What is the purpose of reflection of content? Explain with an example.

Answers may vary. Reflections are used to respond to both content messages and affect. There are several forms of reflection: Simple, complex, double-sided reflections, and reflections with a twist.
Reflections of content emphasize the cognitive aspects of client messages, such as situations, ideas, objects, or persons (Hackney & Cormier, 2005).Reflecting a content message in response to a client's thoughts does not mean that you agree with or condone those thoughts.
Reflection is helpful when social workers want to bring focus to an idea or a situation for client consideration. When employed sparingly, reflection of content may be interspersed with other facilitative responses to prompt client expression. Used to excess, however, such reflection produces a mimicking effect. When the social worker chooses to deemphasize feelings, paraphrases that reflect content are helpful and appropriate.
Example:
Managed care utilization reviewer: We don't think that your patient's condition justifies the level of service that you recommend.
Social worker: So you feel that my documentation does not justify the need that I have recommended according to the approval guidelines you are working from.
In the example above, reflection of content is used as part of the communication with a person whose opinion is important because it relates to delivering client services-the health insurance care manager (Strom- Gottfried, 1998a).