Speech and Language Therapy students on our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes begin their training with a clinical placement on campus. This placement takes place in a supportive environment where students work in teams and are guided by a practice educator. They gain hands-on experience working with adults or children who have communication difficulties.<\/p>\n
A key goal of this placement is to help students develop reflective practice<\/strong>\u2014the ability to think about their work and learn from it. The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists defines reflective practice as \u201ca process by which therapists extend their knowledge and skills to maintain competence throughout their professional lives. It involves ongoing reflection on clinical practice, learning experiences, and professional development to ensure safe and effective care for service users.<\/p>\n To support this, students take part in small group discussions after each clinical session. Led by their practice educator, they talk about what went well, what could be improved, and how they might approach things differently next time. Students also share ideas, solve problems together, and give feedback to one another.<\/p>\n Although students learn about reflective techniques in theory, this placement gives them their first opportunity to apply these skills in real clinical situations.<\/p>\n We use Gibbs\u2019 Reflective Cycle (1988)<\/strong>, a simple framework that helps students learn from their experiences. In small groups (6\u20138 students), each student talks through their clinical session using the following steps:<\/p>\n During these sessions, educators guide the discussion with prompts and questions but do not provide the \u201cright\u201d answers. The aim is to create a safe environment where students feel comfortable sharing and learning from each other.<\/p>\n Afterwards, students are encouraged to watch recordings of their sessions and write a reflection to deepen their learning.<\/p>\n Educators find that group-based reflective supervision is very effective in helping students improve their reflection skills, which is reflected in strong assessment outcomes. Although each session covers different issues, having a clear and consistent structure for reflection has been valuable.<\/p>\n Students report increased confidence from working in groups. For example:<\/p>\n \u201cI enjoyed working with my group. It helped build my confidence and encouraged me to share ideas. I felt very supported by the students I worked with.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/p>\n Students also say the sessions feel safe and non-judgemental:<\/p>\n \u201cI felt really well supported and never judged.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe supervision sessions gave us a safe space to talk about how therapy went and how to improve.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/p>\n Some students benefit from extra time and support to think more deeply about their sessions. Tools such as video recordings and written reflections are particularly helpful. For example:<\/p>\n \u201cHaving the videos to watch back is incredibly useful for self-reflection, and the supervision sessions feel extremely supportive.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Challenges and things to consider:<\/p>\n Students were able to develop the following attributes:<\/p>\n
\nOur solution (approach)<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\nStudents briefly explain what happened during the session\u2014what they did and how it happened. This is a factual account without judging or analysing.<\/li>\n
\nStudents reflect on how they and their client felt during the session. They are encouraged to compare how they felt at the time with how they feel now, and to consider how their emotions may have influenced their actions.<\/li>\n
\nStudents think about what went well and what did not. They may compare what they planned to achieve with what actually happened and consider both their own actions and the client\u2019s responses.<\/li>\n
\nStudents explore why things happened the way they did, using their knowledge and relevant theories. Group discussion is encouraged so students can share ideas and consider different approaches.<\/li>\n
\nStudents identify what they have learned, including both strengths and areas for improvement.<\/li>\n
\nStudents decide what they would do differently next time and set clear goals for improvement.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
\nThe impact (results)<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n
\nLessons learned<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\nIt\u2019s important to explain the purpose of reflective sessions early on and emphasise that they are confidential and non-judgemental. Reflecting on personal feelings can feel vulnerable, so students need to feel safe to take part fully.<\/li>\n
\nWhile reflection can be done one-to-one with an educator, group discussion adds depth and leads to richer learning. Hearing different perspectives helps students think more broadly.<\/li>\n
\nEducators should guide students to give feedback in a supportive and professional way. For example, asking each student to highlight one positive thing they observed in a peer\u2019s session can help build confidence.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\nPractical tips for implementing this approach<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\nEducation for Life Skills and Attributes<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n
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