Self‐Practice and Self‐Reflection in Training of Psychological Interventions and Therapist Skills Development: A Qualitative Meta‐Synthesis Review

Abstract

Objective:The use of self-practice and self-reflection has been proposed as an efficacious strategy in the training of therapists. It has been argued to enhance therapist skills, and a key factor in the development of expertise. This systematic literature review investigated the effect of self-practice and self-reflection on therapist skills development. Method: Studies were identified through Medline, Academic Search Complete, PsychINFO, PsycARTICLES, Proquest, ISI, CINAHL, Cochrane, and Scopus databases. Additional studies were identified through lateral searches of relevant papers' reference lists and direct correspondence with authors of unpublished material. The selection criteria were studies that investigated the effect of self-practice and/or self-reflection on therapist skill development. There was no restriction on sample sizes, design of studies, dates of publication, or peer-reviewed papers. All studies were published in English. Results: Ten studies were included in this review. A thematic analysis was undertaken to analyse qualitative data. Due to inconsistency in the variables investigated across the quantitative studies, quantitative results were not subject to a meta-analysis but simply reported. Finally, qualitative and quantitative data were juxtaposed in a meta-synthesis. Conclusion: The meta-synthesis revealed inconsistencies between the qualitative and quantitative literature and a gap in relation to declarative knowledge. Methodological limitations across studies are discussed and recommendations for future research provided.

Reflective Practice in Healthcare Education: An Umbrella Review

“…First, reflection appears to have an effect on changing the attitudes, values, beliefs and assumptions of individual participants, and second, it provides the grounds for a meaningful impact at the organisational level [29][30][31][32][33]35]. An interesting study from the psychotherapy field provides insight into the potential benefits of reflective techniques [30]. This meta-synthesis review included ten studies, and, despite inconsistencies between the qualitative and quantitative literature and a gap in relation to declarative knowledge, the review identified six distinct themes: improved technical skills; increased selfawareness; increased interpersonal, perceptual and relational skills; appreciation for the limitations and value of the therapeutic model; increased empathy for clients; and understanding of the discomfort associated with self-disclosure.…”

“…Reviews attempting to answer some of these questions find evidence that reflective thinking is related to deep learning and understanding and, when performed in a structured manner, can be taught, learned, replicated and measured [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35]. However, the retrospective nature of examining reflection through writing journals, blogs, vlogs, portfolios, or other methods does not allow complete assessment of reflection-in-action, which is one of Schön's [2,7] primary theoretical contributions to reflection and the purposes of reflection.…”

Reflective Practice in Healthcare Education: An Umbrella Review

“…McGillivray, Gurtman, Boganin and Sheen [30] Objective: To investigate the effect of self-practice and self-reflection on therapist skills development. Systematic Review of English studies that investigated the effect of self-practice and/or self-reflection on therapist skill development.…”

“…Additionally, on a more abstract level, two additional themes are recognised as beneficial outcomes of reflective strategies. First, reflection appears to have an effect on changing the attitudes, values, beliefs, and assumptions of individual participants, and second, it provides the grounds for a meaningful impact at the organisational level [29][30][31][32][33]35]. An interesting study from the psychotherapy field provides insight into the potential benefits of reflective techniques [30].…”

“…First, reflection appears to have an effect on changing the attitudes, values, beliefs, and assumptions of individual participants, and second, it provides the grounds for a meaningful impact at the organisational level [29][30][31][32][33]35]. An interesting study from the psychotherapy field provides insight into the potential benefits of reflective techniques [30]. This meta-synthesis review included ten studies, and, despite inconsistencies between the qualitative and quantitative literature and a gap in relation to declarative knowledge, the review identified six distinct themes: improved technical skills; increased self-awareness; increased interpersonal, perceptual and relational skills; appreciation for the limitations and value of the therapeutic model; increased empathy for clients; and understanding of the discomfort associated with self-disclosure.…”