Under ytan : Värdet av självreflektion i det professionella samtalet

Sammanfattning: The purpose of this study is to investigate how professional career counselors look at the concepts self-reflection, self-awareness and the shadow side; “what happens underneath the surface of a conversation”. Furthermore, if they believed that this was something that was highlighted as important during their education and if they have the necessary tools for self-reflection. I also wanted to find out if they spent time self-reflecting in their daily work, and if so, in what way. The study has resulted in the following questions: How do career counselors argue about the concept of self-reflection, self-awareness and the shadow side of a conversation? How do career counselors view the importance of reflecting? What role does self-reflection play for the career counselors in their daily work?  In order to answer these questions, I have used a qualitative approach with in-depth interviews. These in-depth interviews have been performed with professional career counselors in the municipality of Gothenburg. The collected data has then been analyzed, with previous research as a theoretical starting point. The result of the study illustrates the views of these three professional career counselors on the concepts; self-reflection, self-awareness and the shadow side; “what happens underneath the surface of a conversation”. The study found that self-reflection is a central part of the work for all three career counselors. The three counselors believe self-reflection is a prerequisite for self-awareness. They also believe that in order to be a good career counselor, it is important to be aware of yourself and your behavior. Taking time to reflect and to get to know yourself also helped develop their professional roles. The professional development of self-reflection was beneficial for both themselves and their students. The result also shows that an encouraging and positive attitude is required for self-reflection to be part of the work.