Reflecting backwards and forwards: Summary, recommendations, and future directions

This chapter explores critical perspectives on conceptual and practical issues regarding reflective practice. Several issues emerged which reflect a shift away from the traditional perception of reflective practice by practitioners. In an applied setting, reflective practice is now being undertaken across a range of disciplines and it means different things to different people. Reflective practice is, therefore, presented as a fundamental mechanism and way of being that affords individuals the opportunity to develop the knowledge and skills they need to manage and navigate the complexity that is inherent within applied service delivery in the SES and allied disciplines. Although the reflective practice literature in the SES has undoubtedly grown over the past decade, a wider evidence-base is needed that explores the development of context-specific knowledge, understanding and practice across all disciplines in SES and allied sectors.