Demystifying Reflective Practice

Introduction

Note: in the context of this page, the words supervision and consultation are used synonymously.

What Is Reflective Practice?

Reflective Supervision is  recognized as an approach that supports and aligns well with trauma-informed care principles.  It helps to create an organizational climate and culture of safety, trust, collaboration, and shared exploration.

Working with and on behalf of infants, very young children and their parents/caregivers is rewarding, but it can also be emotionally taxing and stressful.  Professionals across all systems and disciplines can benefit from developing and practicing a way to slow down and carefully examine their attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions. 

Reflection is a tool that enhances a professional’s capacity to recognize the mental states — feelings, thoughts, and intentions — in themselves and others, and link mental states to behavior.  Regularly practicing reflection and integrating it into the routine structure of an agency has proven beneficial to direct providers, supervisors, consultants, and agencies.

Reflective practice recognizes that working with families is relational and thus complex, and that children develop, and people continue to strive and do their best, within the context of healthy relationships.  When supervisors or leaders practice reflectively, this “way of being” contributes to a healthier, more supportive environment where staff can grow and develop.  By gaining skills and practicing in a reflective manner, professionals carry forth these qualities with families—using their relationship to bring out the family’s strengths and resiliency. This effect of relationships on relationships is the essence of parallel process. 

Benefits Of Reflective Practice

Parallel process recognizes that the various components (people) of a system are in relationship and influence one another.  That influence can be positive or negative.

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Engaging in reflective practices has a positive effect on agency practice and functioning.  The use of reflective supervision is associated with increased client engagement and goal attainment;reduction in “burnout” and staff turnover; and increased job satisfaction.

 Integrating reflective supervision within and throughout all levels of an agency helps to create a more effective, healthier workforce.  Reflection increases self-awareness, the ability to pause and consider multiple perspectives, explore approaches and options, and maintain a curious stance.  The act of pausing and considering what’s happening inside and outside of one’s body and mind utilizes the medial prefrontal cortex and posterior cingulate cortex; it also strengthens the prefrontal lobes.

 The prefrontal cortex (shown in green, right) is responsible for diverse cognitive functions including planning, flexibility, delayed responding and active problem solving.  The prefrontal cortex is also associated with new learning, creativity and emotional regulation and may play a key role in modulating anxiety.

 The posterior cingulate cortex (shown in purple, right) helps to regulate the balance between internally and externally-focused attention, making it a crucial structure in awareness and attention.

Research clearly demonstrates that the brain responds to experience, positive or negative, and in the instance of reflection, this experience seems to target key regions of the brain that help us regulate, think more clearly and creatively, and feel less anxious. 

Building Reflective

Practice Through

Reflective Supervision

Reflective capacities are developed, supported and maintained through intentional and regular practice.  Participating in reflective supervision or reflective consultation is one way for professionals, and agencies, to consistently engage in reflective practice. 

 Reflective supervision is generally provided by a supervisor within the agency or organization. It can be provided individually or in a group.  Another way to build professional reflective capacities is for an agency to contract with a consultant outside of the agency to provide individual or group reflective consultation. 

 Regardless of whether it is provided within an agency or through an outside consultant, the goal is to create an environment in which people do their best thinking about their work with young children, families, and staff members—one characterized by safety, calmness, and support. 

How Reflective Supervision Differs From Other Types Of Supervision

Administrative supervision focuses on oversight of federal, state and agency regulations, program policies, rules and procedures.  It involves content around training and education, oversight of paperwork and documentation, rules and procedures, and monitoring productivity and evaluation benchmarks.

Clinical supervision includes many or all of the administrative content listed above, as well as reviewing casework, diagnostic impressions, interventions, the treatment plan, and clinical progress.  While there may be some administrative content, as well as reflective moments, these are not the focus of clinical supervision.

Reflective supervision goes beyond clinical supervision to shared exploration of the parallel process.16  There may be times when the supervisor brings aspects of clinical case supervision into the conversation, especially if there are concerns about safety, yet the primary focus of supervision remains on the reflective process.  

Essential Elements Of Reflective Supervision

Safety is essential for genuine reflection to take place.  Individuals must have trust in themselves, their peers, supervisors and leaders to engage in a deeper exploration of the work.  Without safety, the reflective process will likely stay at the surface, resulting in a practice that lacks authenticity and meaning and doesn’t yield desired outcomes.

Emily Fenichel identified three key elements of reflective supervision. 

Reflective supervision is:

  • collaborative

  • regular, and

  • relationship-based and reflective.

Collaboration involves approaching a problem or shared goal by working together and exchanging ideas.  Reflective supervision is based upon a collaborative relationship, which exists when both the supervisor and the supervisee view each other as partners, with each providing expertise and knowledge that will help the family reach their goals.15  The supervisor is not the expert about what is right or wrong for the professional, but rather a partner in shared exploration.

Reflective time is scheduled in a regular, consistent and predictable manner to allow staff, supervisors, and administrators opportunities to be together, talk about the work, and expand their practice.  Staff members need to know when it will occur and how often.  A sense of predictability will help establish safety and commitment, as well as deepen the practice.  

Reflective supervision involves thoughtful consideration of all the relationships, perspectives and emotions of each person directly or indirectly involved with a family.   It involves careful exploration of the parallel process.

Who Can Provide Reflective Supervision Or Consultation?

The ability to provide reflective supervision or consultation is based on knowledge, personal characteristics, reflective capacity, experiential learning and lived experience, and aptitude.  A reflective supervisor or consultant should have a deep understanding of Infant Mental Health (IMH) competencies® as well as considerable experience receiving reflective supervision themselves. 

Experts in the field strongly recommend that someone receives reflective supervision before providing it to others and continues receiving it while supporting others; this will honor the parallel process.

Reflective Supervision And IMH-Endorsement®

Reflective Supervision is a requirement for professionals seeking IMH-Endorsement® - an international credential that verifies professionals who work with or on behalf of infants, young children and families have unique knowledge, skills, experience, and attitudes to serve these populations.

For the purpose of obtaining IMH Endorsement®, it is highly recommended that an applicant receives reflective supervision from a supervisor/consultant who holds IMH-Endorsement®.  For more information on IMH-Endorsement®, please visit http://wiaimh.org/endorsement  or contact WI-AIMH.