American Association of Couple and Sex Therapists

What American Association of Couple and Sex Therapists does

The American Association of Couple and Sex Therapists (AACAST) is an independent professional membership organization dedicated to education, training, and certification in integrated couples and sex therapy. Founded in 2010 by Dr. Walter Brackelmanns, a board-certified psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who developed the InterAnalytic Couples Therapy (IACT) methodology over more than 30 years of clinical and academic work, AACAST operates primarily as a professional training and certification body rather than a technology company. Its membership is drawn from licensed mental health professionals — marriage and family therapists, psychologists, social workers, counselors, physicians, and nurses — who seek specialized credentials in couples and sex therapy. The organization maintains an office in Santa Susana, California, and is led by Co-Founder and Executive Director Wendy Cherry, PsyD, with Patrick Jensen, MFT serving as Co-Director following Dr. Brackelmanns' death.

AACAST's product portfolio centers on a two-year Couples and Sex Therapy Training Program composed of two core course offerings: Part I: InterAnalytic Couples Therapy (IACT), an on-demand online course built around an Interpersonal and Psychoanalytic model integrating multidisciplinary neuroscientific research, Right Brain Psychotherapy, affect regulation theory, and modern attachment theory; and Part II: Human Sexuality, Sex Education & Sex Therapy (HSSEST), a comprehensive clinical course covering medical/organic sexual issues, sexual performance, sexual desire, LGBTQIA+ sex therapy, surrogate partner therapy, and culturally diverse populations. Certification requires both courses to be completed across two consecutive years plus 20 hours of case consultation with an approved AACAST Consultant, adherence to a Code of Ethics, and a valid state mental health license. Revenue is generated through training program tuition and recurring membership dues; pricing is not publicly disclosed. Distribution occurs via the ce21.com online course platform linked from aacast.net, through formal delivery within the UCLA and USC Departments of Adult Psychiatry residency programs, and through a public referral directory that connects individuals seeking therapy to AACAST-certified practitioners.

AACAST is a nonprofit organization with no external venture capital, private equity, or parent company backing. Its go-to-market motion is sales-led, targeting professional acquisition through its website, organic social media (Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram), and word-of-mouth referrals from alumni, supplemented by academic channel partnerships. The certified member base functions simultaneously as a referral network for the general public seeking qualified therapists. The organization reports approximately 12 employees and is operating as an active entity delivering training programs, maintaining certification, and publishing online content.

Name

American Association of Couple and Sex Therapists

Legal name

American Association of Couples and Sex Therapists

Website

https://aacast.net

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

American Association of Couple and Sex Therapists (AACAST) is an independent nonprofit professional organization that trains, certifies, and credentials licensed mental health professionals in integrated couples and sex therapy through a two-year curriculum built on its proprietary InterAnalytic Couples Therapy methodology, with academic delivery at UCLA and USC.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Certification Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHLALAEAG

Couples & Family Therapy Teletherapy Platforms

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Telehealth Platforms/Behavioral & Mental Health Teletherapy Platforms

Keywords

• Couples therapy certification
• Sex therapy training
• Professional certification
• Continuing education
• Therapy association

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Susana

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Training Program Tuition: Revenue from the two-year Couples and Sex Therapy Training Program including Part I (IACT) and Part II (HSSEST) courses, along with case consultation sessions.
2. Membership Fees: Revenue from AACAST membership dues for mental health professionals seeking education and training in couples and sex therapy.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The American Association of Couple and Sex Therapists is a professional membership organization that provides structured training and certification in couples and sex therapy. It delivers a two-year certification program composed of two sequential courses: Part I (IACT) and Part II (HSSEST), offered in collaboration with academic institutions including UCLA and USC, and distributed via the ce21.com online learning platform.

Product overview

American Association of Couples and Sex Therapists (AACAST) is an independent professional organization that offers a two-year Couples and Sex Therapy Training and Certification Program for mental health professionals. The program consists of two core course offerings: Part I: Inter-Analytic Couples Therapy (IACT), an On Demand online course focusing on Right Brain Psychotherapy and affect regulation in couples treatment, and Part II: Human Sexuality, Sex Education & Sex Therapy (HSSEST), covering sexual health issues and treatments. Both courses must be completed twice over two years, accompanied by case consultation sessions. Upon completion, graduates receive AACAST Certified Couples and Sex Therapist designation. The organization also provides referral services connecting the public with certified members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Part I (IACT) Certification Course
• Part II (HSSEST) Certification Course
• Two-Year Couples and Sex Therapy Certification Program
• Professional Membership

Quantifiable outcome

• Two-year training program with 20 hours of consultation required for certification
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• UCLA Department of Adult Psychiatry, Geffen School of MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAACAST maintains a formal relationship with UCLA where the Couples and Sex Therapy Training Program is delivered within the Department of Adult Psychiatry. Co-Directors Wendy Cherry and Patrick Jensen serve as Co-Directors of this program at UCLA. Dr. Brackelmanns was Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UCLA and Director of the Couples and Individual Therapy Clinic at UCLA.
• USC Department of Adult PsychiatrycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAACAST Co-Director Patrick Jensen is also Co-Director of the Couples and Sex Therapy Training Program within the Department of Adult Psychiatry at USC, where he teaches psychotherapy to psychiatry residents.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• National Council on Family Relations (NCFR): NCFR is a professional association providing credentials, training, and resources for family professionals. It is adjacent to AACAST because both serve relationship-focused clinicians, but NCFR operates as a broader professional society rather than a method-specific couples therapy certification body.
• PESI, Inc. PESI is a major continuing education provider for mental health professionals offering live and online courses across many therapeutic modalities. It is an adjacent ecosystem participant that competes for the same CE dollars AACAST captures, though it does not offer an integrated couples and sex therapy certification.

Direct peers

• Gottman Institute: The Gottman Institute is one of the most prominent couples therapy training organizations globally, offering certification programs for clinicians in the Gottman Method. It directly competes with AACAST for the same pool of mental health professionals seeking couples therapy credentials, but with a much larger marketing footprint and broader course catalog.
• International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy (ICEEFT): ICEEFT provides EFT training and certification for couples therapists worldwide. It is a direct peer because it sells structured, multi-stage training programs to licensed clinicians pursuing specialized couples therapy credentials, overlapping with AACAST's core offering.
• American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT): AASECT is the dominant professional certification body for sex therapy and sexuality education in the United States. It competes directly with AACAST's Part II HSSEST certification and addresses the same continuing-education needs of mental health professionals pursuing sex therapy credentials.

Emerging players

• Zur Institute: Zur Institute offers online continuing education and certification programs for sex therapy and sexuality counseling aimed at mental health professionals. It is an emerging player because it overlaps with AACAST's Part II HSSEST curriculum and competes for sex therapy CE enrollment.
• Sue Johnson / Emotionally Focused Therapy training ecosystem: Independent EFT trainers and small institutes associated with Dr. Sue Johnson's work deliver competing couples therapy certification programs at a smaller scale. They are emerging players because they overlap methodologically with AACAST's couples training but typically lack AACAST's integrated sex therapy component.

Regional players

• Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute: Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute offers trauma and body-oriented psychotherapy training for clinicians, including relationship-focused modules. It is a regional player because it overlaps thematically with AACAST's neuroscientific couples work but operates primarily in trauma-focused training rather than couples/sex therapy certification.

Broad incumbents

• Sexuality and Relationship Education (SRE) training programs at universities: University-based sexuality and relationship training programs, such as those affiliated with the Kinsey Institute, provide academic sex therapy and relationship education. They are broad incumbents because they offer credentialed pathways in adjacent fields but are not direct competitors for AACAST's clinical certification niche.
• American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT): AAMFT is the largest professional association for marriage and family therapists in the US, offering approved continuing education, training resources, and a broader clinical community. It is a broad incumbent because it does not certify in a single couples therapy method but encompasses AACAST's target membership as part of a much wider membership and training portfolio.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AACAST_IACT
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/american-association-of-couple-and-sex-therapists
• Instagraminstagram.com/aacast4therapy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about American Association of Couple and Sex Therapists