Dear trainee,
I am a trainee educational psychologist enrolled on a training course at the University of Birmingham, where I am supervised by Dr X, Educational Psychologist who has approved this project. I am
currently on placement at X Educational Psychology Service where I work under the supervision of X Specialist Senior Educational Psychologist.
As part of my doctoral research, I am interested in working with trainee educational psychologists to support the development of consultation skills through the use of an approach called Video
Enhanced Reflective Practice (VERP) based upon the Video Interaction Guidance (VIG) principles. What are VIG and VERP?
Video Interaction Guidance (VIG) uses video to help people understand and improve their communication with others. It is mainly used to help clients bring about positive change in their important relationships. Video Enhanced Reflective Practice (VERP) uses the VIG approach specifically to increase effectiveness in interprofessional or professional – client communication. It is an effective way of applying VIG to various training, team-building and professional development projects, leading to sustainable growth in communication skills in an organisation.
How might VERP help?
VERP is a strengths-based approach, where video of normal daily professional activity is micro- analysed into clips demonstrating the principles of attuned interaction. The focus is on what the professional is doing well, even if this is momentary or an exception to their usual pattern. This helps them to recognise their emergent strengths and build on them, and to understand the impact on the other person when they are communicating effectively. The approach works through goal-oriented, learner-led target-setting and review.
Values
With roots in intersubjectivity, social constructivism and pedagogy theories, VERP works in a
respectful and collaborative way with clients. It empowers through using edited video clips of “better than usual” communication between people as the basis of a reflective dialogue about how to improve the interaction. It is a relationship-based intervention which helps professionals become more sensitive and attuned to their interaction partner’s emotional needs, which in turn helps them to meet their goals.
166
There is a growing body of evidence for the effectiveness of VIG and VERP, in families, schools, social work, care settings, health, research and business. See Chapters 4, 10, 11 in Video Interaction Guidance: a relationship-based intervention to promote attachment, empathy and wellbeing 2011, eds. Hilary Kennedy, Miriam Landor and Liz Todd, pub. Jessica Kingsley
Publishers, and www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XNxYLthKB4.
If you would like to be involved in this research you would be asked to complete the following:
Attend an introductory training seminar about VERP (approx. 2 hours). The aim of this seminar is to provide you with more information about the VERP process as well as giving you the opportunity to edit film clips.
Participate in filming three consultations and then selecting three video clips of positive interactions (you will be required to gain consent from all consultees on three separate occasions. I will provide you with a consent letter for consultees to sign. You will also be required to film each session, I will provide the recording equipment).
You will then be invited after each consultation to meet with myself (as the VERP guider) to explore the video clips and take part in a shared review on three separate occasions (approx. 1 hour each)
I would also ask for your consent for me to share these clips with X VIG
supervisor/Educational Psychologist in a shared review to explore my learning.
I would then like you to (and I will too) select three clips from the process which you were particularly pleased about and that you would feel comfortable sharing with other trainees. We will then share these clips within the group as part of a celebration.
Finally, I would like to interview you about your experiences in participating in the process (approx. 30 minutes).
You are under no obligation to participate in this piece of work and you will remain anonymous in the write up of this study. Your data will not be shared between participants and you have the right to withdraw from the study until after the 1:1 interviews and your data will not be analysed. If you agree to participate, your data will remain anonymous and I would like to feedback your views and experiences to the psychology service and use this information in the write up of my thesis. I will be asked to keep the data for up to ten years but this will be kept in a locked filing cabinet on an encrypted memory stick and any paper work will be kept in here too. After this time any electronic data will be deleted and paper work will be shredded. The videos will be destroyed immediately after data analysis takes place.
A consent form is attached for you to sign and return if you wish to participate in this study. If you have any concerns or questions, please let me know as soon as possible. If you are unsure whether or not you would like to participate, you can attend the VERP seminar and make your final decision then.
I would be happy to discuss this process further so please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions regarding this study. My email address is: X and my supervisors email address is: X our phone number is X.
167 Sarah Murray
Trainee Educational Psychologist
Participants name……….. Main office base: ……….
University: ………... Year of study: ……… Please tick the suitable boxes and sign. Thank you.
I would like to attend the initial VERP seminar before committing to this study
I give consent to participate in this study
I give consent to be filmed in this study
I give consent to be involved in the three cycles of VERP
I give consent to be involved in the 1:1 interviews
I give consent for the researcher to share my video clips with a VIG supervisor
I do not give consent to participate in this study
168