The Self-Reflective Writing Scale (SRWS): a new measure to assess self-reflection following self-experiential cognitive behaviour therapy training

It has been hypothesized that capacity for reflection is a key metacognitive skill in therapist development. However, the measurement of reflection in psychotherapy has proved problematic. The primary purpose of the present study has been to develop a theory-based measure of reflection, the Self-Ref...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Reflective practice 2018-07, Vol.19 (4), p.505-521
Main Authors: So, Suzanne Ho-wai, Bennett-Levy, James, Perry, Helen, Wood, Debbie Helen, Wong, Chee-wing
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cognition & reasoning
cognitive behavioural therapy
experiential learning
Reflective practice
reflective writing
self-practice/self-reflection
self-reflection
Skills
Therapy
Validity
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Summary:It has been hypothesized that capacity for reflection is a key metacognitive skill in therapist development. However, the measurement of reflection in psychotherapy has proved problematic. The primary purpose of the present study has been to develop a theory-based measure of reflection, the Self-Reflective Writing Scale (SRWS). The SRWS encompasses measures of personal-self reflection (PS) and therapist-self reflection (TS). The development of the SRWS is described. Reliability and validity of the SRWS were assessed in the context of a self-practice/self-reflection (SP/SR)cognitive behavioural therapy training program where clinical psychology students practiced therapy techniques on themselves and reflected on the experience. Trainers' co-ratings of the SRWS reached an acceptable level of inter-rater reliability. As a test of criterion-related validity, the association between students' reflective skill and an independent rating of their interpersonal skills was examined. As predicted, the level of therapist-self reflectivity was positively correlated with interpersonal skills in the therapeutic context. However, personal-self reflectivity was negatively correlated with students' interpersonal skills. We suggest a possible explanation for this apparently surprising result. Although these tests of reliability and validity are preliminary and the results are modest, it is suggested that the SRWS holds promise as a measure of therapists' reflective ability.
ISSN:1462-3943
1470-1103
DOI:10.1080/14623943.2018.1536652