Through the course of this paper we discuss several fundamental issues related to the intervention competence of psychologists. Following definitional clarification and proposals for more strictly distinguishing competence from adherence, we interpret Dreyfus and Dreyfus's (1986) five stage theory of competence development (from novice to expert) within a strictly clinical framework. Existing methods of competence assessment are then evaluated, and we argue for the use of new and multiple assessment modalities. Next, we utilize the previous sections as a foundation to propose methods for training and evaluating competent psychologists. Lastly, we discuss several potential impediments to large scale competence assessment and education, such as the heterogeneity of therapeutic orientations and what could be termed a lack of transparency in clinical training.The idea of psychological competence has recently assumed a prominent role in our field. Competencies of various sorts (e.g., research, teaching, assessment) have been widely discussed (e.g, Kaslow, 2004), and recent work has attempted to formalize these multifarious competencies into a widely-known "cube model" (Rodolfa et al., 2005). However, many questions about competence remain unanswered, and these include several which are fundamental (e.g., what competence means, how best to measure it, and how to it develops). This current lack of firm answers is likely due to the number of central theoretical issues that underlie the construct of competence as well as the assortment of psychological approaches that are currently available.Clinical psychology and the services it provides represent a principal locus where psychological knowledge and the general public converge in an intimate way. As the public is continually searching for a means to ensure that its time and money are invested in trusted and competent sources, the idea of intervention competence (or that particular type of competence demonstrated when remedying psychological difficulties) holds an obvious relevance. This is especially the case given that accountability has recently become something of a cause celebre (e.g., Nelson, 2007). Thus, given this importance, we intend to review the many complexities involved in understanding intervention competence. It is important to note that Correspondence to: Brian A. Sharpless. Email Addresses, Phone Numbers, and fax numbers: Brian A. Sharpless: basharpless@gmail.com; office = 1-215-662-2837; fax = 1-215-349-5171 Jacques P. Barber: barberj@mail.med.upenn.edu; office = 1-215-662-2306Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to ...