A Cube Model for Competency Development: Implications for Psychology Educators and Regulators Emil Rodolfa University of California, Davis Russ Bent American Board of Professional Psychology Elena Eisman Massachusetts Psychological Association and Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology Paul Nelson American Psychological Association Lynn Rehm University of Houston Pierre Ritchie University of Ottawa This article provides a conceptual framework for training in professional psychology focused on the construct of competency. The authors present a 3-dimensional competency model delineating the domains of knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values that serve as the foundation required of all psychol- ogists, the domains of functional competencies that broadly define what psychologists do, and the stages of professional development from doctoral education to lifelong learning through continuing education. The goal in presenting this model is to provide a conceptual frame of reference for those responsible for psychology education, credentialing, and regulation. Keywords: education, competencies, training THE BASIC FRAMEWORK OF THIS ARTICLE was developed by the work group examining “Specialties and Proficiencies of Professional Psychology” at the 2002 Competencies Conference, Scottsdale, Arizona, November 2002. Mem- bers of the work group included Russ Bent; Cindy Carlson; Elena Eisman; Tom Hammeke; Larry James, recorder; Cheryl King; Sandra Kloffer; Janet Matthews; Paul Nelson, steering committee member; Pierre Ritchie; Emil Rodolfa, work group chair; and Keith Yeates. WE ACKNOWLEDGE THE THOUGHTFUL DISCUSSIONS relevant to this article held during the 11th Annual Meeting of the Council of Credentialing Organizations in Professional Psychology, San Diego, California, September 2003, by Elena Eisman, Joseph Rallo, Geoff Reed, Barry Anton, Kerry Hamsher, Pierre Ritchie, Russ Bent, Gerald Gentry, Patricia Bricklin, Judy Hall, Ted Packard, David Drum, Joe Matarazzo, Emil Rodolfa, and Paul Nelson. EMIL RODOLFA received his PhD from Texas A&M University in counsel- ing psychology. He is the director of the University of California, Davis Counseling and Psychological Services. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards, past chair of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers Board of Directors, and a former president of the California State Board of Psychology. His current research interests include supervision, ethical and legal issues, boundary dilemmas, and sequence of training issues. RUSS BENT received his PhD from Fordham University in clinical psychology. He is the executive officer of the American Board of Professional Psychology. He is the former dean of the School of Professional Psychology at Wright State University and a past president of the National Council of Schools and Programs in Professional Psychology. He has had a long-standing interest in competency, education, and the practice of psychology. ELENA EISMAN received her EdD from Boston University in clinical psy- chology. She holds diplomates in clinical psychology and in family psy- chology from the American Board of Professional Psychology. She is currently the executive director of the Massachusetts Psychological Asso- ciation and a faculty member at the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology. She is the current chair of the Commission for the Recognition of Specialties and Proficiencies in Professional Psychology and chair of the Council of Executives of State and Provincial Psychological Associations. She is currently serving her fourth term as chair of the Massachusetts Mental Health Coalition. She is the past chair of the APA Board of Professional Affairs. PAUL NELSON received his PhD from the University of Chicago with a major in social psychology. Following a career in the U.S. Navy as a research psychologist and senior administrator in the Navy Medical Department, he came to the APA where he has served as director, Office of Program Consul- tation and Accreditation; director, Office of Graduate and Postgraduate Edu- cation; and deputy executive director, Education Directorate. LYNN REHM received his PhD from the University of Wisconsin—Madison in clinical psychology. He is professor of psychology at the University of Hous- ton. He has been president of the Houston Psychological Association, the Texas Psychological Association, the Society for the Science of Clinical Psychology, the Clinical Psychology Division of the APA, and the Interna- tional Society of Clinical Psychology. He has been chair of the Council of University Directors of Clinical Psychology and chair of the Board of Educa- tional Affairs of the APA. He is currently president elect of the Division of Clinical and Community Psychology of the International Association of Ap- plied Psychology. He was chair of the psychology licensing Examination Committee of the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards for the United States and Canada from 1995 to 2005. PIERRE RITCHIE received his PhD from Duke University in clinical psy- chology. He is a professor of psychology at the University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. He is a fellow of the Canadian Psychological Association and past president of the Ontario Psychological Association. He is the secretary general of the International Union of Psychological Science and the executive director of the Canadian Register of Health Service Providers. His research interests include ethics, community ser- vice, and the development of competent professionals. CORRESPONDENCE CONCERNING THIS ARTICLE should be addressed to Emil Rodolfa, Counseling and Psychological Services, University of California, Davis, CA 95616-8568. E-mail: errodolfa@ucdavis.edu Professional Psychology: Research and Practice Copyright 2005 by the American Psychological Association 2005, Vol. 36, No. 4, 347–354 0735-7028/05/$12.00 DOI: 10.1037/0735-7028.36.4.347 347