{"id":2828,"date":"2015-02-27T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-02-27T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stonebridge-blog.positive-dedicated.net2\/news\/what-is-a-reflective-practitioner-of-counselling-2"},"modified":"2022-03-24T15:55:13","modified_gmt":"2022-03-24T15:55:13","slug":"what-is-a-reflective-practitioner-of-counselling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stonebridge.uk.com\/blog\/cbt-counselling-and-psychotherapy\/what-is-a-reflective-practitioner-of-counselling\/","title":{"rendered":"What is a reflective practitioner of counselling?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In most professions, reflective practice is the process of reflecting on professional experiences that occur in the job and learning from them. The purpose of reflective practice models is to look at your own behaviours and attitude in your work environment with a critical eye. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s also about the approach to the job and being able to see where improvements can be made. You will come across reflective practice in nursing, reflective practice in teaching, and many other professions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this blog, we are focusing on counselling<\/strong><\/a>, where reflective practice can support the Counsellor\u2019s Continuing Professional Development (CPD). It works through an understanding of client behaviours and the Counsellor\u2019s own behaviour, and how they can apply their reflections to improve their skills. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Continue reading to learn the role and principles of reflective practice in counselling, the benefits of reflective practice, and the online courses<\/strong><\/a> you can study to prepare for a career in counselling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Do Counsellors Need to be Reflective Practitioners? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To be proficient as a Counsellor, it\u2019s necessary to reflect and identify where working methods can be changed for the better. Counselling can be a stressful and emotional job, and reflection helps to clarify issues and\u202fimprove the effectiveness of client sessions, which highlights the importance of reflective practice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are a handful of reasons why Counsellors benefit from this approach, from a professional development standpoint and the satisfaction of clients. Below, we have outlined why it is important for Counsellors to be skilled in reflective practice models. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Knowing Your Own Limits <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes a Counsellor has to say no if they are faced with a case that they feel they can\u2019t deal with, for whatever reason. Saying no is not a sign of weakness, and understanding this as the Counsellor is essential. We can\u2019t always deal with everything, and Counsellors are human too. The professional solution is to refer the client to someone else. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keeping Your Personal Experiences Separate <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Counsellor should never discuss their personal experiences with a client, no matter how similar they may be to a situation being described. The ability to reflect on a client\u2019s experiences and remain emotionally detached is essential. Comparing a client\u2019s experiences to their own could\u202fmean that they\u202fare biased when they\u202fgive advice,\u202finstead of remaining neutral.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adopting reflective practice models enables Counsellors to identify this issue and ensure that they keep their personal experiences separate when working with clients. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Avoiding Burnout <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Being able to examine\u202fa working environment and identify areas of pressure is essential. Taking a break is important, because if you don\u2019t, you are at risk of burning out, which not only affects your professional ability, but your mental health too. A Counsellor<\/strong><\/a> <\/strong>may hear about some traumatic events from their clients, so being able to separate work and home life is essential. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Counsellors work in many different situations, each bringing their own challenges. Being self-employed and having the responsibility of running\u202fa business requires a lot of organisation but working for a practice as part of a team brings different kinds of pressure. Finding the right work environment will alleviate some day-to-day stresses, and by adopting reflective practice theories, you will be able to take stock and create an environment that works for you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Client Satisfaction <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A client wants to see results when they undergo counselling. Of course, they need to understand things may not change immediately and could take months or even years. If small changes are not observed, the client is likely to feel there is no progress and they are not benefitting from counselling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Counsellor<\/strong><\/a> needs to meet certain professional standards, and being a Reflective Practitioner helps to ensure that this happens. When standards are not met, problems can occur, resulting in client dissatisfaction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reflective practice encourages the growth and development of the Counsellor. It helps them learn from and improve their counselling skills, ensuring they do their job in the best possible way.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Study<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How to be a Reflective Practitioner of Counselling <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To be a successful Reflective Practitioner, the Counsellor has to be able to identify where changes can or can\u2019t be made, based on their experiences working with clients. They need to be able to extract what works well in client sessions and use it to further their skills as a Counsellor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Counsellor also needs to be able to reflect on what hasn\u2019t worked, as not every method will be successful with every client. This can be difficult, because accepting that something doesn\u2019t work and needs to change can be demotivating. A successful Reflective Practitioner will see the positive benefits of change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Client feedback is also an important factor in counselling reflection. A client is the greatest supplier of information, in terms of how things are working. The skill of obtaining this feedback is very delicate in the counselling sphere, as the Counsellor should not show weakness to the client. This feedback can be obtained subconsciously from the client, by questioning how they feel the sessions are going. Some example questions are: <\/p>\n\n\n\n