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Exploring the personal and professional impact of reflective practice groups: a survey of 18 cohorts from a UK clinical psychology training course
Author(s) -
Knight Katherine,
Sperlinger David,
Maltby Michael
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
clinical psychology and psychotherapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.315
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1099-0879
pISSN - 1063-3995
DOI - 10.1002/cpp.660
Subject(s) - psychology , distress , medical education , professional development , reflective practice , coping (psychology) , clinical psychology , applied psychology , pedagogy , medicine
Objectives: Given the importance of reflective practice within clinical psychology and a lack of empirical research, this study aimed to investigate the personal and professional impact of reflective practice groups (RPGs) for former trainees. Design: This study followed an analytic survey design utilizing a convenience sample of qualified clinical psychologists from a UK training programme. Methods: A RPG questionnaire (RPGQ) was developed for the purposes of the study. Following initial pilot work, 297 qualified psychologists were invited to complete the RPGQ. Results: One hundred and twenty‐four psychologists (42%) completed the RPGQ. Factor analysis yielded two underlying constructs labelled ‘value’ and ‘distress’. The RPGQ demonstrated significant internal and test–retest reliability. The majority rated the RPGs as valuable for personal and professional development and learning about group processes. Just under half however reported distress as a result of the groups. Whilst some trainees, who reported distress, were able to view the challenges positively, one‐sixth were not. Potency of facilitation and group size significantly predicted levels of perceived value and distress. Conclusions: In view of the ethical issues raised by compulsory RPGs, recommendations were made to keep group sizes within an average of 10–13, utilize facilitators with sufficient training in group processes and ensure additional methods of reflective practice development are available. Further suggestions and recommendations for future research in relation to coping and personal learning style were also made. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Key Practitioner Message: This study has addressed a significant gap in the clinical psychology literature in relation to the personal and professional impact of reflective practice groups during training. It was found that whilst, in retrospect, the majority of former trainees found the challenges of reflective practice groups worthwhile, a significant minority did not. Group size, potency of facilitation and previous RPG experience significantly predicted levels of perceived value and distress. There is now a need for more research in order to explore the mechanisms involved to maximize potential for value from reflective practice groups.