The utility of reflective practice during the provision of sport psychology support

There are many conceptual definitions of reflective practice, an observation
found in the study of a number of psychological concepts. However, definitions
of reflective practice are not poles apart and each definition tends to contain the
same underlying principles. To illustrate this observation, Clouder (2000) defined
reflective practice in an educational context as involving ‘the critical analysis
of everyday working practices to improve competence and promote professional
development’ (p. 211). In a sport psychology context Anderson, Knowles and
Gilbourne (2004) defined reflective practice as ‘an approach to training and
practice that can help practitioners explore their decisions and experiences in
order to increase their understanding of and manage themselves and their practice’ (p. 189).
Two common elements across definitions of reflective practice are that it is:
(1) a critically analytical process, intended to (2) enhance professional competence. The above two aspects of reflective practice should be welcomed by any practising professional as they sit closely with requirements for continuing professional development. Informed by our research and personal experiences with the use of reflective practice, we define reflective practice as, ‘The purposeful but largely informal critical analysis of events past, present or future, the intention being to enhance professional competencies and the attainment of professional objectives.’ We do not claim that our definition furthers conceptual clarity, rather we seek to illustrate our interpretation and use of reflective practice within this chapter and, importantly, within our work.
Within this chapter we will outline approaches towards reflective practice,
illustrating how these may work in practice. To set the context for our co-authorship, we have worked together at the University of Wolverhampton for over 12 years. This longevity has presented ample opportunities for formal and informal reflections regarding our independent and combined consultancy experiences.
When reflecting together, potential strengths are afforded by the different consultancy philosophies, experiences and applied approaches that we each have. So that readers may better understand the influence of our consultancy philosophies on the process of reflection, and indeed the contribution of reflection towards consultancy philosophies, we begin by presenting a consultancy background for each author.