Educational organization Everyone Deserves Sex Ed (EDSE) has tapped clinical sexologist Sunny Rodgers, ACS, to train attendees of EDSE’s upcoming 25-hour sex educator certification program, scheduled April 6-7 and 13-14 in Los Angeles. Rodgers will facilitate discussion of sex toy types and materials, intimate lubricants, and sex and aging to give EDSE attendees a stronger understanding of these talked-about but often misunderstood subjects.

Rodgers is a certified sexual health educator and serves as an ambassador for the American Sexual Health Association, where she advocates for access to accurate sexual health information, STI testing, and intimate healthcare nationwide. Rodgers also works as the resident Sexual Health and Wellness Educator for the Diamond Products family of pleasure product brands and helps train industry members to better understand the features, benefits, and usage of sex toys, lubricants, and other popular adult products.

“Since 2000, I have worked with multiple sex toy manufacturers as a sexual health educator while building a private practice and working toward my PhD,” Rodgers said. “My private work has revolved around helping clients reconnect with their sexuality as they age, especially with regard to hormonal changes and menopause, and sex toys and lubricants play an important role in that process. Teaching at EDSE’s sex educator certification program will be an amazing opportunity to bring this knowledge to even more people – educators and practitioners, especially!”

EDSE founder and lead educator Anne Hodder-Shipp, ACS, tapped Rodgers to teach these portions of the certification because of her unique understanding of pleasure products and lubricants, as well as her recent focus on sexuality and aging. With almost two decades of experience and a growing private practice, Rodgers has become a vocal advocate for normalizing aspects of human sexuality often underrepresented in professional development programs.

“Sunny and I have known each other for more than 10 years and it’s exciting to have her join our EDSE education team,” Hodder-Shipp said. “Sunny’s bright disposition, compassionate perspective, and strong knowledge make her a great fit for our program. Sunny has valuable information to provide attendees about discussing how sex and intimacy changes as we age, and I don’t know anyone more qualified to teach attendees about sex toys and lubricants.”

Ideal for budding sex educators, health and social service workers, and anyone looking to bolster their sex ed knowledge, the EDSE certification program prepares attendees to have informed, inclusive and confident conversations about sex. Over the course of two weekends, EDSE attendees will learn key information about human sexuality, intimate health, consent, and communication skills and be trained to respond to sex-related questions in a concise, intersectional, and nonjudgmental manner. Attendees also will leave with new insight into their own sexuality — a fun side effect of sex education training.

The next EDSE certification will take place April 6-7 and 13-14 in Los Angeles. Individual certification is $995 and payment plans are available upon request.

To apply, fill out the form at Everyone Deserve Sex Ed. An EDSE representative will review and be in contact within 48 hours of submission.

“During my time as a sex educator, and a sex blogger before that, there was one thing I noticed most people had in common: a lack of confidence in, and even a little fear about, talking about sex,” Hodder-Shipp said. “This insecurity has a dramatic trickle-down effect. It leaves professionals feeling unprepared for workplace dynamics, parents terrified of having ‘the talk,’ and service providers caught off-guard during sensitive conversations with their clients. My goal with EDSE is give people access to the kind of professional and educational support so many of us have lacked throughout our personal and professional lives.”

More information about Hodder-Shipp can be found at her website , or email her directly at anne@everyonedeservessexed.com.