Editorial.

Abstract

When the American Psychological Association (APA) and Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) founded Training and Education in Professional Psychology (TEPP), their shared goal was to provide a venue where trainers at all levels (academic, internship, and postdoctoral) could find the most recent advances in education and training in professional psychology. Thus, the TEPP editorial leadership team welcomed the opportunity to publish the Competency Benchmarks document (Fouad et al., 2009) and the Assessment Toolkit (Kaslow et al., 2009), found in this special issue. After reading these major contributions, we found that we agreed with McCutcheon (p. S50): "It is difficult to think of a recent initiative that has cast a wider net over psychology education or which has broader applicability." We believe that both of these major contributions represent the best our field has to offer-careful thinking, extraordinary input from a broad array of constituencies, and the potential to substantively impact the education and training of professional psychologists.Given the scope of this special issue, and because both the Competency Benchmarks and the Assessment Toolkit are intended to serve as models for implementing a competency-based approach to education and training (rather than as mandates), the TEPP editorial board wanted to provide, alongside the documents, a forum for initial commentary about their contributions and implications for education. We invited a wide range of stakeholders to provide their reactions to these articles, including early career professionals, APA leaders, regulatory experts, experts on competencies, and internship and academic training professionals. We asked our respondents to carefully consider whether and how these competencies advance the field and what influence they believe each will have on training and practice.Our respondents did not disappoint. Their reactions are compelling in that they exhibit considerable convergence as well as a rare glimpse into the complexities the field faces as it attempts to foster a "culture of competence" (Roberts, Borden, Christiansen, & Lopez, 2005). This editorial briefly summarizes the strengths and challenges articulated by respondents. Drawing on these thoughtful critiques, we conclude with a call to action by articulating the critical next steps for the competencies movement.

Multicultural Clinical Supervision and Benchmarks

“…As supervisees progress, supervisors determine levels of entrustability; that is, supervisors form a judgment about what clinical work and clients the supervisee can provide services to at his or her particular level of development and competency (ten Cate, 2005), a process we believe is facilitated by use of the Competency Benchmarks. In an editorial preceding the special competencies edition of Training and Education in Professional Psychology , the journal editors urged, “Stop talking about the competencies and start using them” (Bieschke et al, 2009, p. S3). The authors in this major contribution would add, “Start investigating supervision-related competencies to provide missing empirical support and knowledge required by the Competency Benchmarks (Fouad et al, 2009),” especially to inform supervisor training.…”

Putting the Benchmarks Into Practice

“…As a result, these articles assist psychologists to enhance their ability to provide effective supervision to the diverse students who are entering the profession of psychology. Collectively, the articles answer the call by Bieschke et al (2009) to begin implementation of the competencies.…”

Pre-practicum training to facilitate social inference competency.

“…As such, competency-facilitating training is critical (e.g., Belar & Perry, 1992;Bieschke et al, 2009;Kaslow et al, 2004;Krishnamurthy et al, 2004;Roberts et al, 2005;Rodolfa et al, 2005;Spruill et al, 2004). In recent years, both conceptual models and empirical evidence trace the development of important basic competencies for the eventual practice of professional psychology as beginning before graduate training (Appleby et al, 1999;APTC, 2005;Callahan, Ruggero, & Parent, 2013;Collins & Callahan, 2011;Hatcher & Lassiter, 2007;Roberts et al, 2005).…”

“…Although the issue of evaluating competencies is complicated and ongoing (Huddle & Heudebert, 2007), it is evident that students who are dismissed from doctoral training programs are often viewed as having competency deficits (Busseri et al, 2005) and can pose a public health risk (Kaslow et al, 2004). As such, competency-facilitating training is critical (e.g., Belar & Perry, 1992; Bieschke et al, 2009; Kaslow et al, 2004; Krishnamurthy et al, 2004; Roberts et al, 2005; Rodolfa et al, 2005; Spruill et al, 2004). In recent years, both conceptual models and empirical evidence trace the development of important basic competencies for the eventual practice of professional psychology as beginning before graduate training (Appleby et al, 1999; APTC, 2005; Callahan, Ruggero, & Parent, 2013; Collins & Callahan, 2011; Hatcher & Lassiter, 2007; Roberts et al, 2005).…”

“…Although a comprehensive review is not practical in this brief review of the literature, an excellent synthesis of the conceptual literature applicable to the training of psychologists is available from the Task Force on the Assessment of Competence in Professional Psychology, which is available online at http://www.apa.org/education/grad/competency-revised.pdf. Unfortunately, despite calls for action (e.g., Bieschke et al, 2009), empirical studies of competency development in professional psychology are rare, and research is critically needed.…”