Competence:

What is competence according to psychology?

 Ethical competence is a key distinguisher between

simply having skills and having a true sense of
professionalism. It is the stage beyond technical
competence where ethical competence must be
considered when extending policies to support skill and
competencies to training and education for
professional occupations.
Cont……….
 Competence within the field of psychology is as
important as any other standard and possibly more
important in as much as the knowledge available to
practicing psychologists is constantly growing and
changing, making competency a lifelong goal that is
never quite satisfied. There is always more to learn and
the thought of knowing all there is to know is
overwhelming. To aid in this attempt at competency,
researchers have developed guidelines for psychologists
to remain competent in their field.
 Shiles (2009) states that professional competency is not a fixed
construct, meaning that psychologists are either incompetent
or competent.
 Competency lies on a continuum and there are many facets to
competency which can be expanded through a variety of ways.
There are three obligations under the 2002 APA Ethics Code in
relation to Standard 2.01
 (Boundaries of Competence) (Fisher as cited in Shiles, 2009).
The first obligation is becoming familiar with professional and
scientific knowledge.
 Second is acquiring professional skills.
 Third, psychologists must know when to refer and when not to,
thus recognizing when they do or do not have access to obtain
the knowledge or appropriate experience required.
 If a psychologist does not follow these obligations, according to
Fisher, they are in violation of the 2002 APA Ethics Code.
 THE CUBE MODEL:

 The Cube Model (Rodolfa, Bent, Eisman, Nelson, Rehm, & Richie
as cited in Kerns et al., 2009) also provides three specific
domains, in which any psychotherapist should retain competency
during their career.
 The first domain is composed of foundational competencies.
These are the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values which
underlie the function of psychologists.
 Examples of foundational competencies include graduate
coursework, practicum/intern experiences, and the aspirational
goals in the APA 2002 Ethics Code. Practicing psychologists
should have a firm background in these competencies which is
built up in the early years of their career, during graduate school,
when one first learns of all the necessary foundational
competencies.
 The second domain of the Cube Model is functional
competencies which encompasses the professional activities
of psychologists. This means what does any given
psychologist do on any given day? Whether it is clinical,
research, educational, or administrative in nature,
psychologists are required to remain competent in the
specific field in which they practice.
 The third domain of the Cube Model is a developmental
perspective of competency.
 This perspective stresses the importance of continued
professional growth through a process of ongoing self-
reflection and reexamination of one’s competencies and
efforts consistent with a commitment to continuing
education. Once a psychologist finishes graduate school,
receives their license, and is employed, their training does
not stop. As in any scientific field, new discoveries are being
made constantly and it is a psychologist’s ethical, personal,
and professional responsibility to keep up with these new
discoveries and utilize them whenever possible to advance
the field of psychology.
 Another area of competency not outlined by the Cube Model but
relevant to all psychotherapists is that of ethical competency (Sporrong
et al., 2007). According to Sporrong and colleagues, ethical competence
at work requires the ability to,
 Integrate
perception
 Reflection and
action
 And to understand oneself as being responsible for one’s
own actions.  Key competencies in ethics include:
 Knowing and understanding codes of ethics
 Being able recognize and analyze ethical situations, and trying to resolve
them.
 Boundaries Of Competence

 1-Providing Services In
Emergency  2-Maintaining
Competence
 3-Delegation Of Work To
Others  4-Personal Problems
And Conflicts
 2.01 Boundaries of Competence:

 (a) Psychologists provide services, teach, and conduct

research with populations and in areas only within the
boundaries of their competence, based on their:
 educati
on
 training
 supervised
experience
 consultation
 study
 professional experience.
 (b) Where scientific or professional knowledge in
the discipline of psychology establishes that an understanding
of factors associated with age, gender, gender identity,
race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, religion, sexual
orientation, disability, language, or socioeconomic status is
essential for effective implementation of their,
services or research
 psychologists have or obtain the
training  experience
 Consultation supervision necessary to
ensure the competence of their services,
or
 they make appropriate referrals,
 except as provided in Standard 2.02, Providing Services in
Emergencies.
 (c) Psychologists planning to
provide services,
 teach, or
 conduct research
involving populations
 Areas techniques
 technologies new to them undertake relevant
education, training, supervised experience, consultation,
or study.
 (d) When psychologists are asked to provide services to
individuals for whom appropriate mental health services are
not available and for which psychologists have not obtained
the competence necessary, psychologists with closely related
prior training or experience may provide such services in
order to ensure that services are not denied
 If they make a reasonable effort to obtain the competence
required by using relevant research, training, consultation
or study.
 (e) In those emerging areas in which generally recognized
standards for preparatory training do not yet exist
psychologists nevertheless take reasonable steps to ensure
 the competence of their work
and  to protect
clients/patients, students
 supervisors
 research participants
 organizational clients
and  others from
harm.
 (f) When assuming forensic roles,
 psychologists are or become reasonably
familiar with  the judicial or administrative
rules
 governing their roles.
 2.02 Providing Services in Emergencies:

 In emergencies, when psychologists provide services to

individuals for whom other mental health services are not
available and for which psychologists have not obtained the
necessary training, psychologists may provide such services
in order to ensure that services are not denied.
The services are discontinued as soon as the
emergency has ended or appropriate services are
available.
 2.03 Maintaining Competence:

 Psychologists undertake ongoing efforts to

develop and maintain their competence.
Psychology is continually evolving, spawning new research
methodologies, assessment procedures, and forms of service
delivery. Information and techniques constituting the core
curri- cula of psychologists’ doctoral education and training
often become outdated and are replaced by new information
and more effective practices as decades pass. Lifelong
learning is fundamental to ensure that teaching, research,
and practice provide a positive effect for those with whom
psychologists work. Standard 2.03 requires that
psychologists undertake ongoing efforts to ensure continued
competence.
 Bases For Scientific And Professional
Judgements
 Psychologists’ work is based on established scientific and professional knowledge of the
discipline.
 Standard 2.04 requires psychologists to select methods and provide professional
opinions firmly grounded in the knowledge base of scientific and professional
psychology. Scientific knowledge refers to information generated according to accepted
principles of research practice. Professional knowledge refers to widely accepted and
reliable clinical reports, case studies, or observations. Standard 2.04 is firmly rooted in
psychology’s historic recognition of the importance of the reciprocal relationship
between science and practice.
 Psychologists engaged in innovative activities who do not draw on established
knowledge of the field may fail to anticipate or detect aspects of their work that could
lead to substantial misrepresentation or harm. The standard permits the use of novel
approaches, recognizing that new theories, concepts, and techniques are critical to the
continued development of the field. It does, however, prohibit psychologists from
applying idiosyncratic theories and techniques that are not grounded in either
accepted principles or the field’s cumulative knowledge of psychological research or
practice. Psychologists trained in more traditional techniques also have a
responsibility to keep up with evolving knowledge of the field to know under which
conditions and for which disorders treatments do and do not work and which have
iatrogenic risks
 2.05 Delegation of Work to Others:

 Psychologists who delegate work to employees, supervisees, or

research or teaching assistants or who use the services of others, such
as interpreters, take reasonable steps to:
(1) avoid delegating such work to persons who have a multiple relationship
with those being served that would likely lead to exploitation or loss of
objectivity
 (2)authorize only those responsibilities that such persons can be expected to
perform competently on the basis of their education, training, or experience,
either independently or with the level of supervision being provided; and
 (3) see that such persons perform these services
competently. (See also Standards 2.02, Providing
Services in Emergencies;
3.05, Multiple Relationships; 4.01, Maintaining Confidentiality; 9.01, Bases for
Assessments; 9.02, Use of Assessments; 9.03, Informed Consent in
Assessments; and 9.07, Assessment by Unqualified Persons.)
 2.06 Personal Problems and Conflicts:

Psychologists refrain from initiating an activity

when they know or should know that there is a
substantial likelihood that their personal problems
will prevent them
from performing their work-related activities in a competent
manner. When psychologists become aware of personal
problems that may interfere with their performing work
related duties adequately, they take appropriate measures,
such as obtaining professional consultation or assistance,
and determine whether they should limit, suspend, or terminate
their work-related duties.
Clients suffer when personal problems prevent psychologists
from competently implementing their work and the misconduct
that is often a product of these circumstances harms publics