in 2009 and converted this to an MSc in 2011.
Stephanie graduated from Goldsmiths College, University of London, with a music degree in 1999 and followed this with a 3-year City & Guilds qualification in Woodwind & Brass Instrument Making and Repair. She taught and repaired woodwinds part time while working as a student support worker for several years in universities and further education colleges across London. Continue bio here.
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