“A Bit Like You’re Going to therapy”: Reflective Practice Provision at the Mulberry Bush School

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper presents findings from a qualitative case study of staff participating in the reflective practices and processes available at an English children’s home and specialist school. Researchers conducted a thematic analysis of 18 semi-structured interviews, 2 focus groups and 16 journal-based training assignments. Key themes identified in the data are outlined and a composite vignette conveys the lived experience of participating in the organization’s reflective practice provision. Staff highlight the personal intensity of their ongoing reflective work, which is “like therapy but not therapy,” and the challenges and benefits of learning to use and contribute to a reflective milieu. The concluding discussion widens findings by Heine Steinkopf and colleagues concerning the need for a regulating working environment and trustworthy theoretical model and suggests that “epistemic trust” in an organizational culture is key to effective teamwork and personal growth in role.