Reflective practice in clinical psychology: Reflections from basic psychological science

Reflective practice has gained traction in clinical psychology largely to address the fact that practitioners must frequently "use their heads" when scientific data are not readily available. Despite their widespread adoption, reflective practice techniques are largely lacking in supportive outcome evidence. We contend that the reflective practice literature has remained largely disconnected from basic psychological science, especially work on the limitations of (a) introspection as a means of becoming aware of one's biases, (b) self-assessment, and (c) acquiring expertise from experience. To realize its potential, the reflective practice literature will need to forge closer connections with work on social cognition and debiasing, and to determine whether its techniques enhance patient outcomes and the validity of clinicians' judgments and predictions.