Governance and Public Protection
Credible certification requires transparent governance: clear decision-making structures, documented accountability mechanisms, and organizational independence from commercial interests. The College's governance framework is currently under development and will be published in full before the certification process opens.
Future Governance Framework
The College anticipates operating through a structure that separates strategic oversight, standards development, certification decisions, and ethical review into distinct bodies with defined mandates. This separation is a core governance principle: the same body should not set standards, make certification decisions, and adjudicate complaints.
Board of Directors
Strategic direction, organizational accountability, financial oversight, and public representation. Includes members who hold no professional stake in sex therapy.
Standards Committee
Develops and reviews competency standards and the Code of Ethics, independent of certification decisions
Certification Committee
Reviews and adjudicates certification applications using published criteria, independent of standards development
Ethics Committee
Oversees the Code of Ethics, future conduct review processes, and standards for ethical accountability
Professional Advisory Council
Provides expert input from practitioners, educators, and researchers to inform standards development
Proposed structure. Governance documents will be published before the certification process opens.
Certification and Education Serve Different Roles
A certification body that is controlled by, or financially dependent on, a training organization faces an inherent conflict of interest. The incentive to certify applicants who completed affiliated training may override the obligation to assess competency objectively. The College is structured to prevent this.
Provide learning opportunities aligned with the field's knowledge base. Their purpose is to teach.
- Develop curriculum and training programs
- Award completion certificates
- Have a financial interest in participant enrolment
- May align programs with published competency frameworks
Establish independent competency standards and evaluate whether practitioners meet them. Their purpose is to assess.
- Define competency requirements independently of curriculum
- Assess practitioners against published standards
- Have no financial stake in how applicants trained
- Do not endorse or require specific training programs
How Standards Are Developed
Standards development is not a one-time event. The College is committed to a cycle of evidence review, professional consultation, and formal revision that keeps standards current, relevant, and responsive to emerging practice realities.
No single voice drives standards development. The process draws on published literature, input from practicing clinicians, perspectives from educators and supervisors, and awareness of the regulatory and cultural realities specific to Canada. Draft standards will be made available for professional consultation before they are finalized.
Standards will be reviewed on a defined cycle following initial publication. Changes will be communicated to certified practitioners in advance of any effect on certification maintenance requirements.
Evidence Review
Published research in sexology, sexual medicine, ethics, and cultural competency
Professional Consultation
Input from practitioners, educators, supervisors, and other stakeholders across Canada
Standards Development
Drafting, committee review, and governance approval before publication
Review and Revision
Ongoing cycle of review on a defined schedule, informed by emerging evidence and practice
Accountability Mechanisms
Certification bodies are accountable to the practitioners they certify and, more fundamentally, to the public those practitioners serve. The College anticipates establishing mechanisms that reflect both obligations.
Proposed accountability structures include conflict of interest policies for all governance participants, public representation on the Board and Ethics Committee, published governance documents, and a formal conduct review process for certified practitioners. The conduct review process will be documented and made publicly available before the College begins certifying practitioners.
"The Canadian College of Sex Therapy is committed to developing transparent, accountable, and evidence-informed governance structures that support public protection and professional excellence."