Competence.

Abstract

Competence means the ability to perform according to the standards of the profession. Pope and Brown (1996) described competence as involving three factors: knowledge, technical skills, and emotional competence.Generally, psychologists' graduate programs and supervised experiences will have helped them acquire the necessary knowledge and technical skills, and their mastery of the content for the psychology licensing examination will have furthered their goal of becoming knowledgeable. Typically, psychologists' areas of competent practice are derived from the content of their graduate programs, practica, internships, and other supervised experiences, subject to some kind of external control. After becoming licensed and with some experience, most psychologists feel comfortable stating that they are competent in certain areas of practice, such as in the treatment and assessment of adults, health psychology, neuropsychology, or another domain of practice. It may be helpful to consider competence from the standpoint of Bloom' s taxonomy (see Table 3.1.A).Furthermore, some psychologists are specialists in that they have received more training, experience, and expertise in a certain domain of practice through additional supervision, course work, or postdoctoral training. Psychologists may, for example, have received a diplomate from the American Board of Professional Psychology or a certificate from the College of Professional Psychology. Specialists typically spend a large portion of their time working in their area of specialty. Most psychologists are unlikely to earn specialty standing in more than two areas of practice, since the very nature of being a specialist involves having a large portion of one' s practice dedicated to work in that specialty.Psychologists are best able to contribute to the public welfare when they view competence as a dynamic and interactive factor. Remember the risk management formula:At first appearance it looks like competence is identical to the individual therapy factors or personal skill inventory described in Section 1. However, Clinical risk = (P x C x D) TF In this formula, P = patient risk characteristics; C = context; D = disciplinary consequences; and TF = therapist factors. 61 Section 3: APPLICATIONS OF THE RISK MANAGEMENT MODELcompetence is not a fixed entity but varies according to the unique needs of your patients, context of treatment, and your life circumstances. For example, psychologists with a very strong personal skill inventory will be able to work well with a wide range of patients. However, even those psychologists may apply it with patients or in situations beyond their range of effectiveness and increase their risk of practicing incompetently. On the other hand, psychologists with more limited personal skill inventories may be aware of their limitations and consequently select patients or situations carefully and ensure that their skills will be applied where the likelihood of success is high. Again, look at competence from the standpoint of Bloom' s taxonomy (see ...

Laws, risk management, and ethical principles when working with suicidal patients.

“…Risk management “is a pragmatic approach that is intended to prevent or reduce the likelihood of an undesirable outcome for the professional and the client” (Taube et al, 2018, p. 272). According to S. Knapp et al (2013), “the best risk management principle is to provide good services that facilitate patient healing and growth” (p. 31).…”

“…The Harris–Younggren individualized approach to risk management focuses on the quality of services to patients (S. Knapp et al, 2013).…”

“…Conversely, if the health care professional documented something in the record, then courts assume it happened. If the record said that the psychologist asked the patient if she had any suicidal thoughts and the patient said “no,” then the courts will assume that the psychologist asked the patient about suicidal thoughts and that she said “no.” Some psychologists delivering good enough care did not get sued because they documented thoroughly what they had done—other psychologists delivering otherwise excellent care were sued because they failed to document thoroughly what they had done (S. Knapp et al, 2013).…”

Telepsychology: Key recommendations for ethical, legal, and effective practice.

“…This includes the provision of professional services during emergencies and when needed services are not immediately available as stated in Ethics Standard 2.02, Providing Services in Emergencies (APA, 2017). When uncertain if one’s clinical competence is sufficient for treating a particular individual, it is recommended that these decisions not be made independently but that consultation with expert colleagues be used to enhance one’s decision-making and assessment of competence (Knapp et al, 2013).…”

The essentials of creating effective safety planning-type interventions for suicidal patients.

“…Risk management strategies reduce the likelihood of a licensing board complaint or a charge of negligence. The most effective risk management strategies are to deliver and document good services to patients (Knapp et al, 2013).…”