Common stages and questions to ask yourself when writing reflectively

What is my initial, pre-reading, understanding of the topic? Through Week 2 to Week 6 you will gain an understanding of how the different theories apply to counselling practice and also reflect on how your pre-existing ideas change as a result of your learning. As you complete the Self-inventory: Before (via MindTap) for each of the first six weeks, you will assess your prior knowledge and form tentative hypotheses about each of the theories of counselling. These tentative hypotheses are often based on personal assumptions and past experiences.

Remember you should use your own assumptions, opinions, experiences and beliefs about human behaviour in your reflections. There is no expectation that you should already ‘know’ something about the theory approach.

What are the key features of this theoretical approach as described in the eText and other sources? Develop this view using your new knowledge gained from the eText, peer-reviewed research and learning materials.

Evaluate your initial view and hypothesis compared to a theoretical explanation and hypothesis. How do the two explanations compare? What is your perspective on some of the strengths and limitations of the counselling theory? What would you like to know more about? Although the reflective journal will form the basis for conveying your personal journey in this course, it is not a personal diary even if you use personal examples. The main focus of your journal should be on the theoretical and empirical material and the connections that you make between this material and what you have learnt.