“Thinking About the Thinking”: Why Reflective Practice Matters in Psychology

Choice Point Psychology Blog

“Thinking About the Thinking”: Why Reflective Practice Matters in Psychology

Reflective practice helps psychologists notice what is happening in the client, the therapy, the system, and themselves.

Reflective practice is not overthinking

Reflective practice is the disciplined habit of slowing down and asking: what is happening here, how am I understanding it, what might I be missing, and what would be most helpful next?

Reflective practice improves

• Ethical decision-making
• Case formulation
• Therapeutic alliance
• Use of supervision
• Professional growth

It helps psychologists notice

• Avoidance
• Urgency
• Countertransference
• Stuckness
• Patterns in the work

At Choice Point Psychology, reflective practice is central to supervision. It also informs our approach to therapy and assessment.

“Reflective practice is not navel-gazing. It is one of the ways psychologists stay awake to the work.”