Professional Reflection and Self-Care in Counseling: ACAP Report

This report provides a comprehensive overview of professional reflection and self-care within the counseling profession, focusing on Skovholt's Cycle of Caring. It emphasizes the crucial role of self-awareness in the therapeutic process, highlighting the integration of self-understanding into professional education and training. The report explores the importance of balancing self-care and other-care to avoid burnout, detailing Skovholt's cycle of empathetic attachment, active involvement, and felt separation. It discusses the cognitive, relational, and emotional domains for developing self-understanding, along with strategies like self-checks, self-talk, and self-journalizing. The report examines characteristics of Skovholt's cycle, including cultural competence and the role of attachment theory. Furthermore, it explores influences and processes for developing self-awareness, such as the relational process and self-other differentiation. Finally, it presents strategies for developing reflective practice, including assessing personal performance, developing self-understanding, and monitoring potential burnout. The report emphasizes the dynamic nature of self-awareness and the importance of continuous reflection for effective counseling practice.

Running head: “PROFESSIONAL REFLECTION AND SELF-CARE” 1
Professional Reflection and Self-Care
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation

“PROFESSIONAL REFLECTION AND SELF-CARE” 2
Professional Reflection and Self-Care
The essence of self-awareness in the therapeutic procedure is framed as a vital and
indispensable ingredient. The growth of a counselor’s self-understanding is integrated into his or
her professional education, and training through the accumulation of knowledge about
methodologies and theories. Due to this fact, reflective therapists are aware of their limitations
and strengths. Importantly, “balancing self-care” and “other-care” is usually an issue for most
practitioners in the assisting profession. Hence, the procedure of caring consists of an endless
sequence of active participation, “empathic add-ons,” and “felt separations.” Besides, the
capacity to progressively participate in the “caring cycle” is crucial for success. Unfortunately,
the continuous need to re-develop the model can influence a practitioner’s burnout or exhaustion.
As a consequence, counselors must develop a mental framework that will assist during care
provision, such that they can avoid exhausted caring while prolonging their career longevity.
The incapacity to care is a sign of incompetence, and burnout. Thus, “Skovholt’s cycle of
caring” is a crucial model in a counselor’s operation that describes the progressive sequence of
career separations and attachments, within a one-way assisting relationship, which defines
counseling (Skovholt, Grier & Hanson, 2001). Notably, it is not a static approach implemented to
one counselor-customer dyad; rather, it is a dynamic framework that takes into account the
scores of these assisting connections. Therefore, it is the capability to make positive attachments
to offer a relational procedure, and doing it over time that defines mastery.
A Rationale for Creating Self-awareness in the Counseling Profession
According to Skovholt (2005), to develop self-understanding, a counselor may use three
domains that are integrated to produce the high operating self. These domains (cognitive,

“PROFESSIONAL REFLECTION AND SELF-CARE” 3
relational, and emotional) provide a portrait of various areas of operations that are inherent to
effectual counselor development. These domains are crucial for the relational process, as a pre-
service counselor can use it to improve their self-care and self-understanding. The approach is
theoretically based on the “Cognitive Behavior Therapy” (CBT), which emphasizes on the
modification of thoughts in an effort of changing behaviors and emotions (Gaudiano, 2008). In
addition, each stage incorporates an evidence-informed approach used in CBT, particularly, each
stage focuses on self-monitoring, while emphasizing on emotive, relational, and cognitive
processes. Notably, self-monitoring involves a person’s ability to identify, assess, and appraise
his or her reactions, whether emotional, behavioral, or cognitive. Therefore, the processes
employed to improve self-awareness comprise of self-checks, self-talk, and self-journalizing.
These are explained as follows;
Self-Checks
It is the first step to the self-caring process that focuses on brief chances a counselor may
take to stop and check on himself or herself by cognitively thinking about their emotional
wellbeing. Hence, it is suggestive of the “stop and think” process referred to in CBT, and the
“Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy.” Consequently, possible stressful circumstances
occasionally happen when offering therapy services, especially pre-service counselors who are
vulnerable due to their developmental level. Due to this fact, counselors must find small
incremental periods throughout their daily therapy sessions, such that they can engage in critical
and analytical processing of events to elevate their self-understanding and minimize stress.
Self-Talk

“PROFESSIONAL REFLECTION AND SELF-CARE” 4
It is the second step of developing self-awareness as it is an ongoing process utilized to
minimize negative emotions, thoughts, and behaviors to offer oneself with a positive verbal
response. Hence, it is a useful approach counselor can apply to enhance their ability to
combating negative thoughts stemming from previous experiences (Dowden, Warren & Kambui,
2014). Since this is an ongoing process, a counselor can feel motivated throughout their day,
which in turn increases their positive self-understanding.
Self-Journalizing
It is the third stage of developing self-understanding and self-care, whereby a counselor
uses written communication to assess themselves. Besides, it is a progressive process utilized to
analyze and diffuse thoughts, behaviors, and emotions. Thus, self-journalizing provides the
counselor with the chance to reflect, while learning from his or her reactions. As a result, the
latter improves the self-discovery procedure, which elevates self-understanding.
Characteristics of “Skovholt’s Cycle of Caring” in the Counseling Profession
According to Skovholt (2005), one major aspect is that the approach measures success
based on a customer’s positive appreciation and changes. Thus, the quality of the counselor-
patient alliance is linked with the quality of results across modalities of treatment, sufferer
demographics, and treatment objectives. Another feature of the model is that it provides a unique
way of thinking about success, with the vital dimensions being those under the therapist’s
control. Besides, participation in the cycle and having professional knowledge are both managed
by the counselor. Importantly, specialist knowledge comprises certain facts regarding an issue
like chronic pain, job stress, and teenage eating disorders.

“PROFESSIONAL REFLECTION AND SELF-CARE” 5
Another feature of the model is that it relies on the attachment theory to convey its
therapeutic process. As a result, the counselor controls the outcomes and work satisfaction.
Cultural competence is another characteristic of the model as it provides the overarching features
of a therapist’s presence in the relational procedure, which guides him or her in the various
cross-cultural circumstances of their work (Sue, 2001). With this competence, the model can
utilize the three phases that keep rotating throughout the counselor’s work with his clients. Self-
healer is another characteristic of the “Cycle of caring,” which enabled the therapist to have a
one-view of positive results that prioritize on the patient. The facilitation of a customer’s self-
healing happens within the model, as a relational process because the connection influences the
client’s growth.
Characteristics, Influences, and Processes for Developing Self-awareness in Counseling
Features
Cognitive features influence the development of self-understanding through the
capability to embrace sophisticated ambiguity, and the accumulation of wisdom flexibly. Also,
the feature comprises acknowledging human conditions, and understanding that education is a
life-long adventure. Contrary, emotional characteristics that influence the development of self-
understanding and self-care constitute the acceptance of self and willingness to grow and gain
proficiency. Alternatively, relational features consist of the aptitude to participate with others,
making precise judgments, and remaining open to education from others. Generally, these
characteristics work hand in hand to enhance counselors’ self-understanding, as it enables them
to engage in the relational procedure repetitively without losing themselves.
Influences and Processes

“PROFESSIONAL REFLECTION AND SELF-CARE” 6
The relational process focuses on attachment theory, which focuses on the counselor’s
capacity to develop helping connections, over time, with people who occasionally have
attachment distress that is a professional issue. Notably, the latter’s “personal attachment
history” can influence his or her elasticity when making expert attachments. For instance, if a
therapist uses a “negative-conflictual internal working model,” he or she is at risk of ineffectual
professional work, as the effect may make them attach too deeply, such that they are unable to
cater to the client’s needs (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 2009). Hence, the counselor
may use the relational process to develop self-understanding by learning an optimal degree of
attachment. Using this approach will enable the therapist will experience the world of his or her
patients, but not getting overwhelmed by their emotions. Notably, learning how to control and
modulate the level of emotional attachment in a therapeutic relational procedure takes time, as it
is a “paradoxical skill.” Thus, for the counselor to develop self-understanding on how to be
emotionally involved, yet expressively distant, they must acknowledge how they can unite in the
client’s emotions, while not getting emotionally involved. Importantly, a “self-other
differentiation” plays a crucial part in the therapist’s self-care (de Bézenac, Swindells, &
Corcoran, 2018).
In the relational process, creating optimal, decisive expert attachment overtime is usually
tricky for counselors, or those in teaching who have severe attachment ache. In addition, early
life experiences may influence the later life ability of the practitioner. Notably, counselors
usually draw their conclusions on their work with patients, which may present various personal
issues. By utilizing the relational process, the latter can assess their personal feelings, limitations,
strengths, and thoughts, such that they can develop a self-understanding while relating with their
patients, and remain emotionally separated at all times.

“PROFESSIONAL REFLECTION AND SELF-CARE” 7
Developing self-awareness in counseling is a dynamic process, as the therapist must
utilize a sequence of attachments, and separations with their customers. This is because the
caring cycle procedure may involve the repetition of “empathic attachments,” “active
involvements,” and “felt separations.” Thus, counselors can actively engage and be emotionally
present with emotional clients, as they demonstrate a strong sense of understanding towards
them. Besides, the recognition that the latter develops is instrumental in counseling because they
create a sense of awareness and responsibility.
Strategies for Developing Reflective Practice in the Counseling Profession
The quest for self-understanding is a core component of effectual reflective practice. Due
to this fact, a therapist needs not only to be aware of his or her skills, performance, and
knowledge, but also be mindful of any individual factors that impede or interfere with their
capacity to provide an objective and efficient service. Therefore, the counselor can utilize the
following to develop reflective practice;
Assessing Personal Performance
A counselor must examine his or her performance, as no one is perfect, and no one is
always right. The former utilizes various strategies to assist them monitor and enhance their self-
understanding and conduct during a counseling session. For instance, self-assessment acts as a
procedure of reflecting on personal skills that therapists utilize to understand their strengths and
limitations. Notably, awareness in these segments enables them to choose training acts or
professional development to cater for any identified knowledge or skill gaps. Thus, self-
understanding depends on self-understanding to allows a counselor to identify patients that are
beyond their scope of expertise (Williamson, 2013).

“PROFESSIONAL REFLECTION AND SELF-CARE” 8
During the self-performance assessment, the therapist may provide his or her client with a
chance to review the counseling process, which will benefit both the patient and counselor.
Notably, this approach of self-performance examination acknowledges the patient’s opinion as
valued and valid, which helps the practitioner to evaluate his or her current practice.
Alternatively, for effectual reflective practice, the latter may consider peer view while evaluating
their performance. This enables a therapist to come together and converse personal cases, moral
dilemmas, and brainstorm on innovation choices (Popescu, 2015). Generally, it is a process that
enables the practitioner to increase their accountability during practice, and enhance the quality
of care he or she offers their clients.
Developing Self-understanding
One can develop a reflective practice through a “reflection-in-action” approach, or a
“reflection-on-action” technique. “Reflection-in-action” happens when a counselor reflects on
his or her behavior as it happens, which immediately improves their following actions. On the
other hand, the “reflection-on-action” refers to when the therapist reflects after an event, where
he or she describes, reviews, analyzes, and assesses the situation to gain insight for enhancing
their practice in the future (Australian Institute of Professional Counselors, n.d.). By taking part
in a reflective process, the therapist can begin the progressive process of counseling therapy
approaches, which he or she can apply in their practice. Therefore, the reflection strategy
requires the former to have thoughtful and honest recordings, and evaluation of his or her actual
practice, such that they can understand why a practice was non-productive or productive in a
therapeutic session.
The “self-reflection cycle” can also help the practitioner to learn how to phrase their
questions, such that they can understand the reflection procedure. Besides, it provides a structure

“PROFESSIONAL REFLECTION AND SELF-CARE” 9
that guides a counselor, while at the same time enabling him or her to freely apply their skills,
ability, and knowledge in the context of their practice.
Monitoring Possible Burnout
In order to monitor possible burnout, a counselor may reflect on his or her self-care,
which is always a progressive process that involves various activities. For instance, getting
enough sleep, participating in frequent exercises, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, taking part in
various meditation activities, and spending time with friends and family. To effectively monitor
possible burnout, the therapist must understand the importance of balancing self-care and other-
care, as it involves the three phases in the “Cycle of Caring” model.
The latter must understand and pay attention to his or her warning signs that suggest they
are inadequately meeting their progressive self-care needs. For instance, when a practitioner is in
a session with a patient and experienced resentment, boredom, and feeling anger towards them,
or experiences daydreaming while in meetings, they need to reflect on their self-care approach.
As a consequence, the psychotherapist can focus on integrating progressive self-care actions into
their daily activities, which will enable them to reflect on how they can enhance their practice.
To effectually reflect and monitor a counselor’s possible burnout, he or she may incorporate their
counseling approach. By reflecting on their theoretical training, the former can clarify his or her
role, and understand those progressively played by the client. Therefore, if a practitioner works
more than a client during sessions, he or she may increase the risk of burnout. Due to this fact,
engaging in counseling theories may enable them to renew their approach during client sessions.
Conclusion

“PROFESSIONAL REFLECTION AND SELF-CARE” 10
Skovholt’s “Cycle of Caring” enables therapists to describe their operations as a
progressive sequence of career attachments and separations. Conversely, the cognitive,
emotional, and relational domains provide a framework of various counseling, which influences
the counselors’ development. Besides, these domains are fundamental for the relational
procedure as it utilizes them to develop counselors’ self-care and self-awareness. Consequently,
the major characteristic of Skovholt’s model is that the approach measures success based on the
client’s positive appreciation and changes. Alternatively, developing self-understanding in
therapy is a dynamic procedure that utilizes a sequence of separations and attachments during
sessions. Therefore, counselors can actively engage and be emotionally present with emotional
patients, as they demonstrate a strong sense of understanding towards them.

“PROFESSIONAL REFLECTION AND SELF-CARE” 11
References
Australian Institute of Professional Counselors. (n.d.). Report 4: AIPC’s counsellor skills series.
Australian Institute of Professional Counselors. Retrieved from
https://www.counsellingconnection.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/report-4-reflective-
practice-supervision-self-care.pdf
Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. (2009). Part 1, Chapter 2, Clinical supervision and
professional development of the substance abuse counselor: Clinical scenarios showing
how to apply the information. In Clinical Supervision and Professional Development of
the Substance Abuse Counselor. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (US).
de Bézenac, C. E., Swindells, R. A., & Corcoran, R. (2018). The necessity of ambiguity in self–
other processing: A psychosocial perspective with implications for mental
health. Frontiers in psychology, 9, 2114.
Dowden, A. R., Warren, J. M., & Kambui, H. (2014). Three tiered model toward improved self-
awareness and self-care. Ideas and research you can use: VISTAS.
Gaudiano, B. A. (2008). Cognitive-behavioural therapies: achievements and
challenges. Evidence-Based Mental Health, 11(1), 5-7.
Popescu, B. A. (2015). Moral dilemmas and existential issues encountered both in psychotherapy
and philosophical counseling practices. Europe's journal of psychology, 11(3), 509.
Skovholt, T. M. (2005). The cycle of caring: A model of expertise in the helping
professions. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 27(1), 82-93.

“PROFESSIONAL REFLECTION AND SELF-CARE” 12
Skovholt, T. M., Grier, T. L., & Hanson, M. R. (2001). Career counseling for longevity: Self-
care and burnout prevention strategies for counselor resilience. Journal of Career
Development, 27(3), 167-176.
Sue, D. W. (2001). Multidimensional facets of cultural competence. The counseling
psychologist, 29(6), 790-821.
Williamson, R. (2013). Exploring the therapeutic self. City Research Online. Retrieved from
https://openaccess.city.ac.uk/id/eprint/2393/1/