Critical reflection: the struggle of a practice developer

Context: Critical reflection is espoused as aligning with person-centred approaches and with being an effective person-centred facilitator. Knowing ‘self’ represents a key prerequisite of being an effective person-centred facilitator. This attribute is essential for personal growth and for helping create the conditions that enable others to grow.

Aims: This article seeks to explore why critical reflection is difficult for some, sharing personal stories of a practice developer’s experiences of wrestling with reflective models and learning to critically reflect in a meaningful way.

Questions for practice:

How can practice developers earnestly engage in reflection?

Is it necessary to be bound by historical models of reflection?

How does critical companionship foster and encourage engagement in critical reflection?