35. Create a case scenario using an example of a helping professional that describes the process of reflective practice

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

An experience counselor is working with a young adolescent who recently lost her best friend in a car accident. The counselor is an experienced grief counselor and knows what type of therapeutic techniques to guide the client through experiencing such a loss. The counselor has recently experienced the pain of losing a close family member. She is very self-aware of her own feelings and when to self-disclose appropriate information to her client about her own grieving process. The counselor carefully self-monitors her own emotions related to death and dying and is able to appropriately share her life experiences with her client. The counselor has mastered reflective practice, which is a creative method of mastering the knowledge and skills base pertinent to one’s profession, but goes beyond rote technical applications to generate new kinds of understanding and strategies of action. Her counseling approach involves problem-solving strategies that depend on a deep understanding in fundamental knowledge germane to the field. A common challenge for counselors is that they come to the process with a base of personal life experiences and views, which can influence their ability to be objective. The best way to counselors to avoid misapplication of their personal views is by self-monitoring – being aware of their personal theories and recognizing that they are only one of a set of possibilities.