Abstract

As clinical psychology continues to grow in Korea, recognition is growing that more standardized and qualitative management of education and training systems is needed. For a standardized system, the curriculum must be first discussed on the basis of competency. However, no domestic studies examined the competency of clinical psychologists. Therefore, this study identified, the core competencies of clinical psychologists. To this end, after researching the institutions at which clinical psychologists work, focus group interviews were conducted with nine internal experts who could select and evaluate clinical psychologists at each institution. Consequently, seven competency groups were derived: personal and cultural diversity, intervention/interdisciplinary cooperation, psychological evaluation, research, ethics and professional values, and supervision. Along with an analysis of each competency group, issues and implications related to the competency derived are discussed. The main issues were related to the limitations and demands of current Korean society for each competency, and institutional improvements are also discussed.