What Is Reflective Practice and Why Is It Important for Therapists?
By David Hennessy, Clinical Psychologist
David Hennessy, Clinical Psychologist, Gold Coast.
What Is Reflective Practice and Why Is It Important for Therapists?
Reflective practice sits quietly at the centre of good therapeutic work. It is rarely dramatic and often unseen.
However, it is one of the most important habits that sustains ethical, thoughtful, and effective therapy across professions.
Whether someone works as a psychologist, counsellor, social worker, psychotherapist, peer worker, or in another helping role,
reflective practice is not an optional extra. It is a core professional skill that supports learning, safety, humility,
and care for both clients and practitioners.
Drawing on years of work as a clinical psychologist, counsellor, and earlier life experience in the trades, I have seen
the value of reflection across very different settings. The materials change, and the context changes, but the principle remains the same.
When we stop, notice, and think carefully about what we are doing and how we are doing it, our work becomes steadier, safer,
more adaptable across variations, and more human.
What Is Reflective Practice?
Reflective practice is the deliberate process of thinking about one’s professional work in order to learn from experience.
It involves stepping back from action, examining thoughts, emotions, assumptions, decisions, and outcomes, and then integrating
those insights into future practice. Over time, reflection supports growth in judgement and helps clinicians respond to complexity
with more care and flexibility [3][9].
In therapy, reflective practice often includes questions such as:
- What was happening for the client in that moment?
- What was happening for me internally?
- How did my values, history, or assumptions shape my response?
- What worked well, and what felt less effective?
- What might I do differently next time?
Reflection can occur informally, such as quietly thinking after a session. It can also occur more formally through supervision,
journalling, peer consultation, and structured reflective writing. The essential feature is intention. Reflection is purposeful,
curious, and linked to learning.
Reflective Practice and the Scientist–Practitioner Model
In psychology, reflective practice is central to the scientist–practitioner model [7]. This model is foundational to psychology
training in Australia and internationally. It asks clinicians to integrate research evidence, clinical expertise, and the person’s
context in an ongoing and evaluative way.
Reflective practice is the mechanism that makes this integration possible in real clinical settings. It is also central to the
ongoing evolution of the therapist, because it supports learning that is active, applied, and responsive.
Contemporary evidence-based practice frameworks reinforce this integration of research evidence, clinician judgement, and client
characteristics [1]. Within Australia, the Psychology Board of Australia emphasises reflective learning within continuing professional
development expectations, recognising that professional growth depends on thoughtful integration of experience, rather than passive
accumulation of hours [6].
Without reflection, the scientist–practitioner model can become theoretical. With reflection, it becomes lived practice.
Why Reflective Practice Matters in Therapeutic Work
Reflective practice is a key component of professional development, allowing therapists to evolve and grow their knowledge over time.
Therapeutic work is never static. What we learn from research, training, and lived clinical experience needs to be re-examined in light
of the person sitting in front of us.
Research on therapist development and deliberate practice suggests that structured reflection and feedback support improved competence
and outcomes over time [3][8]. Reflection supports the ongoing process of updating our knowledge and considering how it applies across
variations within and between people. This includes differences in culture, development, neurodiversity, trauma history, values, and life context.
Without reflection, knowledge risks becoming rigid. With reflection, it remains responsive, adaptable, humane, and clinically useful.
Supporting Ethical and Safe Practice
The APS Code of Ethics requires psychologists to monitor competence, bias, and professional boundaries [2]. Reflective practice supports
this monitoring process. It helps clinicians notice when a boundary feels strained, when emotions are running high, or when assumptions are
shaping judgement. Supervision is one of the most reliable structures for this kind of reflection, particularly when clinical work is complex or emotionally demanding [10].
Improving Clinical Effectiveness
Outcome monitoring and feedback-informed approaches rely on reflective habits. Therapists who review client feedback and progress data are
better positioned to adjust interventions effectively [4]. Reflection is what turns information into wise clinical action.
Supporting Therapist Wellbeing
Sustained emotional labour can affect clinicians over time. Australian research has highlighted links between work demands, stress, and wellbeing
among psychologists [5]. Reflective practice, alongside supervision and sensible self-care, supports sustainability. It helps prevent the slow
build-up of strain that can otherwise go unnoticed.
The Ongoing Development of the Therapist
Reflective practice does not guarantee perfect therapy. It also does not remove uncertainty or complexity. However, developmental models of therapist
growth suggest that professional maturity emerges through cycles of experience, reflection, and integration [9].
Over time, reflection strengthens judgement, deepens humility, and clarifies professional identity. It supports steadiness in the face of uncertainty.
Clients may not see the reflective work that occurs outside the therapy room. However, they often experience its effects through careful pacing,
thoughtful responses, and interventions that fit their context.
When Reflective Practice Feels Difficult
There are periods when reflective capacity is stretched, particularly during high workloads or sustained exposure to complex trauma.
In these moments, structured supervision and peer consultation become especially important [10]. Reflection does not need to be elaborate.
It does need to be regular, honest, and supported.
Reflective practice is not about adding pressure. It is about engaging more consciously with the work already being done.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is Reflective Practice in Therapy?
Reflective practice is the deliberate process of thinking about therapeutic work to learn from experience and improve future decisions.
It includes noticing assumptions, emotional responses, and outcomes, then using that insight to guide more effective and ethical practice.
Why Is Reflective Practice Important for Therapists?
Reflective practice supports ethical awareness, clinical flexibility, and ongoing skill development. It helps therapists integrate research evidence,
clinical expertise, and each person’s context, which is central to the scientist–practitioner model [1][7].
How Does Reflective Practice Support Ethical Care?
Reflection helps therapists recognise bias, boundary pressure, overconfidence, and emotional reactivity. This supports sound judgement, helps prevent drift,
and strengthens alignment with professional ethics [2][10].
Is Reflective Practice Required in Australia?
The Psychology Board of Australia includes reflective learning within Continuing Professional Development expectations [6].
What Is the Difference Between Reflection and Rumination?
Reflection is purposeful and learning-focused. Rumination is repetitive and often self-critical, without leading to new understanding or action.
Reflective practice aims for clarity, adaptability, and improved care.
References
- American Psychological Association. (2006). Evidence-based practice in psychology. American Psychologist, 61(4), 271–285. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.61.4.271
- Australian Psychological Society. (2018). APS code of ethics. https://psychology.org.au
- Bennett-Levy, J., & Finlay-Jones, A. (2018). The role of self-reflection in therapist development. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 25(3), 427–436. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.2188
- Lambert, M. J., & Shimokawa, K. (2011). Collecting client feedback and monitoring treatment progress. Psychotherapy, 48(1), 72–79. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0022238
- Pakenham, K. I., & Stafford-Brown, J. (2012). Stress in clinical psychology trainees: Current research status and future directions. Australian Psychologist, 47(3), 147–155. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1742-9544.2012.00070.x
- Psychology Board of Australia. (2023). Continuing professional development guidelines. Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency. https://www.psychologyboard.gov.au
- Raimy, V. C. (Ed.). (1950). Training in clinical psychology. Prentice-Hall.
- Rousmaniere, T. (2017). Deliberate practice for psychotherapists. American Psychological Association.
- Skovholt, T. M., & Rønnestad, M. H. (1992). Themes in therapist and counsellor development. Journal of Counseling & Development, 70(4), 505–515. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6676.1992.tb01646.x
- Watkins, C. E. (2014). The supervisory alliance: A half century of theory, practice, and research in critical perspective. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 68(1), 19–55. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.2014.68.1.19
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