Further Validation of Competency Assessment: The Practicum Evaluation Form

The Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB) has asserted that validation studies demonstrating real-world associations of the Examination for the Professional Practice of Psychology (EPPP) to competency are impossible. The present study challenges that assertion via a proof-of-concept investigation. Using a reliable and valid measure of profession-wide competencies, the present study evaluated the association of trainee (N = 92) competencies to client treatment outcomes. Using data from 192 clients, two outcome metrics were examined: attrition from services and change in symptom distress severity across treatment. Each point increase in trainee competency was associated with a reduction in relative risk of client attrition by 42%. Additionally, trainee clinician competency scores explain more than 10% of the variance in symptom distress change over the course of treatment. Instead of exonerating ASPPB from validation work, the findings underscore the importance of evaluating the extent to which EPPP scores align with external referents. Public Significance Statement As a proof of concept, the findings of this study directly challenge the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards' assertion that external validation of the Examination for the Professional Practice of Psychology is not possible. This study provides empirical evidence that provider competency directly impacts client treatment outcomes in health service psychology and underscores external validation as an essential step in assessing the appropriateness of any putative measure of competency.