Building a Reflective Practice to Support Your Professional Development

Welcome back! In the post before last, I gave a bit of an intro into reflective practice through a story of how a reflective practice session changed my work in a time of really high stress. This week, I’m talking more about the nuts and bolts of reflective practice and supervision. In my opinion, it’s nearly impossible to do high quality work in the early childhood field without having dedicated time and energy in reflection. There are so many ways it could look but the act of pondering our work and integrating knowledge we’ve learned is essential to keep us moving forward as practitioners. So, let’s get into it, read on to learn about what reflective practice is, how you can support your own (or a colleague’s) reflective work and how it can help your clients and students. 

Integrating Reflective Practice into Your Early Childhood Therapy Work

What is Reflective Practice?

Reflective practice has been defined countless ways but in essence is a process in which a practitioner spends time exploring the “thoughts, feelings, actions and reactions” that occur in the process of doing their work with clients and families (Eggbeer, Mann, & Seibel, 2007, p. 5).  Reflective practice is done with a purpose- to develop and integrate new ideas in order to improve practice and client outcomes. We can engage in this reflection on our own, with a facilitator or in a facilitated group. Often reflective practice takes place through conversation and discussion but it may also happen through journaling, art making or other creative outlets.

The process of reflective supervision has been defined and described in a variety of ways, with some common themes: Trust, safety, security, respect, patience, confidentiality, thoughtful- ness, presence, commitment, respect, engaged listening, being nonjudgmental, relationship for learning, refueling, mutuality, reciprocity, observation, self-awareness, deeper exploration of feelings, and parallel process. (Zero to Three, 2010, p.41).

Although the format of reflective practice might differ, it typically has some central features in early childhood and family work:

• Consistency- reflective work happens at regular intervals such as weekly or monthly. This predictability and rhythm supports practitioners in approaching all of their work from a more regulated and grounded perspective and also ensures that questions and challenges can regularly be addressed

• Goal directed- reflective practice isn’t about only venting or “processing” aimlessly. The goal is a higher level of practice through thoughtful consideration or conversation leading from reactions to understanding to action

• Intentional- although we often may find ourselves thinking about a session on our drive home or while we cook dinner, high quality reflective practice ideally takes place as it’s own activity during dedicated time. This way, thoughts and epiphanies can be integrated into long term memory either through writing them down or simply spending enough quality time thinking about them and integrating these new ideas into plans for future work.

Reflective work can happen solo, in a facilitated dyad, or in a facilitated group. Each of the methods of engaging in reflective practice have their strengths. Often, practitioners may participate in more than one style of reflective practice depending on their specific needs and the needs of their clients. 

• Solo

  • During individual reflective practice, the practitioner guides themselves through intentional reflection on their work. They might use strategies like journaling or art making to prompt their creativity. Often, solo reflective practice involves choosing a client, family or topic to spend time thinking about and setting an intention for the time. Though the outcome is not determined at the beginning, there is a goal in mind such as “I want to better understand the emotional response I have to this family whenever a session is about to begin” or “I am confused about what’s causing this particular symptom or behavior and want to better understand what may be contributing to it.”

• Facilitated Dyad

  • It’s very common for a reflective facilitator to meet one-on-one with a practitioner to guide their reflective work. This type of work has some special considerations:

• Consistency: meeting at the same time each week or month for the same amount of time and even in the same location if possible can support predictability and regulation for the dyad.

• Established roles: when the facilitator is also the manager, complexities can arise such as issues of power and privilege that can impact the ability of a practitioner to be vulnerable and honest. Working through these dynamics early and continually supports the relationship and the quality of reflective work. 

• Facilitated Group

  • Especially in the mental health field, it’s common for practitioners to have “group supervision” in which there is a facilitator and a group of, typically, up to 8 participants. Reflective groups have similar features to dyads- they meet typically at a consistent time in the same place for the same amount of time.

• Groups can provide the opportunity for practitioners to hear about cases other than their own, draw parallels between their own work and that of their colleagues and learn indirectly. They also provide the opportunity for practitioners to gather insight on their own cases from several colleagues. 

• Groups have the added benefit of a focus on group dynamics and the ways in which relationships impact our work. When a facilitator is able to bring attention to the group “process,” participants learn about the unconscious ways that who we are impacts our work. 

Reflection on Reflection

• What are the times of your week or month that you have dedicated to reflection? Are these spaces meeting your needs?

• If yes, what can you do or continue to do to support your engagement in these sessions?

• If no, when can you schedule in 1 hour per month to spend reflecting, on your own, with a facilitator or by joining a group?

• During your reflective time, how regulated do you feel?

• What does your body experience? Restlessness, groundedness, hunger, thirst, cold from too much air conditioning or hot from poor ventilation or a broken radiator? 

• How connected do you feel to your reflective partner(s)? Do you feel seen, heard, validated, and free to express your questions, concerns and creativity? Do you feel fear of being judged, misunderstood or that what you bring up in reflection will be used as part of a professional evaluation?

• What is the emotional experience? Do you easily experience a range of emotions from pride, joy and contentment to frustration, guilt, or overwhelm? Or does your emotional experience in reflection feel stilted or thwarted by something? 

• What is the depth and level of creativity you can conjure in your reflective setting? Are you able to generate new and interesting ideas, make connections between elements of your work you wouldn’t otherwise make? Or do you leave feeling like you’ve received stale strategies or suggestions to try what you’ve already tried?

• You’ll notice these questions take us from the brainstem to the cortex- reflective work happens in the cortex but requires each of the preceding brain areas to be engaged and regulated. 

I hope it’s been helpful to think about the quality and quantities of your own access to reflective work! Identifying what is missing in our reflective lives can help inform what we may need to add to enhance not only the quality of our work but also our feelings of stability and satisfaction in our work. Come back next week for more on reflective practice- what steps to take in your own reflective work or in your work with others to align it with how our brains work.

Disclaimer

The information provided on this blog is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to assess, diagnose, treat, or prevent any medical or mental health conditions. The content shared on this site should not be considered a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician, mental health professional, or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical or psychological condition. Never disregard professional advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read on this blog.