24 Sep “There’s a humanistic element to the instruction method.” — An interview with a MSTI alumnus
“There’s a humanistic element to the instruction method.” — An interview with a Modern Sex Therapy Institutes’ alumnus
Catching up with Jared Boot, MA, TLLP
What’s your full name?
Jared Boot
What is your professional title?
Master’s level psychotherapist and clinical psychology doctoral student
What programs/certifications did you participate in?
The Sex Therapy Certification program
What is your specialty?
Gender and sex therapy for LGBTQ clients
Where are you practicing?
I am currently working at a practicum site, Ross Halpern and Associates in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
How did you learn about MSTI?
I learned about MSTI through my master’s practicum site supervisor, Dr. Joe Kort. He taught at MSTI at the time, and he encouraged me to participate in the sex therapy training program. I’m so happy I did!
Why did you come to MSTI?
I came to MSTI because of the dialectic nature of the courses. Professional training can often be dogmatic and not offer information that each therapist can uniquely tailor to their practice. This is not the case at MSTI; there’s a humanistic element to the instruction method.
I came to MSTI because of the dialectic nature of the courses … there’s a humanistic element to the instruction method.
What from the courses(s) was most impactful?
The most impactful learning from the courses was learning about the breadth of concerns clients face regarding their sexuality. This was especially apparent in the SAR. I was thankful MSTI could adapt and offer the course through an online format during the pandemic. The SAR opened my mind to communities and concerns I was previously unaware of.
How did the learnings affect your practice?
The learnings have made me so much more confident when working with clients. The breadth of material I have learned makes it far less likely I will be blindsided by client concerns, which allows me to work with the people I see more effectively.
How did the learnings impact your personal life?
One instance where the learnings impacted my personal life is the erotic empathy course; this caused a paradigm shift that made me see sexuality differently; it made me see sexual concerns as more emotionally weighted. Because of that, I am more involved in activism related to medically accurate, sex-positive, consent-based, LGBTQ-inclusive sexuality education in my time outside of the therapy room.
What’s your advice to other therapists considering continuing education or certification?
Challenge yourself to explore any countertransference you may experience regarding course material or clients in supervision. Our job is to help clients alleviate distress and self-actualize. If we explore countertransference, it’s more likely we can avoid rupturing therapeutic relationships by pathologizing clients.
What topics are you interested in diving into next?
I’m interested in tackling ethics coursework next. Being an ethical practitioner is highly important to me as someone training to be a psychologist. Being prepared for unique ethical dilemmas in sex therapy will be immensely beneficial to me.
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“There’s a humanistic element to the instruction method.” — An interview with a MSTI alumnus was originally published in Modern Sex Therapy Institutes on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.