The competencies movement: Origins, limitations, and future directions

Abstract

Background: The “competency movement” has become increasingly prominent in the education, training and supervision of professional psychologists. Method: This article reviews the origins of that movement. Results: With its roots in behaviourism, the WWII aviation industry and the vocational training sector, the limitations of the approach for application to professional psychology, where practitioners must demonstrate proficiency in a wide array of clinical and often “higher-order” skills, are discussed. Conclusions: Although the competency movement is taking firm hold in an Australian context, the review of the literature highlights potential difficulties associated with uncritical acceptan..