About Dr. Ashley Sweet Certified Sex Therapist & Licensed Psychotherapist

Hi, I’m Dr. Ashley Sweet.

I know that identity matters—who we are, how we navigate the world, and how we experience intimacy all shape our relationships and sexual lives.

As a millennial, bisexual/queer woman (she/her), I bring a feminist, sex-positive, and trauma-informed lens to all my clinical work. My passion is empowering people to release shame, feel at home in their bodies, and cultivate deep, fulfilling connection with themselves and others.

I’ve been a feminist and self-proclaimed “sexpert” for most of my life. These days, I have the privilege of dismantling patriarchy—one bedroom at a time.

Let me help you go deeper.

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Work with Me

My Journey & Clinical Background

Woman smiling at desk holding two vibrators, one purple and one pink.

I have worked directly in sexual and reproductive healthcare since 2008, including 14 years at Planned Parenthood and frontline experience at a community rape crisis center. Driven by a lifelong passion for dismantling sexual stigma and religious purity culture, my work has always spanned both clinical care and grassroots activism—from founding Pro-Choice Therapists to support abortion-affirming mental health providers, to co-creating St. Pete Women’s Collective / Venus, a non-profit space where we facilitated #MeToo survivor circles, creative workshops, and community initiatives.

Every one of those front lines reinforced one fundamental truth: the right to own and love your body in its fullness is the foundation of personhood. If you cannot own your body, you cannot control your life.

In our healthcare system, women's health is severely understudied, and both women’s pain and pleasure are typically ignored. What we do see is a massive pleasure gap: men report orgasm 95% of the time in heterosexual encounters, while women sit at just 65%—often performatively faking enthusiasm out of fear, shame, or gendered role fulfillment.

Beyond the pleasure gap, patriarchy harms everyone. Society's rigid expectations around performance and desirability trap people of all genders in disconnect and anxiety.

I love helping people step into their full sexual power as the ultimate act of liberation—owning your body, commanding your pleasure, and deciding exactly how you share it.

My work is empowering, and it’s fun!

Are we a good fit?

While I take the work of dismantling shame and fighting for pleasure equality deeply seriously, my day-to-day therapeutic style is full of bright energy, laughter, and radical compassion. I skip the surface-level small talk and dive straight to where real connection lives—a few layers below the surface.

As an emotion-focused and highly intuitive therapist, I tune into your wavelength to help map how your thoughts, feelings, and actions are interconnected. I comfortably hold space for the full spectrum of human experience—whether that’s deep trauma, shame, and confusion, or raw, uninhibited joy. I live by the Swedish proverb: “Shared joy is a double joy; shared sorrow is half a sorrow.” I’m here to cackle with you in your triumphs and anchor you in your pain.

I am endlessly curious about this mystery we call life. (In another reality, I’d probably be a parapsychologist studying existentialism, consciousness, and Simone de Beauvoir’s ethics of ambiguity.) In this reality, I bring that same deep curiosity to your inner world—offering an active, empathetic, and unapologetically human space to help you heal and thrive on your own terms.

Here, you can laugh, and you can cry.

My Professional Background & Training

I’m a licensed psychotherapist, clinical sexologist, AASECT Certified sex therapist, certified hypnotherapist and feminist activist with two decades of sexual and reproductive health experience. Below you can find the highlights of my robust and meaningful career.

Education & Specialized Training

  • Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Clinical Sexology – Modern Sex Therapy Institutes (2020–2023)

    • Doctoral Focus: Building reproductive and abortion-affirming mental health networks in all 50 states.

  • Master of Arts (M.A.) in Clinical Mental Health Counseling – University of South Florida (2012–2014)

    • CACREP-Accredited Program.

  • Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Sociology & Women’s and Gender Studies – Stetson University (2004–2008)

Relevant Certifications, Fellowships & Honors

  • AASECT Certified Sex Therapist (CST) – American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (2023–Present)

  • Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist – Certified via The Knowledge Tree / Dr. Becky Beaton-York (2022)

  • Graduate, Omega Women’s Leadership Intensive – Omega Institute for Holistic Studies (2017)

  • Member, Alpha Kappa Delta – National Sociological Honors Society (2005–2008)

Academic & Research Leadership

  • Institutional Review Board (IRB) Reviewer – Modern Sex Therapy Institutes (2022–2024)

    • Evaluated doctoral-level clinical sexology research proposals, methodology, and ethical compliance.

  • National Manager of Affiliate Research – Planned Parenthood Federation of America (2019–2022)

    • Managed clinical research operations, protocols, and safety across a national network of 53 Planned Parenthood affiliates.

  • Director of Research & Associate Director of the Clinical Abortion Training Center, Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida (2008–2019)

    • Developed comprehensive clinical training programs, led clinical trials, and co-authored published peer-reviewed research on reproductive care. Provided emotional support and patient education for clients receiving abortion care.

Community Advocacy, Non-Profit & Group Facilitation

  • Founder & CEO – Pro-Choice Therapists (2022–2025)

    • Built the first international directory and educational membership network for abortion-affirming mental health providers.

  • Founder & Board President – St. Pete Women’s Collective / Venus (2017–2022)

    • Established a 501(c)(3) community organization supporting women and gender-diverse creative enrichment, facilitating #MeToo survivor processing circles, empowerment retreats, and nonviolent communication workshops.

  • Clinical Sexual Assault Counselor – Rape Crisis Program, Manatee Glens, Bradenton, FL (2014–2015)

    • Provided specialized individual, family, and group therapy for survivors of sexual violence and severe trauma.

Selected Peer-Reviewed Publications

Professional Licenses & State Telehealth Registrations

  • Maine: Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC #CC7671)

  • Massachusetts: Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC #10001003)

  • Virginia: Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC #0701008856)

  • Florida: Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC #MH15424)

  • Connecticut: Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC #9856)

  • Idaho: Telehealth Mental Health Counselor (#9971187)

  • Vermont: Telehealth Mental Health Counselor (#068.0137459TELE)

Ready to begin?

Reach Out

I welcome all relationship styles and sexual orientations—including monogamy, consensual non-monogamy (CNM/polyamory), LGBTQ+ identities, heterosexuality, kink, and alternative lifestyle dynamics—as long as they involve consenting adults. Whatever your background or relationship structure, you will find a safe, non-judgmental, and affirming space here.