Adapted Comprehensive Competencies Tracking DocumentPage 1
The purpose of the Comprehensive Competencies Tracking Document (CCTD) is to provide a means of tracking students’ competency development over the course of graduate training. This document will aid the Counseling Psychology Program Committee (CPPC) in determining whether a student is prepared to make effective use of the internship phase of training by providing a cumulative overview of skill attainment.The Counseling Psychology Program Committee (CPPC) will also use the aggregate data (across students and cohorts) to assess how well our curriculum and training experiences coverthe various areas of competency.
There are six columns to the right of each competency. In the first column, Year Expected,is the year the CPPC designated as the year at which that skill is expected to emerge. The 2nd box lists the year or years each item is assessed. The remaining four columns represent each of the four years of graduate training.
Because it is expected that students will continue to evolve their professional skills, attitudes, and behaviors as they progress through their training, what is considered competent for a first year student will be different than what is expected of a fourth year student who has completed all program requirements. Therefore, it is possible that a student would meet requirements in one year but fall short in another. Moreover, all items on this list are skills or competencies that are expected to continue to develop, not just through your graduate training, but through your career. Thus, students are encouraged to begin self-assessment as a trainee and value the practice to facilitate lifelong learning and personal & professional development.
Data to be considered in completing the Tracking Document are the students’ self-assessments, performance in practicum and coursework, functioninig as a member of our training community, performance asa graduate assistant (GA), research assistant (RA) and/or teaching assistant (TA) or fellow (TF), performance in research labs & on thesis/6610 and dissertation, and any other relevant activities engaged in by the student (i.e., participation and/or leadership in organizations). Competency Reviews completed by various supervisors and instructors will be compiled on each student and summarized on the Tracking Document at the end of each academic year by placing the student’s status in the box for that year.
Student status is described as: U = UnsatisfactoryNI = Needs ImprovementS = Successful
Unsatisfactory (U): the student is deficient in the competency or skill and there needs to be significant further training and a special effort made in order to bring it up to the Successful level. Needs Improvement (NI):the faculty recommends that the student give extra attention to this area; it is anticipated that the rating will improve with some further training, supervision, and student effort. Successful (S): the student has shown a developmentally appropriate level of mastery of the competency or skill.
NOTE: For expediency, not all competencies are assessed every year and many of the more foundational ones may only be re-assessed if development seems to have lagged or a problem has come up.
This document has been adapted from Hatcher & Lassiter (2007)
- Baseline Competencies: Skills, attitudes and knowledge that students should possess at the Novice level prior to their practicum training experience.
Exp[1] / YearsAssess[2] / Yr
1 / Yr
2 / Yr
3 / Yr
4
1. Personality Characteristics, Intellectual and Personal Skills
a)Interpersonal skills: ability to listen and be empathic with others; respect for/interest in others’cultures, experiences, values, points of view, goals and desires, fears, etc. These skills include verbal as well as non-verbal domains. An interpersonal skill of special relevance is the ability to be open to feedback. / 0 / 1 & monitored
b)Cognitive skills: problem-solving ability, critical thinking, organized reasoning, intellectual curiosity and flexibility. / 0 / 1 & monitored
c)Affective skills: affect tolerance, tolerance/understanding of interpersonal conflict; tolerance of ambiguity and uncertainty. / 0 / 1 & monitored
d)Personality/Attitudes: desire to help others; openness to new ideas; honesty/integrity/valuing of ethical behavior; personal courage. / 0 / 1 & monitored
e)Expressive skills: ability to communicate one’s ideas, feelings and information in verbal, non-verbal and written forms. / 0 / 1 & monitored
f)Reflective skills: ability to examine and consider one’s own motives, attitudes, behaviors and one’s effect on others. / 0 / 1 & monitored
g) Personal skills: personal organization, personal hygiene, appropriate dress. / 0 / 1 & monitored
2. Knowledge from classroom experience
a) Assessment and Clinical Interviewing
i) Knowledge regarding psychopathology related to the population(s) served by the practicum sites. / 1 / 1
ii) Knowledge of scientific, theoretical, empirical and contextual bases of psychological assessment. / 1 / 1
iii) Knowledge of test construction, validity, score reliability and related assessment psychometrics. / 1 / 1
iv) Training in principles and practice of systematic administration, data-gathering and interpretation for assessment, including identifying problems, formulating diagnoses, goals and case conceptualizations; understanding the relationship between assessment and intervention, assessment of treatment progress and outcome. / 2 / 2 & 3
v) Training in the models and techniques of clinical interviewing. / 1 / 1
- Baseline Competencies: Skills, attitudes and knowledge that students should possess at the Novice level prior to their practicum training experience (cont’d)
Exp / YearsAssess / Yr
1 / Yr
2 / Yr
3 / Yr
4
b) Intervention
i) Knowledge of scientific, theoretical, empirical and contextual bases of intervention. / 1 / 1
ii) Training in basic clinical skills, such as empathic listening, framing problems, etc. / 1 / 1
iii) Training in assessment of treatment progress and outcome. / 1 / 1
c) Ethical and Legal
i) Principles of ethical practice and decision making (APA, 2002). / 1 / 1
ii) Legal knowledge related to the practice of psychology [Federal (e.g., HIPAA), State law] / 1 / 1
d) Individual and Cultural Difference (ICD)
i)Knowledge and understanding of the principles and findings related to ICD as they apply toprofessional psychology. / 1 / 1-4
ii) Understanding of one’s own situation (e.g., one’s ethnic/racial, socioeconomic, gender, sexual orientation; one’s attitudes towards diverse others) relative to the dimensions of ICD (e.g., class, race, physical disability, etc.). / 1 / 1-4
iii) Understanding of the need to consider ICD issues in all aspects of professional psychology work (e.g., assessment, treatment, relationships with colleagues, etc.). / 1 / 1-4
The personal and intellectual skills, attitudes and values listed in this section are considered to represent the baseline competencies required to proceed with training as a professional psychologist. Any area rated as “U” or “NI” at the end of the first year should be described below, along with a plan for intervention or remediation where appropriate.
Comments:
- Description of skills leading to competencies that are developed during the practicum training experience.
Exp* / YearsAssess / Yr
1 / Yr
2 / Yr
3 / Yr
4
1. Relationship and Interpersonal Skills
a) With patients/clients/families:
i) Ability to take a respectful, helpful professional approach to patients/clients/families. / 2 / 2
ii) Ability to form a working alliance. / 2 / 2
iii) Ability to deal with conflict, negotiate differences. / 2 / 2
iv) Ability to understand and maintain appropriate professional boundaries. / 2 / 2
b) With colleagues:
i) Ability to work collegially with fellow professionals. / 2 / 2
ii) Ability to support others and their work and to gain support for one’s own work. / 2 / 2
iii) Ability to provide helpful feedback to peers and receive such feedback nondefensivelyfrom peers. / 2 / 2
c) With supervisors, the ability to make effective use of supervision, including:
i) Ability to work collaboratively with the supervisor. / 2 / 2
ii) Ability to prepare for supervision. / 2 / 2
iii) Ability/willingness to accept supervisory input, including direction; ability to follow through onrecommendations; ability to negotiate needs for autonomy from and dependence on supervisors. / 2 / 2
iv) Ability to self-reflect and self-evaluate accurately regarding clinical skills and use of supervision, including using good judgment as to when supervisory input is necessary. / 3 / 3
d) With support staff:
i) Ability to be respectful of support staff roles and persons. / 1 / 1
e) With teams at clinic:
i) Ability to participate fully in team’s work. / 1 / 1
ii) Ability to understand and observe team’s operating procedures. / 1 / 1
f) With community professionals:
i) Ability to communicate professionally and work collaboratively with community professionals. / 3 / 3
Year
Exp / YearsAssess / Yr
1 / Yr
2 / Yr
3 / Yr
4
g) For the practicum site itself:
i) Ability to understand and observe agency’s operating procedures. / 1 / 1
ii) Ability to participate in furthering the work and mission of the practicum site. / 2 / 2
iii) Ability to contribute in ways that will enrich the site as a practicum experience for future students. / 3 / 3
2. Skills in application of research
a) Development of skills and habits in seeking and applying theoretical and research knowledge relevantto the practice of psychology in the clinical setting, including accessing and applying scientificdata bases. / 2 / 2
b) Understanding and application of theoretical and research knowledge related to diagnosis, assessment and intervention, diversity, supervision, ethics, etc. / 2 / 2 & 3
3. Psychological Assessment Skills
a)Ability to select and implement multiple methods and means of evaluation in ways that are responsive to and respectful of diverse individuals, couples, families and groups. / 2 / 2 & 3
b) Ability to utilize systematic approaches to gathering data to inform clinical decision making. / 2 / 2 & 3
c) Knowledge of psychometric issues and bases of assessment methods. / 2 / 2 & 3
d) Knowledge of issues related to integration of different data sources. / 2 / 2 & 3
e) Ability to integrate assessment data from different sources for diagnostic purposes. / 2 / 2 & 3
f)Ability to formulate and apply diagnoses; to understand the strengths and limitations of current diagnostic approaches. / 2 / 2 & 3
g)Capacity for effective use of supervision to implement and enhance skills. / 2 / 2 & 3
Comments:
4. Intervention skills / YearExp / YearsAssess / Yr
1 / Yr
2 / Yr
3 / Yr
4
a) Ability to formulate and conceptualize cases. / 2 / 2-4
b) Ability to plan treatments. / 2 / 2
c)Ability to implement intervention skills, covering a wide range of developmental, preventive and“remedial” interventions, including psychotherapy, psychoeducational interventions, crisis management and psychological/psychiatric emergency situations, depending on focus and scope of the practicum site. / 2 / 2 & 3
d) Knowledge regarding the concept of empirically supported practice. / 1 / 1-3
e) Knowledge regarding specific empirically supported treatment methods. / 1 / 1-3
f) Ability to apply specific empirically supported treatment methods. / 2 / 2-3
g) Assessment of treatment progress and outcome. / 2 / 2-3
h) Linking concepts of therapeutic process and change to intervention strategies and tactics. / 3 / 3
i) Effective use of supervision to implement and enhance skills. / 2 / 2 & 3
5. Consultation Skills / Interdisciplinary Collaborations
a) Knowledge of the unique patient care roles of other professionals. / 3 / 3 & 4
b) Ability to effectively relate to other professionals in accordance with their unique patient care roles. / 3 / 3 & 4
c)Understanding of the consultant’s role as an information provider to another professional who willultimately be the patient care decision maker. / 2 / 2-4
d) Capacity for dialoguing with other professionals which avoids use of psychological jargon. / 2 / 2-4
e) Ability to choose an appropriate means of assessment to answer referral questions. / 2 / 2-3
f)Consultative reports are well organized, succinct and provide useful and relevant recommendationsto other professionals. / 2 / 2-4
Comments:
6. Diversity – Individual and Cultural Differences / YearExp / Years Assess / Yr
1 / Yr
2 / Yr
3 / Yr
4
a)Knowledge of self in the context of diversity (one’s own attitudes, stimulus value, and related strengths / limitations) as one operates in the clinical setting with diverse others (i.e., knowledge of self in the diverse world). / 1 / 1-4
b) Knowledge about the nature and impact of diversity in different clinical situations (e.g., clinical work with specific racial/ethnic populations). / 2 / 2-4
c) Ability to work effectively with diverse others in assessment, treatment, and consultation. / 2 / 2-4
7. Ethics
a) Knowledge of ethical/professional codes, standards and guidelines; knowledge of statutes, rules, regulations and case law relevant to the practice of psychology. / 1 / 1 & 2
b) Recognize and analyze ethical and legal issues across the range of professional activities in the practicum setting. / 1 / 1-4
c) Recognize and understand the ethical dimensions/features of his/her own attitudes and practice in theclinical setting. / 3 / 3 & 4
d) Seek appropriate information and consultation when faced with ethical issues. / 2 / 2-4
e) Practice appropriate professional assertiveness related to ethical issues (e.g., by raising issues when they become apparent to the student). / 2 / 2-4
f) Evidence commitment to ethical practice. / 2 / 2-4
8. Supervisory Skills
a) Knowledge of literature on supervision (e.g., models, theories and research). / 4 / 4
b) Knowledge concerning how clinicians develop to be skilled professionals. / 4 / 4
c) Knowledge of methods and issues related to evaluating professional work, including delivering formative and summative feedback. / 4 / 4
d) Knowledge of the limits of one’s supervisory skills. / 4 / 4
e) Knowledge of how supervision responds appropriately to individual and cultural differences. / 4 / 4
9. Professional Development
a) Practical skills to maintain effective clinical practice:
i) Timeliness: completing professional tasks in allotted/appropriate time (e.g., evaluations, notes, reports); arriving promptly at meetings and appointments / 1 / 1 & 2
Year
Exp / Years Assess / Yr
1 / Yr
2 / Yr
3 / Yr
4
ii) Developing an organized, disciplined approach to writing and maintaining notes and records / 2 / 2-4
iii) Negotiating/managing fees and payments. / 2 / 2-4
iv) Organizing and presenting case material; preparing professional reports for health care providers, agencies, etc. / 2 / 2-4
v) How to self-identify personal distress, particularly as it relates to clinical work. / 2 / 2-4
vi) How to seek and use resources that support healthy functioning when experiencing personal distress. / 1 / 1-4
vii) Organizing one’s day, including time for notes and records, rest and recovery, etc. / 1 / 1-4
b) Professional development competencies: / 1-4
i) Critical thinking and analysis. / 1 / 1-4
ii) Using resources to promote effective practice (e.g., published information, input from colleagues,technological resources). / 1 / 1-4
iii) Responsibility and accountability relative to one’s level of training, and seeking consultation when needed. / 1 / 1-4
iv) Time management. / 1 / 1-4
v) Self-understanding and reflection. / 1 / 1-4
vi) Self-care. / 1 / 1-4
vii) Awareness of personal identity (e.g., relative to individual and cultural differences). / 1 / 1-4
viii) Career development and professional identity (aided, for example, by attending professional development seminars, career development courses, practice job talks and interviews, etc.). / 1 / 1-4
ix) Social intelligence; ability to interact collaboratively and respectfully with other colleagues. / 1 / 1-4
x) Willingness to acknowledge and correct errors. / 1 / 1-4
xi) Ability to create and conduct an effective presentation. / 1 / 1-4
Comments:
YearExp / Years Assess / Yr
1 / Yr
2 / Yr
3 / Yr
4
C. Metaknowledge/Metacompetencies – Skilled Learning
1) The ability to use supervision, consultation and other resources to improve and extend skills (note the related relationship competence – to work collegially and responsively with supervisors). / 1 / 1-4
2) Awareness of one’s identity as a psychologist: an aspect and reflection of metaknowledge that is role-specific, knowing what one knows and can do (and should do) as a psychologist (and as psychologist-in-training. / 1 / 1-4
3) Commitment to life-long learning and quality improvement. / 1 / 1-4
4) Knowing the extent and the limits of one’s own skills; learning the habit of and skills for self-
evaluation of clinical skills / 2 / 2-4
5) Knowledge of the process for extending current skills into new areas. / 2 / 2-4
Comments:
[1]Year Expected: The program indicates the year at which this skill should emerge.
[2]Years Assessed: The program indicates the year(s) at which this skill is assessed.