No full-text available
To read the full-text of this research,
you can request a copy directly from the authors.
Counseling Students’ Perceptions of Journaling as a Tool for Developing Reflective Thinking
... Technology can deliver this cognitive guidance in a prescribed manner that promotes self-efficacy, strengthening confidence to the extent where a person may function productively and achieve success in their endeavors (Merrell-James et al., 2019). Reflection has been found to be an essential skill for counseling professionals, it follows that the development of reflective thinking skills would be a primary goal of counselor education programs (Woodbridge & O'Beirne, 2017). The objective of the study was to promote multicultural competency through inspiration and motivation. ...
... Potash (2018) argued that art therapy counselors have an ethical responsibility to confront sociopolitical issues, especially for clients suffering from creative maladjustment, and that they can maintain their professionalism while challenging clients to try to view themselves objectively. A critical objective of counselor training is the development of the capacity to self-reflect (Woodbridge & O'Beirne, 2017). ...
... At the core of a therapist's interpersonal skills is the resolved balance of emotional intelligence that should be fostered during counselor education and preparation (Woodbridge & O'Beirne, 2017). Boud et al., (1985) highlighted the importance of considering emotions such as fear, panic, hesitation, calm, and elation that could be associated with learning events and material. ...
Premise-based self-reflection about multicultural competency.
... Journal entries, often called process recordings, are used to provide avenues for students to document what they learned and to become more reflective in their practice. Journaling is not simply recording what happened but is intended to foster and strengthen understanding and development of critical thinking skills in practice (Woodbridge & O'Beirne, 2017). ...
... In undergraduate and graduate education in the helping professions, including social work (Toros & Medar, 2015), reflective journaling has been primarily used to assist with learning direct practice or clinical skills (Hwanga et al., 2018;Mahlanze & Sibiya, 2017;Miller, 2014;Woodbridge & O'Beirne, 2017). There are a few articles that document the use of journaling in learning mathematics. ...
Social work students are required to develop competency in research and evaluation prior to graduation. However, anxiety and fear about taking research courses can inhibit learning and are well documented in the literature. Much effort has been made to
develop pedagogical methods to reduce student disdain for these courses in order to enhance engagement and facilitate knowledge acquisition. This empirical study found that journaling, when incorporated as a non-graded component of a research course, positively impacted attitudes of undergraduate social work students. The most salient benefit, according to students, was the ability to receive and provide ongoing instructor feedback in a less intimidating manner. Empirical data showed reductions in student anxiety and perceptions about research’s difficulty, as well as enhanced appreciation for the usefulness of research, between the onset and completion of the research course. Challenges with incorporating journaling as a pedagogical tool are discussed from a faculty member’s perspective.
... What, So What, Now What (Rolfe, 2002;Rolfe, Freshwater, & Jasper, 2001;Brown, Holt-Macey, Martin, Sakura, & Vogt, 2015) Dance/Choreography (Cancienne & Snowber, 2003) Cartoons (Cavallaro-Johnson, 2009) Brookfield Model (Brookfield, 2017) John's Model for Structured Reflection (Johns, 2009) Storytelling, Reflective Conversations, and Metaphors (Gray, 2007) Writing Plays (Chambers, Odeggard, & Rinaldi, 2007) Drama (Boggs, Mickel, & Holtom, 2007) Letter Writing (Yang & Bautista, 2008) Diaries and Journals (Boud, 2001;Woodbridge & Rust O'Beirne, 2017) ...
In the counselling profession, reflective practice is often touted as an essential characteristic of professional development, growth, and professionalism. Yet there remain countless characterisations of what reflective practice is and how best to do it. The aim of this scoping review was to evaluate over two decades of key reflective practice thinking, exploring its benefits, uses, and research findings in the 21st century. The scoping review process identified 47 peer-reviewed publications, seminal publications, and counselling guidelines, which included both quantitative (often seen as more “scientific”) and qualitative (seen as more “artistic”) research findings. The major themes identified in the reflective practice literature were: reflective purpose, reflective practice, reflective writing, quantitative versus qualitative rationale, therapeutic alliance and research results, reflecting practice in counselling, personal and professional development, counsellor self-care, and ethical guidelines.
... Keterampilan sadar dan reflektif diperlukan dalam karir konseling mereka. (Woodbridge & O'Beirne, 2017). ...
The learning strategy of giving evaluation quizzes is considered less appropriate in increasing students' understanding of personality psychology course material. Based on the results of the evaluation quiz scores for the post-presentational group presentation, it is known that an average of 85 students scored below 70. This condition confirms the failure to achieve the learning objectives of the personality psychology course, namely providing insight into understanding as well as providing the counselor with basic skills of self-reflection to be able to empathize with various types. own personality. Classroom action research (CAR) successfully conducted a SWOT analysis of the implementation of the development of self-reflection essay assignments on 85 students of Islamic guidance and counseling. Self-reflection essays are recommended in personality psychology classes. Students are given many challenges to see their strengths and weaknesses. Self-reflection essays can also be an opportunity for prospective counselors to identify and recognize issues of self-unfinished business in order to avoid negative transference countertransference personal issues. Suggestions for further PTK researchers include being able to try out the method of assigning self-reflection essays to other subjects that are still of the same scientific background, such as the introduction of the basic competencies of a guidance and counseling counselor and the counselor's code of ethics.
... First, to understand their attitudes and beliefs about LGBT service members' worldviews, culturally aware counselors engage in continued self-exploration (Ratts et al., 2015), asking questions such as "what are my personal and political beliefs about LGBT service members?" and "how might my perceptions of LGBT service members' reality differ from their true reality?" The answers to these questions might be explored through supervision, consultation with peers, and consistent reflective journaling to gain a full and robust awareness of how the counselor's perceptions of the client's worldview may be affected by their own worldview (Farmer & Disque, 2013;Woodbridge & O'Beirne, 2017). ...
When working with LGBT service member clients, counselors should use the Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies as a framework to guide their practice as they navigate the intersection between the military culture and LGBT culture. This framework addresses four domains that are foundational for multicultural and social justice competency: (a) counselor self-awareness, (b) the client worldview, (c) the counseling relationship, and (d) counseling and advocacy interventions. Included in the framework are the following aspirational competencies within each domain: attitudes and beliefs, knowledge, skills, and action. Best practices for culturally competent, social-justice-focused work with LGBT service members within each of these domains are discussed.
... School counselors often face countless unique experiences in one week, let alone an entire academic year. Taking time to process and document the meaning of their experiences can help externalize the meaning of important experiences (Woodbridge & Rust O'Beirne, 2017). For example, school counselors could review their written letters (e.g., at the end of the school year) and share key lessons learned with administrators or other colleagues and set goals for future legal experiences. ...
School counselors can write letters to themselves to practice self-reflection and enhance learning from experience. Using inductive and deductive content analysis, we analyzed how twelve school counselors used letters to themselves to reflect on their legal experiences. In their letters, participants demonstrated a wide range of depth in dimensions of self-reflection. Implications for future and current school counselors’ self- reflective practices are provided.
This article includes a review of 100 peer‐reviewed journal articles regarding counselor education and supervision published in 2017. Areas reviewed include supervision, understanding stakeholders, teaching and training, and professional issues. Publications featured a blend of research methodologies, attention to complexity in supervision and teaching, and incorporation of student experiences.
Reflective approaches have been increasingly adopted in health and social care education. However, how reflective practice is taught in and between professional courses differs extensively. This review of literature identified and categorised literature available on teaching reflective practice in health and social care and compared this with what was available interprofessionally and multiprofessionally. Limited examples comparing how reflective practice is taught in different professions were found. This lack of empirical data has implications for both the teaching and researching of professional practice.
Considering the complexities inherent in mental health practice, developing student reflective capacities may be the most important part of preparing future counselors for success in the field (Griffith & Frieden, 200025.
Griffith , B.A. and Frieden , G. 2000 . Facilitating reflective thinking in counselor education . Counselor Education and Supervision , 40 ( 2 ) : 82 – 94 . [CrossRef]View all references). While the critical nature of this educational objective has been recognized in the literature, a deeper understanding of how reflection is defined, the intricacies of the reflective process, and the means by which reflection is promoted within counselor education is absent. Through the personal voices of counselors in training and counselor education professors, this phenomenological inquiry explicates the nature and the value of reflection in addition to how reflective practice is best taught and learned. Findings link to the literature and suggest the explicit inclusion of deliberate types of reflective pedagogy within counselor education.
What can senior practitioners teach other practitioners about learning arenas for professional development? Four primary learning arenas were identified after a qualitative inquiry of 12 psychotherapists, averaging 74 years in age. The 4 learning arenas are early life experience, cumulative professional experience, interaction with professional elders, and experiences in adult personal life. The results indicate that profound experiences in any of these primary arenas can radically affect the professional work of the practitioner. To develop optimally, the practitioner needs to continually process and reflect on experiences in both personal and professional life domains. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
This book explores the development of therapists and counselors over their career lifespan in order to demonstrate their professional competence and evolution. The book is based on 160 intensive interviews with 100 practitioners. These interviews provide the data for the construction of an eight stage career model: conventional, transition to professional training, imitation of experts, conditional autonomy, exploration, integration, individuation, and integrity. The stage model data is then used to elaborate twenty broad themes of therapist/counselor development. These themes concern a number of issues such as professional identity, skill development, sources of influence, and methods of learning.
This book has been written for a wide audience including teachers of courses and supervisors in the therapy and counseling professions, those in training, and practitioners who are actively working in the field. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Recent publications have suggested that practising cognitive therapy (CT) techniques on oneself may be
valuable in the development of cognitive therapists' clinical skills. The present study asks: Is this useful? If so, in
what ways? We report a qualitative study of the experience of trainees undertaking a CT training course, which
included an explicit self-practice (SP) and self-reflection (SR) component. Key features of the learning process were:
(i) experiencing cognitive techniques from the client's perspective, and (ii) reflecting on this experience that led to
(iii) a “deeper sense of knowing” of CT practices. The primary learning outcome was an enhancement of therapeutic
understandings, which trainees reported to be both professionally and personally useful. Professionally, they reported
deeper understanding of the therapist's role, the cognitive model and change processes. Personally, SP/SR led to
greater understanding of themselves, and to the perception of CT as a useful tool for personal change. The data also
suggested two other positive learning outcomes: an enhancement of therapist skills and therapist self-concept. We
conclude that SP/SR may be a valuable component in CT training. Guidelines and recommendations for inclusion of
SP/SR in training courses are discussed.
A new model of therapist skill development is presented. Grounded in information processing theory, it provides a comprehensive framework that accounts for a range of phenomena encountered by trainers and trainees – for example, why different training methods are needed for different elements of therapist skill. The model features three principal systems: declarative, procedural and reflective (DPR). Reflection is identified as central to therapist skill development and, accordingly, a pivotal role is given to a reflective system, which enables therapists to reflect and build on their conceptual (declarative) knowledge and procedural skills. The DPR model incorporates a taxonomy of therapist skills, and explains why different skills develop in different ways at different rates. It highlights the centrality of therapists' perceptual skills, and of when-then rules, plans, procedures and skills (rules that determine when to implement what interventions with which patient under what conditions) in the development of therapist expertise. It makes a distinction between personal and professional selves (the self-schema vs. the self-as-therapist schema); and it identifies the role of the personal self in therapist skill development. While there are still many questions to be investigated, it is hoped that the model will stimulate researchers and provide guidance for trainers.
Journal writing is generally required of student teachers; however, there is a void in career and technical education research regarding this activity. The purpose of this study was to examine student teachers' journal writing experiences to obtain insight into the process of developing
reflective practitioners. The study drew on the work of Dewey and Schön to build a theoretical framework in support of journal writing as a means to acquire and improve reflective thinking. The accessible sample consisted of three consecutive cohorts of student teachers (N = 44) in agricultural
education at a Midwestern university who completed an 11-week student teaching experience. The student teachers' preferred reflective modality was verbal reflection, self-reflection, and written reflection. Journal structure in the form of a prompt was not found to significantly impact journal
writing outcomes. A "like/dislike" phenomenon associated with journal writing and reflection was discovered. Student teachers perceived that journal writing is a personal and unique endeavor.
Lit review primarily uses journal articles, but can also draw on conference papers, books, and government documents.
,
Lit review steps
The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine seven school counseling students’ experiences of creating reflective video journals during their first internship course. Specifically, this study focused on capturing the essence of the experiences related to personal reactions, feelings, and thoughts about creating two video journal entries. Qualitative analysis revealed that reflection as a developmental process, authenticity, parallel process, and apprehension with the process were significant themes related to the video journaling experience. Implications for counselor education and training and directions for future research are presented.
Background
Reflection-in-action, or the capacity to “think on your feet” is recognised as a critical skill for clinical psychologists, but challenging for trainees who may cope poorly with ambiguity and be consumed by anxiety. This study aims to explore the in-session reflective capacity of trainees and identify their training needs. Method
Twenty seven episodes of therapy conducted by 10 trainees were collected using Interpersonal Process Recall. Data analysis was conducted according to the principles of grounded theory. ResultsTrainees became distressed when their planned interventions did not match with the complexity of the client or account for challenging interpersonal interactions. Trainees could acknowledge this distress and still engage in fleeting and rudimentary reflection, but many, lacking sufficient technical knowledge or confidence, retreated to the safety of non-directive counselling. Conclusion
These findings support the development of a systematic approach to teaching reflective practice in clinical training.
Although pervasive throughout counseling psychology and other training programs that incorporate experiential activities, reflective journals have sparse, fragmented and disparate theoretical bases to support their use. Coming from the fields of counseling and professional education, the authors use counselor education as a template to explore the use of reflective journaling in higher education. This article reviews literature supporting the use of reflective journaling, presents descriptions of various types of reflective journals, and proposes a method that allows instructors and students to critique journal entries collaboratively.
Learning to reflect on practice is an important therapeutic skill for psychotherapists and counselors. This study examines the utility of a reflective learning journal within the context of postgraduate education to improve reflection amongst cognitive behavioural psychotherapy trainees. The methodology used was qualitative in order to understand the experiences and insights of the trainees. Focus groups were used to gather and begin the process of understanding experiences. The findings indicate that learning journals do seem to improve reflective learning but have also raised important ethical issues. There appears to be a place for learning journals in contemporary cognitive behavioural psychotherapy training. A number of tentative best practice recommendations are therefore made.
Designed for undergraduate and first-year graduate students in counseling curricula, this textbook presents a 3-stage model of helping: exploration, insight, and action. Grounded in client-centered, psychoanalytic, and cognitive-behavioral theory, this approach recognizes the critical role of affect, cognition, and behavior in the process of change. Each skill is defined in separate chapters with a discussion of the rationale for each skill's use and the nuances of application in a helping session. Discussion questions and role playing exercises related to personal and professional growth are also included. The book is accompanied by a test booklet that covers all of the chapters in the textbook as well as some overall short answer and essay questions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
This study focused on therapist-counselor development. In-depth, semi-structured interviews with 100 participants served as the data-gathering method. Data from this study were first used to develop a stage model. Then, 20 themes of therapist-counselor development were extracted from the 120 pages of narrative stage data. The themes were extracted jointly by the two authors through a set of qualitative research procedures. These themes are described within the categories of primary characteristic themes, process descriptor themes, source of influence themes, and secondary characteristic themes. Professional development topics addressed include professional individuation, methods of renewal, conceptual orientation, measures of success, learning processes, boundary regulation, and impact of professional elders.
Building on the concepts of professional competence that he introduced in his classic The Reflective Practitioner, Schon offers an approach for educating professional in all areas that will prepare them to handle the complex and unpredictable problems of actual practice with confidence, skill, and care.
The reflection that accompanies the evidence a candidate presents in the performance-based product is a critical part of the candidate's development. Through reflection the candidate begins the ongoing process of blending the art and science of good teaching practice. Reflection requires thoughtful and careful reporting and analysis of teaching practice, philosophy, and experience. Understanding why an activity or practice was productive or nonproductive in the classroom is a key element in the progression from novice to master teacher. The reflection cycle and the guiding questions included in this packet are designed to assist licensure candidates in the reflection process. They will enable candidates to better understand the reflection process and address the question; "How does this piece of evidence demonstrate my knowledge and skill level in this activity?". The following reflection cycle offers a prescriptive structure while allowing the flexibility necessary for candidates to demonstrate their knowledge, skill, and ability in the unique context of their area and environment. The reflections of the novice teacher are also vital to the assessors charged with the responsibility for judging whether the teacher has met the required level of performance for each standard based activity. Through their responses to the guiding questions, candidates will better be able to put evidence into perspective for the review team members by explaining how the evidence or artifact addresses the standard through the activity.
The concept of reflective learning has been widely adopted in many of the nursing curricula today. Reflective learning is of particular relevance to the education of professionals, as it encourages students to integrate theory with practice, appreciate the world on their own behalf, and turn every experience into a new potential learning experience. While nurse educators have widely accepted the educational benefits of reflection, research into reflective learning is hampered by the lack of reliable and widely accepted methods for assessing whether reflection takes place and the level of any reflection. This study attempted to develop and test coding systems for written reflective journals based on two well-known models of reflective thinking. The reflective journals submitted by the students were subjected to content analysis at two levels. The findings of this study suggest that student writing can be used as evidence for the presence or absence of reflective thinking. The process of allocating students to three categories of non-reflector, reflector and critical reflector was straightforward and reliable. Identifying textual elements within journals and allocating them to the finer levels of reflection within a more complex model of reflective thinking was, however, more problematic and considerably less reliable.
Psychodynamic psychotherapy training is briefly reviewed, with particular attention to short-term forms of treatment and to empirical investigations of therapy training. There have been relatively few investigations of actual psychotherapy training, and the prospect is for even fewer in the future. The traditional pedagogic strategy for conceptualizing and developing psychodynamic training programs has been to adapt psychoanalytic clinical theory for instructional purposes. It is proposed that concepts, principles, and instructional strategies from the area of the cognitive sciences concerned with the development of generic expertise offers a potentially more fruitful theoretical/empirical framework for understanding therapeutic expertise and can be applied to developing improved psychotherapy teaching methods. The mental processes of therapists are discussed from this perspective. A teaching format based on multimedia computer technology and designed to fill a gap between didactic course work and actual therapy supervision is briefly described. In addition, recommendations are offered for improving psychotherapy training using existing methods.
Despite a lack of evidence base, reflective practice remains a central feature of education for many professional groups. In addition, current trends in learning, teaching and assessing require a robust alignment between learning outcomes and assessed course work [Active Learning Higher Educat. 2 (2002) 145)]. Varied definitions of what it means to be a 'reflective practitioner' and limited research make it difficult to know how and what to assess [Reflective Practice in Nursing, Blackwell Science]. Assessment of reflective practice frequently requires students to recount narratives about their practice and both formative feedback and assessment criteria make it clear that such narratives must demonstrate the students' application of appropriate and safe professional practice. This paper suggests that only three 'stories' are legitimate and identifies these as 'valedictory' 'condemnatory' and 'redemptive' This conclusion drawn is that the imperative to do well academically discourages students from engaging in honest and open reflection. This being the case, it may be argued that the assessment of reflective practice is a potential barrier to the personal growth and integrity that programmes are trying to nurture.
The case of reflective journals: Is the jury still out? Reflective practice: international and multidisciplinary perspectives
- T S O'connell
- J E Dyment
O'Connell, T. S. & Dyment, J. E. (2011). The case of reflective journals: Is the jury still out?
Reflective practice: international and multidisciplinary perspectives, 12(1), 47-59.