Collaborative Critical Reflection and Replies Step 1 : Capture your topic . Mental Health Counseling Once you have identified some potential topics for your reflection , your next task is to identify the specific prompt or stimulus from course content that you will share with others as the primary ( top of the entry ) catalyst for your reflection . For the critical reflections , please choose one ( or more ) one or two sentence direct quotations from the textbook readings or supporting resources as your prompt . The quotation ( s ) should reference , in a relevant , meaningful way , the issues , idea or concept that you will reflect about and that , in the end , you hope all learners will come to think about as a deeply important truth or lesson of this class . To make it easier for you to reflect meaningfully on the topic , the quotation should be relevant to a topic that you can tie directly to your own ( or others ‘) experiences , observations , and critical reasoning . It should also be something you are willing to discuss with the class and something you are willing to think critically about . Step 2 : Write your reflection . Once you have identified the quotation prompt for your reflection , post it at the top of your paper , followed by a line space . Then , share 300 to 400 words ( in meaningful , well organized paragraphs ) that defend your belief that there is an important truth or lesson relevant to this course to be gleaned from this quotation . Essentially , your job is to clarify just what the lesson to be learned is and then to strongly ( and thoughtfully ) defend why you think the lesson is vital . To help you think about your topic and write well , consider ( and answer ) these questions : What truth or lesson is being communicated by this quote ? Why is this truth or lesson so important ? How do your own or other ’ s experiences and observations relate to and support this truth or lesson ? In what ways does this lesson make logical sense to you ? In what ways does this lesson make emotional sense to you ? How might this lesson be relevant to your own or others ’ life and career ? Why do some fail to live as if this truth or lesson were important ? Why might some suggest this truth or lesson is not important ? How would you defend the truth of this lesson from those who disagree and believe the lesson is not important ? What can we