Evaluation of a continuing education program in sex therapy

Area of Science:

• Sex Therapy Training
• Program Evaluation
• Continuing Education

Background:

• Sex therapy is an emerging discipline requiring rigorous training standards.
• Early development of program evaluation is crucial for new fields.
• The Yale Sex Therapy Training program aimed to establish and maintain high standards for therapists.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a multi-dimensional, ongoing evaluation approach for a sex therapy training program.
• To assess the effectiveness of the training program and its impact.
• To inform the development of future continuing education programs.

Main Methods:

• Implementing a multi-dimensional evaluation framework from program inception.
• Continuously collecting feedback on teaching, supervision, and trainee development.
• Measuring changes in trainee knowledge, professional activity, and community impact.

Main Results:

• Evaluative findings were essential for monitoring training quality and trainee progress.
• Continuous feedback facilitated program adjustments in content and format.
• The program successfully identified needs and addressed problems through ongoing assessment.

Conclusions:

• Multi-dimensional, ongoing evaluation is vital for ensuring the quality of sex therapy training.
• The Yale program's experience supports the necessity of continuous evaluation in continuing education.
• Such evaluation should be an integral part of any continuing education program.