Video Interaction Guidance (VIG) is an intervention that aims to improve communication, attunement and empathy within relationships. It is most typically used for interactions between children and adults, either parents or professionals, although it can also be used within pairs (or even groups) of adults.

VIG accredited guides engage parents, professionals and children who wish to enter a process of change. In essence, the guide is there to support the clients to resolve their current difficulties through increasing their sensitivity and attunement in interactions within the relationship.

Its aim is to give individuals a chance to reflect on their interactions, drawing attention to elements that are successful and supporting clients to make changes where desired through skilful coaching.

Day 1 will provide an introduction by showing what VIG is, and how and why it works by exploring underlying psychological theories of VIG including intersubjectivity and looking at the current research evidence. There will be an emphasis on using VIG with young children in families although the range VIG applications will be introduced i.e. working with young people, working with adults with disabilities, working with people with dementia. The skills training part of the course will focus on learning to select suitable strengths-based clips from videos of caregivers and careseekers using the ‘principles of attuned interaction’ which are at the core of VIG. All participants will get the chance to prepare a film (preferably your own 10 minute recording of an interaction that you bring to the course or one provided by trainers).

Day 2 will provide experiential training in conducting a ‘shared review’ of the selected video clips with the caregiver. Participants will be filmed reviewing the selected clips in a rehearsed session and will take part in video enhanced coaching in small groups. At the end of the day they will be prepared to review a film with the family or caregiver (if they brought their own film) or to take their first film and start VIG under the supervision of a trained VIG Supervisor.

Training Guidelines

There are different levels of VIG training. This course gives the introductory training required before you begin to practice.

In order to be an accredited Practitioner, this initial 2 day course is followed by 30 hours of supervision usually over 18 months. The timing of this can be extended depending on individual circumstances. A fourth stage is added if a trainee wishes to also train as a supervisor/trainer. Additional training is charged separately.

Currently, this is aligned with AVIGuk http://www.videointeractionguidance.net/index.html

Facilitators

Dr Sheridan Forster is a founding member of Video Interaction Guidance Australia. She has been using and supervising VIG for four years. Sheridan is a speech pathologist and researcher. Her PhD focused on interactions between adults with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities and disability support workers. Sheridan has used VIG with people with autism, and dementia & Down syndrome.

Maureen Granger is an Advanced Supervisor and Trainer in Video Interaction Guidance (AVIGuk). She set up a VIG multi disciplinary project in Cornwall UK, which is now a dedicated VIG service. The project has over 40 trainee guiders and supervisors from health, education and social care. Maureen was previously an educational psychologist in both Scotland and England.

Dr Meredith Prain has been practicing as a speech pathologist for the past 19 years and was accredited as a Video Interaction Guidance practitioner in 2013. Meredith has been using Video Interaction Guidance for the past two and a half years with adults with deafblindness and adults with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities.