Dr Sarah Ashton (she/her) is a registered psychologist, AHPRA board-approved supervisor, and the Founder and Lead Trainer of the Institute of Sexual Health Psychology Australia (ISHPA), a national training organisation dedicated to advancing inclusive, trauma-informed, and evidence-based education in sexual health psychology. She is also the Founder and Director of Sexual Health and Intimacy Psychological Services (SHIPS), Australia’s first clinic solely focused on sexual health psychology.
Dr Ashton is the author of When Trauma Affects Sex, which equips practitioners with compassionate, inclusive, and systemic frameworks to support sexual healing. She lectures at both RMIT University and Deakin University, where she co-authored Deakin’s first Sex and Sexuality unit. Her academic work includes published research on pornography in journals such as The Journal of Sex Research, Porn Studies, and Feminism & Psychology.
With over 16 years of clinical experience, Dr Ashton has developed more than 30 professional training courses and delivered guest lectures at over 15 Australian universities. She is passionate about shifting cultural narratives around sex, amplifying the voices of erotically marginalised communities, and raising the standard of sexual health care. Through ISHPA, she equips practitioners with the knowledge, confidence, and clinical skills to provide affirming, effective care in a rapidly evolving field.
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