Does group reflective practice change how trainee clinical psychologists think about their clients? An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.

Reflective practice groups are increasingly common in clinical services and training programmes in health and social care. They are seen as a method of learning from experience and thus as a way of supporting continued professional development and improving practice. Despite the growing popularity of reflective practice groups, the relevant research remains disparate, spread across multiple fields of practice and academia. Moreover, a large section of the current literature is focused on the impact of reflective practice and staff wellbeing, as opposed to the clinical value of attending a reflective practice group.

Literature Review:

The literature review aims to highlight the experiences of those taking part in reflective processes within health and social care environments. Five themes were generated from twelve empirical studies exploring methods of reflective practice within professional training or practice. Key themes were: facilitator qualities; security in the setting and relational security; ambiguous experiences of written reflection; self-reflection and time and developing reflective skills.

Research Report:

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five Trainee Clinical Psychologists who had attended monthly reflective practice seminars as part of their training. Audio excerpts from previously recorded reflective practice seminars were played within the participant interviews; it was felt that the excerpts would support participants’ recall of the seminars and facilitate the collection of rich and meaningful interview data. Interviews were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The analysis highlighted how presenting clinical material and hearing multiple perspectives from group colleagues impacted on how participants’ thought about their clients. Moreover, participants were able to appreciate the view point of their client, following discussing the case in reflective practice, and acquire an increased sense of compassion.