Studied the development and psychometric characteristics of the Investigation Competence Scale (M. Tadic et al, 2003), an instrument designed to assess a therapist's skill in delivering brief psychodynamic investigation (BPI) therapy. In this pilot study, 4 BPI experienced therapists, 3 junior therapists, and 2 blind raters evaluated 16 BPI video- or audio-recorded BPI interviews. These interviews represented 8 patients who had been treated by experienced therapists and 8 patients who had been treated by junior therapists. Therapists' general and psychoanalytic attitudes, competence in investigation and interpretation, and global competence were assessed. Independent and consensus scoring methods were used. Inter-rater reliability, internal consistency, content validity, and construct validity were determined. The results show that the Investigation Competence Scale is a reliable instrument that has promise for evaluating the competence of therapists using BPI methods. Further investigation using a larger sample size is suggested. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2004 APA, all rights reserved)