The perceived effectiveness of Christian and secular graduate training programs in preparing Christian psychologists to deal with experiences of sexual attraction

Most psychologists experience feelings of sexual attraction toward clients, and for some Christian therapists this situation can be further complicate d by their tendency to deny such sexual attraction. How effective are gradu ate training programs in reaching Christian psychologists to manage feeling s of sexual attraction in professional contexts? In this survey, 258 Christ ian psychologists answered questions regarding their graduate training. A p ositive training environment was related to healthy coping responses in man aging feelings of sexual attraction, and graduates of explicitly Christian training programs reported greater satisfaction with training conditions th an graduates of secular programs. Those involved in training professional p sychologists should consider the general training environment in addition t o specific course work about managing feelings of sexual attraction.