Reflective supervision/consultation (RS/C) is growing by leaps and bounds around the country—and it’s no wonder. Evidence suggests that this relationship-based form of professional development has a range of benefits for people who work with young children and their families. (Download our free e-book to learn more about how RS/C is used in fields like child care, healthcare, education, and social work.)

Researchers at the Reflective Practice Center (RPC) at CEED wondered how those who provide reflective supervision, either as managers or consultants, acquire their skills. We conducted a landscape survey to find out about the state of RS/C training around the country. We asked:

1. What RS/C training is currently available nationwide?
2. What are RS/C providers’ perceptions of the training they have received?

Our new report, Training in Reflective Supervision/Consultation: Nationwide Survey Results, details our findings. These included:

• RS/C providers in this sample most commonly held an advanced degree with some clinical training, combined with specialized training in RS/C.
• The majority of RS/C providers had 17 or more hours of training on how to provide RS/C.
• State associations offer the most RS/C training, but professional organizations and employers offer it as well.
• There are multiple modes of RS/C training, and they vary in type, content, length, intensity, and consistency. Didactic and experiential training are both seen as necessary for building the skills of reflective practitioners.
• Face-to face RS/C training is most common, but a substantial amount of RS/C training is also conducted online.
• The requirements or qualifications for taking RS/C training vary by training organization.
• RS/C providers were eager to deepen their knowledge and skills in the provision of RS/C. They identified gaps in training content and modes of training.

In the report, you’ll also find direct testimonials from survey respondents that provide insight into why and how RS/C works, like this quotation from a practitioner:

“Participation in RS/C has been life-changing for me. It has made me a more patient, mindful, and observant practitioner. It has helped me learn how to use myself and awareness of what I am thinking and/or feeling to be more accepting of my clients and colleagues and frankly, myself. It has decreased my stress, made me feel less ‘alone’ in the work with young children and their families. It is the hour I look forward to the most each month.”

Funding for this project was generously provided by the Lynne and Andrew Redleaf Foundation.  Download the report.