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Psychologists' continuing education and training in sexuality
S Andrea Miller1, E Sandra Byers
1Department of Psychology, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB E3B 6E4, Canada.
Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy
|April 11, 2009
Summary
Psychologists receive limited continuing education for addressing sexual issues. More training could improve their confidence and willingness to treat clients
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Continuing Education
- Sexual Health
Background:
- Psychologists play a crucial role in addressing clients' mental health, which can include sexual issues.
- Continuing education is vital for psychologists to stay updated on best practices for diverse client needs.
- There is a need to understand the extent and nature of sexual health training within psychology continuing education.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the extent and type of continuing education psychologists receive regarding sexual issues.
- To determine if continuing education influences psychologists' confidence and practice in addressing clients' sexual concerns.
- To identify potential gaps and areas for improvement in continuing education for sexual health interventions.
Main Methods:
- An Internet survey was administered to 105 clinical and counseling psychologists.
- The survey assessed psychologists' engagement with continuing education related to sexual issues.
- Data were analyzed to correlate continuing education with psychologists' practices regarding sexual concerns.
Main Results:
- Observational learning opportunities in continuing education are underutilized.
- Training tends to focus more on sexual problems than on healthy sexuality.
- Psychologists with more continuing education reported a greater likelihood of addressing clients' sexual concerns.
- Despite increased training, a general reluctance to directly address sexual issues was observed.
Conclusions:
- Current continuing education may not adequately prepare psychologists to address sexual issues.
- There is a need to enhance continuing education programs to include more practical and comprehensive sexual health training.
- Further development of continuing education is recommended to overcome psychologists' reluctance and improve intervention for clients with sexual concerns.
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