Competency requirements of psychologists assessing diocesan seminary applicants for the Catholic Church

Abstract

Psychologists consulting with the Catholic Church in assessing diocesan seminary candidates need to acquire specialty areas of competency that build upon the foundational and fundamental competencies psychologists receive throughout their educational and professional careers. The specialized area of assessing seminary candidates and consulting with the dioceses requires particular expertise in the areas of knowledge, skills, and attitude related to this work. These specialized competencies enable the psychologist to assess specific issues important to the candidate and to the Catholic Church. This work proposes a need to acquire and develop these specialized competencies, achieving minimum and advanced thresholds appropriate to the psychologist’s level of training and experience. A two-level certification program for licensed psychologists is proposed that will provide the knowledge, experiential skills, and attitude necessary for adequately assessing diocesan seminarian applicants. In addition, an on-going formation program is also proposed for continually increasing and maintaining competency with this specialized population.