Reflective Practice

Learning to reflect in order to improve one’s own practice is seen as increasingly important across a range of professions, from teaching to counseling, and from management to clinical work. We have argued in Chap. 1 that knowing the self and managing the self are key skills for every coach. The ICF competencies also draw our attention to reflective practice, encouraging coaches to develop an ongoing reflective practice. This self-awareness enables us to be in best service of our clients. In this chapter we consider what is reflective practice, why it may be helpful, and how we can incorporate this into our coaching practice.