Abstract
This study aimed to clarify the relationships between Certified Public Psychologists' self-perceived professional competency, years of clinical experience, mental health, and work engagement. An anonymous web-based survey was conducted among Certified Public Psychologists, and 103 of 105 respondents were included in the analysis. Significant differences were found in self-perceived professional competency depending on years of clinical experience, with those having more experience demonstrating higher competency. While there were no significant differences in mean mental health scores between groups, exploratory analyses revealed that the group with less than one year of experience had a significantly higher proportion of individuals with scores equivalent to the level indicating severe mental illness. Additionally, the participants were grouped according to their total scores for self-perceived professional competencies, and the top 25% and the bottom 25% were compared. The high-competency group scored significantly higher on all three subscales of work engagement (vigor, dedication, and absorption) and showed significantly better mental health. These results suggest that self-perceived professional competency among Certified Public Psychologists develops through the accumulation of clinical experience and is positively associated with psychological factors such as work engagement and mental health.
