Evaluating the Competence of Trainees: It's Nothing Personal

The process of evaluating the professional competence of trainees in the mental health field is accompanied by complexities that are more extensive than in other professional fields. The authors draw on personal experiences with mental health trainees to delineate some of the rational and irrational components of the evaluation process. They describe dilemmas and conflicts for both the evaluator and the trainee and make a number of recommendations aimed at clarifying individual and institutional roles and responsibilities and minimizing personal and institutional distress.