Domain 4 of 8
Reflective Practice
Key points
- The consultant questions their own influences and actions before, during, and after the work, and considers the perspectives of everyone involved.
- Reflection includes culture, bias, privilege, and the impact of racism and other systems of oppression, using location of self.
- The consultant also helps others reflect: supporting staff and families to understand their reactions, regulate emotions, and explore equity in the work.
Thinks about and questions personal influences and actions before, during, and/or after consultative interactions.
Considers the influences on and the perspectives of others (e.g., infant, young child, family, staff) in the context of consultation, including how these may vary based on infant or young child, family, staff and consultant abilities, race/ethnicity, and language background (i.e., “What must this experience have been like for the infant or young child, staff member, or caregiver?”).
Promotes reflective practice with consultees, using this experience-based learning to support consultees’ professional growth and development.
Commits to a journey of ongoing self-exploration to understand how one’s own cultural background, race, and other social identities (including issues related to privilege and power) impact the way IECMH consultants see themselves and others in the work.
4A Uses Self-Reflection to Enhance Consultation
Core Skills
- 4A.1
- Understands, can describe, and values the importance and benefits of reflective practice.
- 4A.2
- Regularly reflects on values, beliefs, biases, assumptions, and experiences as they influence interactions, relationships, and the directions that consultation may take.
- 4A.3
- Reflects on biases and can recognize when biases may negatively impact effective consultation. Works to explore personal implicit biases, and takes steps to make objective decisions.
- 4A.4
- Reflects on culture, values, beliefs, backgrounds, privilege, biases, assumptions, and experiences, including the impact of experience with racism, classism, sexism, able-ism, homophobia, xenophobia, and/or other systems of oppression to provide diversity-informed and culturally attuned services.Note 6
- 4A.5
- Uses self-reflection to maintain awareness of thoughts, emotions, and visceral reactions that regularly inform and can enhance the quality of consultative work.
- 4A.6
- Reflects on and explores a wide variety of approaches to working with staff, families, and infants or young children, and understands that there is no single correct strategy (or any quick fixes) when it comes to change and growth.
- 4A.7
- Explores and reflects on views and values related to equity-related, and particularly racial-equity-related, issues and how these views’ influence individuals, organizations, and systems.
- 4A.8
- Reflects on and utilizes “location of self” (i.e., acknowledging our multiple selves and how we make them explicit) orientation by reflecting with supervisor and colleagues on how one’s cultural identities (e.g., gender, race, class, religion, sexual orientation, immigration status) might influence consultative relationships.
4B Assists Others in Reflecting
Core Skills
- 4B.1
- Encourages staff and families to become aware of behaviors that stir up strong feelings and reactions, and assists them in identifying the origins of those feelings and reactions so that they can respond to families, caregivers, and/or infants and young children compassionately and effectively.
- 4B.2
- Supports staff and families in understanding how their values, beliefs, backgrounds, privilege, biases, assumptions, and experiences, along with factors connected to specific settings, play a role in influencing infants and young children’s behavior.
- 4B.3
- Seeks to engender curiosity through carefully timed, nonjudgmental inquiry. Uses listening, patience, and reflection to encourage others to explore possibilities for approaching challenges and supporting growth and well-being.
- 4B.4
- Collaborates with others to explore how they can regulate their emotions, engage in self-care, reduce stress, strengthen coping mechanisms and resilience, and aim for life balance even in the face of difficult circumstances.
- 4B.5
- Provides individual and group opportunities for staff to engage in reflection as it relates to values, beliefs, backgrounds, privilege, biases, assumptions, and experiences when they are working in a supportive role with families.
- 4B.6
- Assists others in reflecting on the strengths and limitations of the program or other setting in which they work or live (e.g., agency, classroom, program, other setting, home) and to explore how that program or other setting impacts possibilities for and approaches to supporting children, families, and staff.
- 4B.7
- Supports others’ (including colleagues’ and consultees’) developing capacities to explore equity issues and their influence in the population IECMH consultants serve as well as the role consultants play in upholding or dismantling inequitable systems and practices. Encourages deep conversations about race, diversity, and inclusion to raise awareness and to support equity in all work interactions.
- 4B.8
- Reflects with supervisor and colleagues on how to leverage opportunities to be a voice for equity in one’s own organization and in the broader community.
Notes to the 2020 edition
- 6. Irving Harris Foundation. (2012). Diversity-Informed Infant Mental Health Tenets. Retrieved from https://imhdivtenets.org/tenets/
Source: Competency text is reproduced from Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation: Competencies, Center of Excellence for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (2020 edition).
