The why, what, when, who and how of assessing CBT competence to support lifelong learning

Abstract Assessment of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) competence is a critical component in ensuring optimal clinical care, supporting therapists’ skill acquisition, and facilitating continuing professional development. This article provides a framework to support trainers, assessors, supervisors and therapists when making decisions about selecting and implementing effective strategies for assessing CBT competence. The framework draws on the existing evidence base to address five central questions: Why assess CBT competence?; What is CBT competence?; When should CBT competence be assessed?; Who is best placed to assess CBT competence?; and How should CBT competence be assessed? Various methods of assessing CBT competence are explored and the potential benefits and challenges are outlined. Recommendations are made about which approach to use across different contexts and how to use these effectively to facilitate the acquisition, enhancement and evaluation of CBT knowledge and skills. Key learning aims After reading this article you will be able to: (1) Identify key issues about why, what, when, who and how to assess CBT competence and use this framework to guide decisions about the best strategy to use. (2) Be aware of the range of methods for assessing CBT competence and consider the main benefits and potential challenges of these. (3) Consider the most effective ways to implement CBT competence assessment strategies as a tool for evaluation and learning.