Understanding factors that promote and limit the use of video guidance in child protection services: A SWOT analysis

Abstract

Video interaction guidance, based on the Marte Meo method, is used in child protection services (CPSs) and offered to parents to improve interactions with their children. However, the factors that promote and limit the use of video guidance in CPS are unclear. The present study explored the perceptions of 8 Norwegian Marte Meo therapists who utilize this method in the CPS. The therapists were asked questions about the method's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, to clarify factors that may be important for the use of Marte Meo in the CPS context. Therapists reported a predominance of strengths associated with the method; for example, that Marte Meo provides a set of conditions that makes it possible for parents to see themselves as significant persons in interactions with their children and raise their parenting competency to a reflective level. The results also suggested that there is a need to develop the method to make it applicable to different age groups, problem areas, and contexts. A central agency could establish procedures for identifying such challenges, to ensure continuous quality improvement and to improve Marte Meo through research and innovation.

Finding focus in a difficult landscape: Therapists’ experiences with challenging video guidance processes for parent–infant dyads

“…The first theme, “Promoting growth in a coercive context,” shows how the therapists experienced a dilemmatic collision of child protection perspectives and the salutogenic focus of Marte Meo, despite following method recommendations for clearly defined roles (Hedenbro & Wirtberg, 2012). Earlier empirical findings from the CPS (Kiamanesh et al., 2018) identified unaddressed issues of trust and coercion, and lack of structure, as weaknesses of the method, yet it was regarded as suitable for the CPS, and its salutogenic stance cited as positive for client motivation and change. Our findings show, however, that this stance made the therapists more insecure about the validity and implications of what they observed in the interaction, and when a continuation of the guidance became unethical.…”

“…But its nonmanualized variant lacks a structured approach and does not have an explicit attachment focus. Therapist have found a combination with the Circle‐of‐Security model useful (Kiamanesh et al., 2018).…”

“…Vik and Rohde (2014) stressed the importance of the therapist's sensitivity towards the caregiver. Kiamanesh et al (2018) examined what therapists in the child protection services (CPS) experience as negative method factors in Marte Meo. But a closer description of the inner work of the therapists, their experiences and handling of challenges, is lacking.…”

“…It originated out of an intersubjective perspective and, like video-interaction guidance (VIG) (Kennedy, Landor, & Todd, 2011), has a decidedly solution-focused stance, omitting material that shows negative or ineffectual interaction. This stance has been cited as a key difference to many other methods (Landor & Ljungquist, 2018) and conceptually linked to resource-orientedness (Bunder, 2011;Kiamanesh, Olafsen, & Drozd, 2018), salutogenesis and family resilience (Hedenbro & Wirtberg, 2012). Marte Meo has also been related to Stern's developmental model, and mentalization (Vik & Hafting, 2009;Vik & Rohde, 2014).…”

A mixed methods research study on the video‐based counselling method Marte Meo

“…The first line of research comprises four studies that investigate the use of Marte Meo in the care of female dementia patients (Alnes et al., 2011a, 2011b, 2013; Lykkeslet et al., 2016). A second line of research with another four empirical studies focuses on the Marte Meo counselling process itself, using Marte Meo counsellors as a target group and examining supervision experiences and beneficial therapist characteristics (Kiamanesh et al., 2018; Kristensen et al., 2017; Neander & Skott, 2008; Wächter & Laubenstein, 2013). The last and largest of the three lines of research examines the use of Marte Meo in problematic interactions of children or adolescents with their caregivers.…”