About the Westland Academy
Our Principles
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Innovation
We work with a team of enthusiastic graduate students who search high and low for the newest and most cutting-edge research and techniques. We also consult with experts and advocates around the world to offer the most up-to-date information available, in online and interactive ways. Finally, we have consulted with adult education specialists and online learning experts to ensure that all our programs provide a comprehensive, yet digestible, learning experience for all.
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Inclusivity
Our goal is to expand the number of practitioners providing informed and sex-positive services to the public which also means expanding the reach of this information outside of traditional academia. Inclusivity also means ensuring the voices of the populations we serve are represented in our programs. As part of program development, we have conducted focus groups with individuals impacted by the concerns we aim to support and have incorporated their feedback and suggestions into our materials.
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Accessibility
By using an online platform and affordable pricing, we are able to provide quality training and education to clinicians and practitioners around the world who may not have access to local specialized clinical training. We also believe in charging reasonable prices so those that want to learn, can access training without going into debt to do it. Increased accessibility, in turn, raises the general public’s accessibility to qualified and knowledgeable mental health/health care professionals in their area. It’s a win-win all around.
Why we started the Westland Academy of Clinical Sex Therapy
Until now, there has been a lack of credible, accessible, training opportunities for practitioners who want to do what’s best for their clients and expand their skills and understanding in the areas of sex, sexuality, and sexual dysfunction.
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Sex Therapy is often not addressed, or even mentioned, at the graduate level and unless a practitioner lives in a major city center, their ability to access training is slim to none. In fact, Canada only has one training program that covers basic Sex Therapy principles, however it lasts only 5 days and in-person attendance is required.
We knew we needed to do something.
We talked with many qualified therapists who were trying to do ethical work with clients, but realized that they were out of their depth, and often didn’t know it until it was too late.
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We talked with students throughout the years, as they reached out to us asking for programs they could take, or practicums they could do. However, no Canadian sites seemed to be offering specialized training and support for these students who wanted to learn more about sex and sexuality, or there were limited professional development opportunities in the area of Sex Therapy.
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We have also talked with clients across the country who were desperately trying to find support, but they couldn’t locate any programs or find any people in their area that felt competent to help “treat” or even support the problems they were experiencing.
We wanted to fix this problem.
Therefore, the Westland Academy of Clinical Sex Therapy was born.
For three years we worked with a team of dedicated graduate students and experts in the field to create inclusive, accessible and innovative programs targeted towards adult learners. These programs provide the rigor of academia, but are still interesting, informative, and more importantly, applicable for working professionals.
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Westlands programs have now been reviewed and approved with the American Board of Sexology (ABS) and the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA).