What is intimacy coaching?

Today, you’ll learn how to start an intimacy coaching business that affords you more freedom, fulfillment, and flexibility.

Want to learn more? Keep reading.

In this guide, you’ll learn:

• What is intimacy coaching?
• What do intimacy coaches do?
• The best intimacy coaching certifications
• What are the different types of intimacy coaching?
• How to become an intimacy coach

What is intimacy coaching?

Intimacy coaching is a form of coaching that helps individuals or couples develop closer and more fulfilling intimate relationships through strengthening both their emotional and physical intimacy. 

It’s all about helping people deepen their understanding, communication, vulnerability, and emotional awareness. Coaches also teach their clients to resolve conflict and build trust.

In doing so, they help them feel closer to and more comfortable with others.

There are several types of individuals an intimacy coach can help, including:

• Singles looking to enhance their own emotional intimacy (such as self-confidence, sexual concerns, sexual desires)
• Couples experiencing relationship challenges (such as infidelity, erotic intimacy issues, detachment, unresolved conflict)
• The LGBTQ+ community (such as personal sexuality, confidence, coming out)
• Those battling sex or porn addiction) 

Keep reading to learn about what an intimacy coach does – we’ll cover it in the next section!

What do intimacy coaches do?

Intimacy coaches guide their clients’ intimacy journey by helping them explore and understand their wants and needs.

A big part of that is helping them go through emotional attachment issues to identify the wounds that are causing the intimacy issues. An intimacy coach helps clients become more comfortable with the idea of intimacy by exploring trauma and finding new ways to heal.

You’ll also help their clients find new techniques to use in physical intimacy, assign homework and tasks, and more.

It’s important to remember that intimacy coaches aren’t medical professionals and, therefore, can’t act as therapists or doctors. 

You’re limited in what you can help with in terms of medical or mental issues that crop up during intimacy. You can’t help clients by issuing medical diagnoses, prescribing medicine, or treating illness. 

That said, as an intimacy coach, you do help your clients work through their intimacy issues. Often, you’re that link that helps them apply what they’ve learned in therapy to their real life. 

To learn about becoming a certified intimacy coach, keep reading!

The best intimacy coaching certifications

What qualifications do you need to be an intimacy coach? 

Technically, none. You don’t need a license or certification!

Truthfully, knowing how to help your clients get results can be more powerful than a certification.

Of course, you can get certified. If that’s the case, here are the best intimacy coaching certification programs. 

(Disclaimer: I haven’t taken these certification courses. I’m recommending them based on their reputation and reviews.)

Sexual Health Alliance Certified Sexuality Coach & Consultant Training

SHA’s certification program touches on ethics and ethical behavior, intimacy skills, diversities in sexual expression, and more.

Tuition also includes three two-day conferences, an online resource group, and virtual happy hours.

The program is done mostly remotely and on your own timeline, though SHA recommends spending at most three months on each module. 

Note: To become certified, you must have at least a Bachelor’s degree, but some special circumstances exist. 

Cost: $5,850. Payment plans are also available, at $517 per month for 12 months and $367 per month for 18 months.

Somatica Sex and Relationship Coach Training 

This training includes six core modules that cover several topics, including emotional empowerment basics, visiting the inner child, surviving rejection, reclaiming erotic self-expression, and sex across the ability spectrum.

Students will also participate in 12 practice sessions, study at least two specializations, and complete advanced modules.

As a Somatica student, you’ll also become part of their referral network, receive ongoing support, and have access to the alumni community.

Though the certification is entirely online, you can also attend a 5-day in-person immersion retreat.

Cost: $10,300 for the online course. Payment plans are available at $906 per month for 12 months and $475 per month for 24 months.

Sex Coach U Core Certified Sex Coach Program

Sex Coach U’s certification course consists of four modules, including Foundations of Sex Coaching, Essentials of Our Profession, Knowledge and Skills Enhancement, and Synthesis.

Sex Coach U takes a holistic approach to intimacy coaching with two models: the MEBES Signature System (Mind, Emotions, Body/Behavior, Energy, Spirit) and PLISSIT (Permission, Limited Information, Specific Suggestions, and Intensive Therapy). 

The course is done remotely and at your own pace. You’ll also have access to group coaching and live practice sessions, an SCU book club, and a private Facebook community.

Cost: $14,997. A payment plan is available for $899 per month for 18 months.

Certified Intimacy Professional 

This certification doesn’t mean you’ll be working with couples or individuals.

Instead, you’ll emerge as a certified Intimacy Director for Live Performance or Intimacy Coordinator for TV and Film (SAG-AFTRA Accredited Program).

The course consists of four levels that will teach you to utilize the appropriate technical language for scenes, use trauma-informed practices to avoid workplace harm, understand what an intimate scene needs, and more.

Each session is held live, both online and in person, and there is a rigorous attendance policy. Learn more here.

Cost: $5,947-$7,947

There’s more than one type of intimacy coaching, so read on to find out what they are.

What are the different types of intimacy coaching?

Because it includes the word “intimacy,” most people are quick to believe that intimacy coaches only work as sex coaches.

And while they can work as sex coaches, there are some differences.

A sex coach helps their clients with sex-related issues to improve their sex life and overcome any barriers they might be facing. They work, for the most part, with romantic relationships.

But intimacy coaches help you with anything you define as intimacy, whether mental, physical, or both. 

Further, the relationships aren’t limited to romantic or sexual ones. An intimacy coach might help someone deepen their relationship with their family, friends, or even themselves.

There are a few different types of intimacy coaching.

• Relationship coaching focuses on fostering connection, building trust, and improving communication.
• Sex coaching focuses on the physical and sexual aspects of intimacy.
• Somatic coaching is a holistic approach to intimacy coaching. Somatic coaches focus on helping clients find the connection between their mind and body.

If you want to become an intimacy coach, keep reading! I’ll cover it in the next section.

How to become an intimacy coach

Reaching your goal of becoming a successful intimacy coach is well within reach – and it’s easier than you might think.

I’ll tell you, step-by-step, how to build a thriving business.

Find a niche

Before you can launch an intimacy coaching business, you need to decide exactly what you’ll be offering to your clients.

Yes, you’ll offer intimacy coaching. But what else? You have to get specific.

Having a niche will help you find and attract your ideal clients. You’ll stick out to them because your services are specific to their situation.

Can you help couples navigate the aftermath of infidelity? Teach single women how to find and foster deeper connections in the dating world? Help members of the LGBTQ+ community navigate their sexuality? 

Those are all niches.

Other niches that intimacy coaches might help with include:

• Trust
• Sexual dysfunction
• Physical intimacy and boundaries
• Postpartum
• Adjusting to life after divorce or death
• Pre-commitment or premarital discussions

Whatever niche you decide is right for you, you have to make sure it’s profitable! Do some market research to figure out what your target client needs help with. 

Before you choose your niche, remember that some intimacy coaching niches require certification, so be sure to check first.

Check out my list of 100+ profitable niches to get started.

Create a package

It can take a lot of work to figure out how to price your services as a new intimacy coach.

The key is to figure out how to avoid undervaluing or overcharging. The balance lies in finding a price that isn’t too low or too high.

For new coaches, $1,500 is a great price point for a three-month package. This package should include two monthly calls and a line of communication. 

If that seems low, remember that it’s not permanent. You’ll likely change your pricing as you continue your coaching career. For now, consider it an accessible price point that allows you to get a few paying clients.

I talk about packages in more detail in this video:

To learn more about creating the right intimacy coaching package and setting your prices, check out this article.

Get paying clients

Finally, the most important part of any intimacy coaching business: Landing your first paying client!

If you’re not sure where to start, don’t worry.

Here are some of the easiest ways to market yourself and get clients:

Reach out to your circle of friends, family, and coworkers.

The best part about your network is that the people in it already know you.

And they probably trust you, too – which is huge for an intimacy coach.

That makes them the perfect group to reach out and offer services to. 

Check out social media.

Don’t underestimate the power of social media when it comes to finding communities relevant to your niche – they’re a great place to start when looking for clients.

For instance, Facebook’s Juicy Lucys (Intimacy and Women’s Health) group has over 50,000 members who might be looking for what you offer.

The key to using social media in this way is to not talk about your business straight away and focus mostly on joining the conversation and offering value first.

Write guest posts and get featured on podcasts.

Getting your voice out there in trusted spaces will help you make it clear that you’re an expert in the intimacy space.

I find it helpful to write a list of publications and podcast hosts you’d like to connect with and pitch yourself as a guest. 

These are all great ideas but be sure to focus on only one of these strategies when finding your first few clients. You can always branch out as your business continues to grow.

To learn more about marketing your intimacy coaching business, take a look at his guide.

Deliver your coaching

Finally, the most important part of building your coaching business is knowing how to hold the most effective intimacy coaching sessions as possible.

You don’t have to write out word-for-word what you’ll say during your session to make it successful. It just needs to be well-structured and goal-oriented. 

Finding the right setup is what will help your clients reach their overarching goal, whether it’s learning to be intimate with themselves or with others.

But how do you make sure each call is goal-oriented and effective? 

By coming up with sub-goals and focusing on a different one during every session.

What’s a sub-goal?

Sub-goals are call-specific goals that work in tandem to help your client reach their overall goals. 

Between sessions, your client will work toward those sub-goals. That’s what will help you structure your coaching work, check on progress, and hold your clients accountable.

I talk about how to structure a great one-on-one intimacy coaching call in this video: 

You can also learn more about how to plan and structure your coaching sessions in this guide.

Next steps 

There you have it! Everything you need to know about becoming an intimacy coach, getting your intimacy coach certification, and finding your first paying clients.

Are you ready to build an intimacy coaching business that will replace your 9-5 job without working yourself to the bone day in and day out?

Then you’re in luck.

Today, I’m going to show you the exact steps I took to build a multiple-six-figure coaching business. Get your free guide here:

Read more:

How to Start a Successful Coaching Business

One-on-One Coaching: What It Is & Hold the Best Sessions

What is Relationship Coaching?