IJSP Number 8, 2026

International Journal of Supervision in Psychotherapy, Number 8, 2026 Page | 54 and shaped by defensive mechanisms. Without a supportive framework, it may lead to rigidification, self-blame, or excessive rationalization, without genuine experience integration [2]. Guided reflection, by contrast, presupposes a structured relational framework in which experience is explored in a contained manner oriented toward meaning and integration. Supervision offers such a framework, where reflection is facilitated through guided questions, clarifications, and reflective feedback, supporting the organization of professional experience [1, 5]. The relational framework is essential. The supervision relationship creates conditions for exploring experience without excessive evaluative threat or fear of sanction. Through role and boundary clarification, supervision supports a climate of psychological safety that enables addressing professional dilemmas and the emotional difficulties associated with practice [6]. From this perspective, guided reflection in supervision is not a purely cognitive exercise but a relational process integrating emotional and cognitive self-regulation. The supervisor does not provide solutions or interpretations; instead, the supervisor facilitates reflection and integration, supporting the supervisee’s development of autonomous reflective capacity. 5.3. REFLECTION AS A PROCESS OF IDENTITY INTEGRATION Reflective practice plays a central role in identity integration, functioning as a bridge between lived professional experience and the construction of a coherent professional identity. The professional development literature emphasizes that professional identity results from an ongoing negotiation between experience, values, and institutional contexts [7, 8]. Reflection enables the transformation of raw experience into meaning, allowing professionals to understand not only what they did, but who they are becoming through their practice. This process involves moving from experience to meaning, and then integrating that meaning into a coherent professional narrative. The professional narrative functions as an identity-organizing mechanism, providing continuity and stability amid professional changes and challenges. Without guided reflection, professional experiences may remain fragmented or may generate identity conflicts, especially in early career stages [9]. Supervision, by facilitating structured reflection, supports integrating experience into a coherent identity framework, contributing to the development of an assumed and flexible professional identity. Thus, reflection can be conceptualized not only as a learning tool but as an identity integration process linking professional experience to self-regulation and the meaning of practice. This integrative function of reflection prepares the ground for conceptualizing supervision as a profound reflective educational space capable of supporting long-term professional development.