What is Reflective Practice Facilitation?
Reflective Practice Facilitation is a defined way of providing opportunities for individuals to think about the ways that the theories and ideas accumulated in various kinds of learning opportunities are translated into practice. It involves considering one’s feelings, the perspectives of others, and the social and contextual meaning of how services are delivered.

There are a set of competencies included in the Training Guidelines that define the skills and values needed for a Reflective Practice Facilitator. The term was chosen carefully and replaces the term “reflective supervision” which can in certain circumstances have legal implications.

Why is Reflective Practice Facilitation necessary for core providers or MH specialists?
Reflective Practice Facilitation is needed to ensure that the individual who has been endorsed is able to use knowledge about infants, young children, and families and apply it according to the needs of particular situations in their own setting. Reflective Practice Facilitation settings allow individuals to have practice doing this. The endorsement means that someone has obtained knowledge and experience, AND can apply their knowledge and experience in careful ways.

Is endorsement required for Reflective Practice Facilitators?
Yes, see page 13 of the Revised California Training Guidelines and Personnel Competencies for Infant-Family and Early Childhood Mental Health 2009.

Criteria for Reflective Practice Facilitator I
Endorsed Mental Health Core Providers are qualified to provide reflective practice facilitation to those seeking endorsement as Mental Health Core Providers.  Endorsement as a Reflective Practice Facilitator I requires:

• Endorsement as a Mental Health Core Provider
• At least one year providing reflective practice facilitation to others
• At least 9 hours of training on reflective practice facilitation
• At least 18 hours of reading on reflective practice facilitation and 2 hours of DVD viewing related to reflective practice facilitation
• At least 48 hours of reflective practice facilitation related to the applicant’s work providing reflective practice facilitation to others. This may have been done by face-to-face hours or on the phone or through Skype.  Reflective practice facilitation may have been done on a 1:1 basis or in groups of not more than 8.

Criteria for Reflective Practice Facilitator II
Endorsed Mental Health Specialists are qualified to provide reflective practice facilitation to those seeking endorsement as Mental Health Core Providers or Mental Health Specialists, or to those already endorsed.  Endorsement as a Reflective Practice Facilitator II requires:

• Endorsement as a Mental Health Specialist
• At least one year providing reflective practice facilitation to others
• At least 9 hours of training on reflective practice facilitation
• At least 18 hours of reading on reflective practice facilitation and 2 hours of DVD viewing related to reflective practice facilitation
• At least 48 hours of reflective practice facilitation related to the applicant’s work providing reflective practice facilitation to others. This may have been done by face-to-face hours or on the phone or through Skype.  Reflective practice facilitation may have been done on a 1:1 basis or in groups of not more than 8.

Criteria for Reflective Practice Facilitator Mentors
Reflective Practice Facilitators may apply to become mentors for others developing their Reflective Practice Facilitation skills. Endorsement as a Reflective Practice Facilitator Mentor requires:

• Applicant must be endorsed as a Reflective Practice Facilitator I or II or meet the requirements for Reflective Practice Facilitator I or II. If the applicant meets the requirements, he/she may submit this application concurrently with the mentor application.
• Applicant must have received at least 20 hours of consultation (individual or group) on mentoring others to provide Reflective Practice Facilitation for individuals and/or groups. 
• Applicant must review and respond in writing to sample Reflective Practice Facilitation sessions and dilemmas. A packet of materials will be sent to you upon application. Written responses will become part of your application.
• 9 hours of documented coursework or training related to reflective practice mentoring and ethical dilemmas encountered in practice.

Who Can Provide Reflective Practice Facilitation?
Those providing reflective practice facilitation may have different roles such as supervisor, manager, consultant, trainer or coach.  However, whoever provides reflective practice facilitation should be skilled in the kind of work that the provider is carrying out and in reflective facilitation/supervision skills.  Complete our self-assessment to help think about the reflective facilitation services you have received or are planning for the future.

Who is currently qualified to provide reflective practice facilitation?
There are a very few individuals who have received an endorsement as a Reflective Practice Facilitator. Others are in process. By 2014 all individuals applying for endorsement will need to document that their reflective practice facilitator has been endorsed as a Reflective Practice Facilitator. For individuals seeking endorsement, the best practice at this point is to become familiar with the reflective practice facilitation competencies and share them with individuals who are providing training or reflective supervision in your settings.

Is there a plan to develop a directory of qualified reflective practice facilitators?
Yes. Qualified Reflective Practice Facilitators will be listed on the website.

How can those applying for the Mental Health Core Provider and Mental Health Specialist endorsement access Reflective Practice Facilitation?
Refer to our website listing of training programs at Training Programs.
 
How can one get training in Reflective Practice Facilitation?
Training in Reflective Practice Facilitation will be offered by various training institutions. Please watch this website for postings about available training opportunities.

Who pays for reflective practice facilitation?
In most infant and early childhood mental health training programs reflective practice facilitation is provided for at least some of the hours. Some organizations provide fee for service reflective practice groups that one can join. In some agencies there is excellent reflective supervision that can be documented as reflective practice facilitation.

What are some strategies to encourage employers to pay for or allow time for reflective practice facilitation?  
Reflective Practice Facilitation is linked to best practices in training and service delivery. There is a growing body of research that documents this approach. Strategies to consider are factoring Reflective Practice Facilitation into training budgets, pooling resources to form reflective practice groups, and increasing the quality of on site supervision so that it can provide opportunities to include the new knowledge related to the training guidelines and give opportunities to talk about meaning and application.