Reflective Questions

Reflective Leadership: Reflective Supervision

Attended this training while I was doing the supervision curriculum.  It was presented by Maretta Juarez.  Just a few ideas I gleaned from the training.  "We do not learn from experience...we learn from reflecting on experiences" John Dewey.
Reflection is:
Stepping back from the immediate, intense experience to think about what it really means.
Examining our thoughts and feelings about experiences. 
Important skills include self awareness, careful observation and flexible responses.  Elements of reflective practice are relationships and development, parallel thinking, awareness, perspective taking, not knowing and collaborative stance.
Intended impact of reflective practice are: improved outcomes, improved program quality, improved clinical practice, and reflective practice and activities.

Clinical Supervision

Clinical supervision is an important role in social work.  To be able to help someone at the start of their career is important, and the responsibility should not be taken lightly.  I have provided supervision for several different employees of Santa Clara County Behavioral Health, and it is fun to see what some have accomplished.  I wouldn't say because of my supervision, but at least it was a step along the way.
At a recent training given my Melanie Stern, this statement was provided: Clinical supervision is an interactional process between supervisor and supervisee that promotes the development of responsibility, skill, knowledge, attitudes, and ethical standards in the practice of clinical work.
Actions that help accomplish this are:
providing a safe environment, acquiring therapeutic techniques, knowledge about relevant laws and regulations, able to anchor skills to client issues, comfortable and confident, able to assess areas for growth, models how to handle anxiety and able to evaluate.
Some ethical and legal issues to consider, informed consent, due process, confidentiality, Tarasoff (vicarious liability), training, record keeping and dual relationships.
There are also many obligations to do supervision correctly, as required by the BBSE.  This includes contract and reporting requirements.  

More Thoughts on Reflection

This is the business card from our presenter.  I really like the way she puts this.

More Notes on Reflective Practice and Supervision

Just a couple more notes on reflective practice that I am noting as I gleam through my notebooks.  Ideas for supervision: Keep people safe and protected.  Base your reflective work on love.  Provide gentle support to help people reflect.  Reflecting is thinking seriously or deeply; thinking quietly, thinking completely.  Metacognition is to think about how you are thinking about something.  How do you want to thing about something?  Keep brain calm and active.  Personal thoughts: Do I reflect enough?  It seems sometimes I do not do what I want because of brain freeze or trigger and I do other things instead.
Transforming practice is improving outcomes.  reflection involves knowledge, action, wisdom, internal knowledge, experience and external knowledge.  It involves looking at belief system and how it effects what you do.
A way to keep brain active is to try something different everyday.

Reflection Begins with Observation, Listening and Curioisity

Reflection in the process of stepping back and thinking about what you are doing.  It is useful in Behavioral Health Services, as we can all do better and be more effective.  Questions or statements that help open up a self reflection, or a supervisory reflection include:
I'm wondering...
I'm curious...
I'm Interested to know...
I notice...
Let's pause and think-what comes up next?
What does that mean for you?
What has been your experience with...
What are some of the things _____ behavior might mean?
I wonder what your feels are about _____
WHat's it like to...
I notice as you're talking your affect has ______ what does that mean?
What was the experience like during..., after...?
If you were there now what would you want to do different? the same? How would it feel?
What are my feelings?
What are my biases?
What might the silence, the discomfort, the _____ mean?
What is "my stuff" that is interfering?