Counselling Practice - Becoming a Reflective Practitioner

THE PROFESSIONAL COUNSELLOR
04 2008
We enjoy contact from students! Drop us a line -
send us your ideas or comments - keep us informed
of what your needs are.
“Staff in the Adelaide support centre work with a
can-do attitude to students’ requests”. So remember …
if you need help, all you need do is ask, (It is a far
bigger weakness not to ask). We are here to enhance
your learning experience… … let us know what you
need … … and we will endeavour to provide it. Good
luck with your studies… Hope to see you at one of
your seminars soon.
CHRISTMAS CLOSURE: We will close 12:00noon
FRIDAY 19TH December 2008 & Re-open MONDAY
5TH January 2009
NOTE: You may still submit assignments in the
usual way they will be held at the post office till we
re-open. Payment of Course Fees will be processed
throughout the break {on or shortly after your usual
billing date}.
For those who celebrate we would like to take this
opportunity to wish you …
A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY /SAFE NEW
YEAR with family and friends
We look forward to catching up with you as you
progress with your studies throughout 2009
Kind Regards,
Carol, Kerry-Ann, Linda, Sally & Shona
The Adelaide team
Regional New South
Wales
Hello all,
A warm welcome to all our new and current
students. Well I can’t believe that I am wishing
everyone a Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy and
prosperous New Year. Where did the last 12 months
go
As you all know there have been many new
changes since I took over in July (I hope you have all
been receiving my emails) and now we have another
new change. A new office on the Gold Coast.
Don’t worry Kaye has moved as well into the new
office, although I think she found some new muscles
to go along with the move. To contact Kaye directly
for Private Assessments or Tutorials her new number is
07 5570 2020.
Our new address is The Kingfisher Centre, 11/13
Karp Court, Bundall. Our phone numbers have not
changed - 07 5571 1811 or 1800 625 329.
Volunteering
Ever thought about volunteering It’s a great idea!
Volunteering in a counselling capacity with an
organisation of your choice is a great way to gain
experience and learn about the industry. It will also
be beneficial in expanding your career prospects. We
suggest that you get in contact with organisations in
your local area as they are usually busy this time of
year and often just need an extra pair of hands to help
out, and you never know where this could lead to
with your counselling career.
Christmas and New Year Closure
The Regional NSW & Gold Coast Support Centres
will be closed from 12 noon Friday 19th December
2008 and will reopen refreshed and rejuvenated ready
to face the New Year head on starting 9.00am Monday
5th January 2009
A Quote for Christmas
“What is Christmas It is tenderness for the past,
courage for the present, hope for the future. It is a
fervent wish that every cup may overflow with
blessings rich and eternal, and that every path may
lead to peace.” — Agnes M. Pharo
Renee and I would like to wish you and your
family a safe and peaceful Christmas and a happy
2009.
All the best from,
Amanda & Renee
Regional NSW & Gold Coast Support Team
Western Australia
Hello and greetings to all new students who have
recently joined us, and hello to all of our other
students.
We are now into daylight savings, so it is a great
time to assess your goals and aspirations and continue
to focus on your studies. Becoming a Professional
Counsellor will provide you with inspirational and
gratifying times in your life. The team here are always
willing and on hand to assist you with any queries
you may have.
Reflective Practice
It is important that as part of our learning that we
also reflect on what we are doing. This is called
Reflective Practice. Donald Schon (1983) suggested
that the capacity to reflect on action so as to engage in
a process of continuous learning was one of the
defining characteristics of Professional Practice.
Reflection will keep us moving along the continuum
towards agility in our classrooms which will resonate
further a-field as our students move on and reflect
their capacity to learn in future environments. The
aims of reflective thinking are to lead to more effective
learning, to enable competent learning, to maximise
performance to provide problem solving technique
and to enable the learner to decide upon competent
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