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Revolutionary 

 Reflective Practice

BIPOC healing and liberation

for

The Need

WHY BIPOC RELFECTIVE PRACTICE

Whether you're an early childhood educator/childcare caregiver, home visitor, family advocate, early intervention clinician, doula, community health worker, administrative personnel, supervisor, or anyone working with young children birth to five years of age and their families, you may be wondering what reflective practice has to do with your work and why there is an increasing urgency to recognize the role of race, equity, and power in reflective practice spaces.

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" We do not learn from experience but from reflecting on experience "

John Dewey

Reflective practice, also known as Reflective Supervision or Reflective Consultation, is a core component of the field of infant and early childhood mental health (IECMH), which is sometimes referred to as social and emotional health.

Reflective Practice provides space to:

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  • deepen understanding of our thoughts, feelings, beliefs, motivations, and intentions in our work

  • shift us toward curiosity and compassion rather than assumption and judgment about the thoughts, feelings, and perspectives of babies, their caregivers, and others who work alongside us  

  • explore the impact of systemic inequities, implicit biases, privilege, social justice, and generational trauma on our families and ourselves and the intersection with the families we support

  • examine internalized oppression and work toward healing and liberation

Kids in Preschool

To help illustrate the powerful potential of reflective practice, you can read through this story about Amelia. How does the challenges she face as a BIPOC practitioner resonate with you, even if you do not work in the same role or area?

The Practitioner/Provider

Amelia Castro is a cisgender, White, second-generation Cuban-American woman who recently obtained her master’s degree in social work. She reported that, although she learned Spanish as a child, English is her primary language and she does not feel confident using Spanish with clients and therefore had hoped to work with English-speaking families. She was hired 2 months ago as a family social worker at an early childhood center until she completes her licensure requirements.

Story source: Noroña et al., (2023)  

Why is reflective practice important?

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