Video interaction guidance during the Coronavirus pandemic: Responding to a new way of working

Aim: From March 2020, in-person visits to family homes have not been possible within the authors’ educational psychology service (EPS) due to the Coronavirus pandemic. This paper outlines how Video Interaction Guidance (VIG) practitioners working within the authors’ educational psychology service have adapted their practice to implement VIG through the use of video conferencing software. The wider purpose of this paper is to share reflections upon effective VIG practice when using video conferencing, and to contribute to discussions about how to adapt therapeutic interventions when face-to-face work is not possible

Method: This paper will draw upon literature addressing the implementation of therapeutic interventions using video conferencing software, alongside the case study experience of one of the authors when implementing VIG during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Findings: Challenges and benefits of implementing VIG using video-conferencing software are explored, alongside suggestions for how VIG practitioners can enable VIG to continue when home visits are not possible.

Limitations: This paper is limited by the sparsity of evaluation information available from the case study. The casework information presented here was judged by the authors to be an important component of this paper, since it presented a concrete example, to which discussions in the literature could be applied. The case work example also enables wider discussions about the relationship of online therapeutic work to the specific context in which VIG operates.

Conclusions: The challenges explored highlight the importance of creating clear guidelines that adapt in response to experience and changes in policy. Many of the challenges have complementary benefits, depending on the individual context of the parent and VIG practitioner. This leads to the conclusion that implementing VIG using a digital platform is a positive option for VIG practitioners and may work favourably in some contexts.