Parent - infant work
Challenges and difficulties in your relationship with your baby can arise for all sorts of reasons, and may be especially common in the context of a parental mental health problem. Sometimes it makes most sense to work with you on your own to address the emotional difficulties you are having. But depression, anxiety, worry, OCD and trauma, for example, can all make it harder to form a close bond with your baby or to feel that you are communicating well with them, which can lead to feelings of disconnection, distance, sadness or frustration. A sense of a difficulty in establishing a good relationship with your baby can also be associated with problems with conception, during pregnancy, in labour and birth itself, or afterwards with feeding, for instance. Your baby may seem particularly difficult to settle, or you may be struggling to read their cues, perhaps, which can contribute to the feeling that you are not getting it right somehow, or that your baby doesn't like being with you. These are very painful ways to feel. Many people struggle with this in some way, and there is help available that can support you to develop your confidence in yourself and in your relationship with your baby. I use a number of therapeutic models and approaches to work in a supportive and gentle way with parents who may be finding this difficult.
VIDEO INTERACTION GUIDANCE
Video Interaction Guidance (VIG) is a method which aims to improve communication and relationships. Participants are closely supported to view and reflect on short edited video clips of real situations and personal interactions. The client-centred, sensitive approach enables people to become more aware of their skills and strengths in communication/relating, and to be empowered by the guider to build on these strengths, challenge assumptions, and make desired changes.
VIG is an evidence-based method that has its roots in theories of attachment, mentalisation (mind-mindedness) and relational intersubjectivity. It also has a strong ethical base: at the heart of VIG is the understanding that relationships are built on respect, trust, hope, compassion, cooperation and appreciation. The approach enables change through self-modelling and video feedback in the context of a collaborative partnership between the participant and the guider. The key concept in VIG is attunement - between parent and child, but also between parent and guider.
What does VIG 'look like' in action?
VIG takes place in cycles, each of which is made up of two sessions. In the first session, I will take a short video of some interaction between you and your child. I will help you to think about and prepare for this session in order to get the most out of the film. After the session, I review the footage in detail and will select a few clips and/or still images which relate specifically to your particular goals, and which illustrate moments where interaction was attuned and where things were "better than usual". In the second session, I will share these clips with you in a review during which we look at the edited footage together slowly and carefully, reflecting on what happened in the moment, and supporting you to see what you are doing that is making a positive difference to the relationship. This process is usually repeated for 3-4 cycles.
Who can benefit from VIG?
VIG was originally developed as a parent-child intervention with the aim of developing strong attunement and attachment between a child and caregiver. Today, it is used in a range of ways in educational and health settings, children's services and the criminal justice system. VIG is recommended in the UK by NICE (National Institute of Clinical Excellence) and it is also listed as a recommended intervention in the 1001 Critical Days cross-party manifesto.
The principles and practice of VIG are very versatile and can be applied to pretty much any relationship and any age range. VIG can also be used initially to support two people (e.g., a mother and child) and then used systematically with extended family members or professionals working with the family.
I am an AVIG UK accredited video interaction guider. You can find out more about VIG and about AVIG UK here: https://www.videointeractionguidance.net.
WATCH, WAIT, WONDER (WWW)
WWW is a child-led psychotherapeutic approach that provides an unstructured framework within which to use spontaneous activity and play to reflect on the child’s thoughts, feelings and desires, to enhance parental sensitivity and responsiveness to the child, and to build the child’s capacity to regulate emotions. WWW is especially helpful when there are relationship struggles between a parent-infant pair, and unlike many other interventions, it places the child at its centre.
