Abstract

South Korea needs to establish a legal system for psychological service providers. The importance of improving the qu ality of clinical psychologists by developing and applying an expert model that meets international standards has recen tly been emphasized. Clinical psychology is a field that provides psychological service practice based on scientific eviden ce, and obtaining a “clinical psychology expert” or “mental health clinical psychologist level 1” certificate requires a m inimum of a master’s degree and three years of training. Strengthening expertise through graduate programs is essenti al, and effective quality management is vital for producing adept professionals and providing qualified mental health se rvices at both national and community levels. This study examined the competencies and training processes required fo r clinical psychologists, focusing on the United Kingdom and the United States. We reviewed the accreditation system of master’s-level graduate programs to propose the guidelines for the domestic accreditation system for clinical psychol ogy graduate programs. In the United Kingdom and the United States, becoming a clinical psychologist entails a min imum doctoral-level education and comprehensive training to independently provide mental health services to diverse p opulations. Although the master’s programs offer relatively limited education, they similarly underscore ethics, diversity, and practical skills, akin to doctoral programs. Therefore, when imposing future accreditation systems for domestic gra duate programs, we suggest broadening coursework and implementing systematic practice in master’s programs to deve lop the competencies required of clinical psychologists. This should involve addressing concerns about the curriculum a nd fundamental improvements in the program structure, encompassing administrative and human resource aspects.