Current Appointments and Roles

Heather S. Howard, MBA, PhD, ACS is a board certified clinical sexologist and Mind-Body Health Facilitator. She founded the Center for Sexual Health and Rehabilitation.

In addition to her private practice work, she serves as an associate professor of clinical sexology at The Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality (IASHS) in San Francisco; a clinical skills instructor for Herman & Wallace Pelvic Rehabilitation Institute; a clinical skills instructor in the OSCE Program for the Stanford School of Medicine Obstetrics & Gynecology Department; and a gynecological teaching associate at Stanford, Tauro and UCSF medical schools through Project Prepare, where she teaches medical students to perform comfortable and effective breast and pelvic exams.

She offers classes and workshops for individuals and couples seeking sexual enrichment, support, and/ or recovery from sexual pain conditions, as well as educational programs to provide health care providers with tools to support the sexual challenges their clients face. She also conducts pleasure education workshops for private groups and is available for public speaking engagements.

Training and Philosophy

She received her BA from the University of California at Berkeley (1993), her MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business (1995), and her PhD in human sexuality from the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality (IASHS) (2008). She also earned certificates in sex education and clinical sexology from IASHS and is board certified by the American College of Sexologists (ACS) .

She is currently working on her Masters in Public Health at IASHS and is under supervision to become a Certified Sex Counselor and Certified Sex Educator through the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT).

Her doctoral research explored the relationship between sex and pelvic pain and the potential for sexual response to be integrated into the treatment program for pelvic pain. She founded the Center for Sexual Health and Rehabilitation to provide resources for people facing sexual challenges or seeking sexual enrichment, and has created a private and non-threatening environment for clients to ask questions and discuss sensitive topics, as well as purchase products that promote sexual health and pleasure. 

Dr. Howard believes that sexual growth is facilitated by enhanced mental and physical consciousness and utilizes a variety of techniques aimed at promoting consciousness and mind-body integration.  She trained in a consciousness technique called Voice Dialogue at the New York Voice Dialogue Institute (2001-2004) and Voice Dialogue Australia in Melbourne (2004). She also learned to use the Body Dialogue method of accessing the voice of the body in her training with Voice Dialogue Australia.

Personal Journey and Skills

Dr. Howard began to explore her sexuality in an attempt to overcome debilitating pelvic pain. She sought medical and alternative care around the world and did extensive research on sexuality as a method for, as well as a goal of, overcoming pain. Her journey and progress gave her the desire to share the benefits of her experience with others. 

She has lived in many cities in the United States in addition to London, Madrid and Hong Kong, and collaborates with an international community of researchers, educators, and health care and wellness practitioners in order to provide the latest information to her community and beyond.  Her exposure to diverse cultures and experience of living in foreign countries provided her with a unique ability to identify the religious, philosophical and cultural constructs that may be contributing to sexual concerns.  Helping clients to identify and demystify the cultural messages underlying their beliefs enables them to find sexual solutions that honor their constructs, or to determine when those constructs are no longer useful.

Professional Affiliations

Dr. Howard is a member of International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health (ISSWSH), Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality (SSSS), World Association for Sexual Health (WAS), American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT), Mama's Resource Network (MRN), International Pelvic Pain Society (IPPS), National Vulvodynia Association (NVA), Interstitial Cystitis Association (ICA), and International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP).