Abstract: Studies on competencies of mental health service providers concern what kind of people are qualified to act as practitioners in mental health. This article reviews recent studies in this field involving core competencies and specialty competencies, assessing competence and competencies, competency models and their development, and discipline-specific competencies. These studies will be critical in guiding efforts to reform education, training, employment and administration for the diverse groups that comprise the mental health workforce. The authors point out the limitations of relevant research which seldom focus on assessing the identified competencies among students and practitioners in the field of mental health service.

Key words: competencies, mental health service providers, competency assessment, competency model