Human Sexuality Education for Counseling Students, An Ethical Imperative: A Special Commentary

Human sexuality is a profound and multifaceted component of the human condition that is universally experienced. As such, it is an inevitability that issues related to human sexuality will come up in counseling settings; however, there is a lack of medically accurate sex education in K-12 schools. Additionally, there is no requirement, except for in three states, for students in mental health counseling programs to complete a course on human sexuality. While human sexuality is not a specific competency outlined by CACREP or ACA, it is universally experienced by all clients and counselors. This special commentary highlights the ethical need for counselors and counselor educators to be prepared to best serve their clients, and most importantly do no harm.