What is AVIGuk?
Video Interaction Guidance was first developed in the Netherlands in the 1980's. Since then its use in the Netherlands has become widespread.
There are a variety of names given to the same method, with differences arising in terminology, training methods and materials. However, the approaches share the same core: the importance of intersubjectivity in the relationship between the parent and child, and in the relationship between client and practitioner.
The name ‘Video Interaction Guidance’, and the frameworks for training and practice in the United Kingdom, were based on the Dutch model; we call it ‘VIGuk’. VIGuk has been developed to provide greater structure for the training in VIG and accreditation.
The Association
From its inception, VIGuk was an informal collection of VIG supervisors, with an informal leadership.
The UK Association of Video Interaction Guidance (AVIGuk) was set up in 2012 to provide more direction and leadership for VIGuk.
AVIGuk is an incorporated limited company, and is registered as a charity.
People: Who are we?
All VIG supervisors are members of the AVIGuk company.
The structure of AVIGuk is
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Board of Trustees
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Executive Team
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Research & Development Team
In addition, VIG supervisors, and others with relevant skills, contribute voluntarily to new developments approved by the Board as well as ongoing matters such as diversity.
The Board of Trustees
The board is responsible for setting the strategic direction and ensuring that the charity is administered in a way that it achieves its charitable objects. Trustees sit for one or two terms in this unpaid role.
Martin Carey (chair)
Martin is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist, and a VIG Supervisor since 2011. Martin worked in Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services for 20 years before moving to the Psychological Therapies Training Centre (PTTC) in Manchester where he helps lead and deliver a range of IAPT courses, training practitioners in evidence-based therapies. Martin previously served as the Treasurer for AVIGuk; his area of interest on the Board is finance.
Sarah Baillie
Sarah is a Principle Clinical Psychologist, and a VIG supervisor since 2017. Sarah is currently developing infant mental health services across Edinburgh and Lothian (Lothian Parent and Infant Relationship Service - PAIRS).
Sarah’s focus is embedding VIG in Infant Mental Health services, in line with the Scottish Government investment in IMH. She previously worked at the North West CYP-IAPT 0-5 programme, and for Manchester’s 0-5 CAMHS services.
Ruth Clayton
Ruth is a Clinical Psychologist, and a VIG supervisor. Ruth is Programme Lead for the CYP-IAPT 0-2s, 0-5s and Parent Training programmes at the Psychological Therapies Training Centre (PTTC) in Manchester. She previously delivered and supervised VIG practice in a specialist CAMHS service for the 0-5 population. Ruth joined the AVIGuk Board in 2022, and has taken on the role of Board overseeing training/development and service user participation
Alex Greene
Alex is a VIG supervisor. She was introduced to VIG by Hilary Kennedy in 2006 while working as a clinical anthropologist in Paediatrics.
Since 2017, Alex has been supporting VIG training on the UCL Educational Psychology Doctorate programme.
Alex offers VIG to parents and infants, and to families in the court system.
Kathryn Pomerantz
Kathryn is an Educational Psychologist and VIG supervisor.
Until 2019, Kathryn was Deputy Principal Educational Psychologist for Derbyshire County Council, setting up joint VIG training with Educational Psychologists, NHS health visitors and school nurses. She now offers VIG independently to support children and young people with additional needs.
Kathryn has been on the Board of Trustees for AVIGuk since 2019. She has helped to oversee AVIGuk policy (standards and ethics), and strategic IT developments.
Alison Annear
Alison is a Senior Educational Psychologist in a Local Authority in South Wales. Alison first became involved with Video Interaction Guidance in 2014, delivering VIG to families and schools in her role as an educational psychologist. Alison is further developing as a Trainee VIG Supervisor, and is enthusiastic to support the development of VIG in South Wales. Alison’s particular area of interest on the Board is training.
Executive team
The Executive Team is headed by the Chief Executives, Hilary Kennedy and David Gavine. The team includes:
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National Training Coordinator
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Support officers
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Finance Officer
David Gavine
Chief Executive (joint)
David has been involved in VIG since the 1990s: firstly, as a practitioner, then as a supervisor. As a Professional Tutor in Educational Psychology, at the University of Dundee, he worked with Hilary Kennedy to embed VIG in the content and philosophy of the course. Later, as Principal Educational Psychologist in Dundee, he continued to support the development of VIG.
Having retired from practice as a psychologist, David, along with colleagues Hilary Kennedy and Penny Forsyth, set up AVIGuk in 2012. Since then, David has had a key role in the development of AVIGuk's online systems.
Hilary Kennedy
Chief Executive (joint)
Hilary Kennedy brought Video Interaction Guidance (VIG) to the UK in the early 1990s, and continues to be a leading developer of VIG, working with VIG training projects in the UK, Mexico, Tanzania, Finland and Czech Republic.
Prior to retiring in 2008, Hilary worked as an Educational Psychologist in Tayside, and as a Professional Tutor in Educational Psychology, at the University of Dundee.
She is joint Chief Executive for AVIGuk, focusing on Training, Research and Development.
Helen Gibson
National Training Coordinator
Helen has been involved with VIG since the 1990s. She worked in the NHS for over 25 years prior to moving to independent work to focus on VIG.
Helen is now an independent VIG Supervisor. Helen is co-author of the VIG Skills Development Scale: the competency framework used by AVIGuk to assess skill level for accreditation.
As the AVIGuk National Training Coordinator, Helen coordinates and develops the VIG training programme to ensure that training provided by AVIGuk is consistent, impactful and of high quality.
As a Systemic Psychotherapist, Helen is particularly interested in working to embed VIG within organisations to ensure sustainability of VIG after practitioner training is complete.
Zubeida Dasgupta
Learning Systems Manager
Trained as an educational psychologist, Zubeida practises in, supervises and trains a range of professionals in VIG within her independent practice as well as local authority/nhs job, including supervising on and leading the VIG in Tanzania project. More recently she started working as VIG tutor at University of Exeter CYP IAPT ASD/LD course. Together with David Gavine and the Training group, she has helped develop the AVIGuk Learning Platform.
Louise Harris
Support Officer
Louise accredited as a VIG practitioner in 2019. As a social worker employed by a local authority, Louise works mainly with families on the Edge of Care. She uses VIG to help families build on their strengths and avoid children coming into the care system. Louise also works independently as a social worker and VIG practitioner, and provides administration support for AVIGuk.
Marie Robertson
Support Officer
Marie has been an AVIGuk supervisor since 2011. Marie supervises on many infant mental health projects, along with tutoring on the Manchester IAPT 0-2 programme. Marie works independently, offering family risk assessments, and focusing on the child-parent attachment relationship.
Marie contributes to management of the AVIGuk Learning Platform, supporting members and supervisors.
Gurjit Matharu
Finance Officer
Gurjit has been involved with AVIG work since 2016, initially working directly with Hilary Kennedy. She was also responsible for updating events and training programmes on the AVIGuk platform, and organising various conferences.
In 2017, Gurjit's role developed further and she became AVIG's Finance Officer. Gurjit is part of the Executive Team.