Attainment of competencies in clinical psychology training: ways forward in the Australian context

Abstract

Debates over models of professional training have occurred in several health disciplines, including psychology. Currently, clinical competencies form the backbone of training in clinical psychology and in standards for the accreditation of such training programs, with sample domains including ethical and legal issues, assessment, intervention, and experience with a diversity of clients across cultures and the lifespan. We review a range of models for clinical competencies that have been put forth in the international literature and report on results of a survey of students undertaking clinical training as to the methods of assessment used in their training programs. Results showed that direct competency assessment was less commonly used than expected from the stated accreditation standards. One factor behind the results may be that ways to assess such competencies remain elusive. In this article, several models of clinical competencies are put forward, along with a method of assessing such competencies within an Australian context.