Profession-Wide Competency #1: Research

Training Objective: Produce new professionals who can independently access research and apply scientific methods to practice.

Competencies Expected:

1. Independently accesses and applies scientific knowledge & skills appropriately and habitually to the solution of problems,

2. Readily presents own work for the scrutiny of others,

3. Demonstrates advanced level of knowledge of and respect for scientific knowledge of the basis for behaviors,

4. Reviews scholarly literature related to clinical work and applies knowledge to case conceptualization,

5. Effectively Applies EBP concepts in practice,

6. Critically Compares and contrasts EBP approaches with other theories and interventions in the context of case conceptualization and treatment planning.

PWC #2: Ethical and Legal Standards

Training Objective: Produce new professionals who can independently identify ethical and legal concerns and effectively respond to them.

Competencies Expected:

1. Independently recognizes and manages special circumstances and potential ethical issues,

2. Uses good judgment about unexpected issues, such as crises, confrontation, etc.,

3. Demonstrates awareness of potential conflicts in complex ethical and legal issues when conducting supervision,

4. Spontaneously and reliably identifies complex ethical and legal issues when conducting supervision and analyzes and proactively addresses them,

5. When unsure of how to proceed when confronted with an ethical dilemma, will reliably seek consultation with supervisor or other appropriate expert,

6. The intern is familiar with the relevant laws and statutes pertaining to the practice of psychology in the setting and region they are working in.

PWC #3: Individual and Cultural Diversity (ICD)

Training Objective: Produce new professionals who can independently monitor and apply knowledge of self and others as an ICD-being and consider the intersecting and complex dimensions of diversity.

Competencies Expected:

1. Independently articulates, understands, and monitors own cultural identity in relation to work with others,

2. Regularly uses knowledge of self to monitor and improve effectiveness as a professional,

3. Critically evaluates feedback and initiates consultation or supervision when uncertain about diversity issues content,

4. Regularly uses knowledge of the role of culture in interactions to monitor and improve effectiveness as a professional,

5. Critically evaluates feedback and initiates consultation or supervision when uncertain about diversity issues with others,

6. Articulates an integrative conceptualization of diversity as it impacts clients, self, and others (e.g., organizations, colleagues, systems of care),

7. Uses culturally relevant best practices.

PWC #4: Professional Values, Attitudes, and Behaviors

Training Objective: Produce new professionals who behave in responsible and professionally effective ways that represent the field of psychology with honor.

Competencies Expected:

1. The Intern follows the policies of their clinic/agency,

2. The Intern is consistently on time to appointments and meetings and communicates well about absences and time-off,

3. The Intern finishes their paperwork in a timely fashion,

4. The Intern's written work is at a professional-level of quality,

5. The Intern is prepared for all meetings and appointments,

6. The Intern demonstrates the appropriate professional presentation (clothing, posture, language, hygiene, politeness) for the setting in which they are working,

7. Habitually adapts one’s professional behavior in a culturally sensitive manner, as appropriate to the needs of the client, that improves client outcomes and avoids harm,

8. Regularly uses knowledge of others to monitor and improve effectiveness as a professional.

PWC #5: Communication and Interpersonal Skills

Training Objective: Produce new professionals who can effectively function within a clinical setting.

Competencies Expected:

1. Communicates effectively with individuals from other professions,

2. Independently articulates, understands, and monitors multiple cultural identities in interactions with others,

3. Seeks consultation with regard to addressing individual and cultural diversity as needed,

4. Writes a high-quality case summary incorporating elements of evidence-based practice and presents it for peer review and discussion,

5. Seeks consultation when necessary,

6. The intern can create effective working relationship with all the staff at their site(s).

PWC #6: Assessment

Training Objective: Produce new professionals who can effectively perform comprehensive assessments and screenings and clearly report the results.

Competencies Expected:

1. Accurately assesses presenting issues taking in to account the larger life context, including diversity issues,

2. Effectively selects appropriate assessment/screening tools that fit the presenting issue,

3. Effectively and accurately performs various screening and assessment procedures,

4. Uses assessment data to conceptualize cases independently and accurately,

5. Writes a professional-caliber report that correctly and clearly integrates the assessment data into a diagnosis with patient-specific recommendations.

PWC #7: Intervention

Training Objective: Produce new professionals who can independently plan and provide effective interventions.

Competencies Expected:

1. Presents rationale for intervention strategy that includes empirical support and can defend their reasoning well,

2. Independently selects an intervention or range of interventions appropriate for the presenting issue(s),

3. Develops rapport and relationships with wide variety of clients,

4. Effectively delivers interventions,

5. Independently and effectively implements a typical range of intervention strategies appropriate to practice setting,

6. Terminates treatment successfully,

7. Independently assesses treatment effectiveness & efficiency,

8. Critically evaluates own performance in the treatment role.

PWC #8: Supervision

Training Objective: Produce new professionals who can independently provide supervision to others.

Competencies Expected:

1. Articulates a philosophy or model of supervision and critically reflects on how this model is applied in practice, including integrated contextual, legal, and ethical perspectives,
2. Creates an effective supervision contract,
3. Demonstrates knowledge of limits of competency to supervise (assesses meta-competency),
4. Constructs plans to deal with areas of limited competency,
5. Clearly articulates how to use supervisory relationships to leverage development of supervisees and their clients,
6. Demonstrates integration of diversity and multiple identity aspects in conceptualization of supervision process with all participants (client(s), supervisee, supervisor)
7. Demonstrates adaptation of own professional behavior in a culturally sensitive manner as appropriate to the needs of the supervision context and all parties in it,
8. Articulates and uses diversity appropriate repertoire of skills and techniques in supervisory process
9. Identifies impact of aspects of self in therapy and supervision
10. Provides competent supervision to less advanced trainees, peers or other service providers in typical cases appropriate to the service setting

PWC #9: Consultation and Interprofessional/Interdisciplinary Skills

Training Objective: Produce new professionals who have knowledge of interdisciplinary teams and can collaborate with other professionals and who can critically evaluate a program's functioning.

Competencies Expected:

1. Demonstrates ability to articulate the role that others provide in service to clients,
2. Appreciates and integrates perspectives from multiple professions,
3. Displays ability to work successfully on an interdisciplinary team,
4. Systematically collaborates successfully with other relevant partners,
5. Demonstrates skill in interdisciplinary clinical settings, working with other professionals to incorporate psychological information into overall team planning and implementation,
6. Provides supervisors with insightful and useful reflections on what is working well and what can be improved at their different consortium sites at the mid-year evaluation. In the second half of the year, these reflections are presented via the program evaluation project (see handbook),
7. Collaborates effectively with other providers, or systems of care, to coordinate continuity of care for the patients.

How Outcomes are Measured: All competencies are rated using supervisor ratings on a 5-point Likert scale 1= Cannot Demonstrate, 2= Needs extensive supervision to demonstrate, 3= Can demonstrate in most situations, requires some supervision in more complex situations, 4= Can demonstrate, even in complex situations, without supervision, 5 = Can demonstrate with advanced skill (similar to licensed clinician). Self-reports by interns will be collected at the beginning and end of training as a discussion tool for supervision purposes. Supervisor ratings will be collected at the middle (February/March) and end (July/August) of the internship training.

Minimum Thresholds for Achievement for Expected Competencies: Within each objective, the intern is expected to achieve mastery of all competencies and must achieve a score of at least 3 by the end of the year. If any competencies are at a 2 or less at the mid-year evaluation, the intern, their onsite supervisor and the Training Director will create a remediation plan to improve these skills. If any competencies are below 3 at the end of the year then the intern will be unable to pass the internship.