The reflecting team: an innovative approach for teaching clinical skills to family practice residents.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES This paper provides a description and evaluation of the reflecting team approach as a teaching method for family practice residents. We have used the reflecting team approach in our longitudinal behavioral health program for 6 years. Our purpose in using this approach is to 1) teach listening and interviewing skills, 2) teach systems-oriented psychosocial interventions, and 3) provide behavioral health consultations for patients. METHODS A five-item, self-administered, open-ended questionnaire evaluating the reflecting team approach was administered to a sample of family practice residents. RESULTS Completed questionnaires were received from 18 of the 22 family practice residents participating in the longitudinal behavioral health program (a response rate of 82%). Responses to the questionnaire items indicated that the residents understood the purpose of the reflecting team approach and felt that they had acquired a variety of clinical skills from the approach, including listening and interviewing skills, positive reframing of patients' problems, how to give positive feedback to promote behavioral change, and increased knowledge of psychosocial assessment procedures and treatment methods. CONCLUSIONS The residents' responses to the questionnaire items indicated that they perceived the reflecting team approach to be a practical and useful method for learning a variety of clinical skills.