Search

AbstractThis case study aims to uncover the processes of narrative change in retirement from elite sport. Using Dialogical Self Theory, we examined resistance to retirement and narrative work in a recently retired, Swiss, male elite athlete from an individual sport. Two narrative interviews at 3-months and 1-year post retirement were analyzed using a holistic-content analysis, and an analysis of multivoicedness and innovative moments. We identified 39 I-positions and key innovative moments which were exceptions to the athlete’s problematic narrative and supported athletic retirement. Importantly, results demonstrate that the participant’s self-innovation began proactively before retirement, was necessitated by dialogue and supported by the introduction of a new future-oriented position, the position I-as-healing. Innovation continued after retirement and the position I-as self-reflective allowed the athlete to observe changes to his self-concept and restore continuity. Based on our findings, athletes should be supported in accessing a variety of I-positions to enable rich inner dialogue before they approach retirement from elite sport. Reflective practices which encourage meta-positions and help trace continuity far into their futures may also be advantageous. Practical considerations for the identification of I-positions in personal narratives during transitions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractObjectivesMethodsResultsConclusionsAlthough psychotherapy research suggests that clients’ resources are related to positive outcomes, there is a lack of clinical tools available to consider their integration into psychotherapy. In this exploratory research, we studied the feasibility of a semi-structured interview to identify resources reported by clients at the onset of therapy and the relationship between resources and therapy outcomes.Data consisted of interviews with 30 clients from a clinical trial, in which elicitation of resources and their relationship with the outcomes were the main study objectives.This interview was content analyzed and both adaptative resources and maladaptive resources (dysfunctional coping strategies) were identified. The association between the adaptive resources and the evolution of outcomes throughout treatment was analyzed. Time (i.e. sessions) and resources were negatively correlated with psychological distress. Moreover, resources positively influenced the impact of time on distress.Clinicians should not take at face value resources that are self-reported, as they may reflect the maladaptive functioning of the client. The finding that clients with higher resources at onset have better outcomes points to the need to study how resources may be elicited effectively during therapy, and if this improves psychotherapy outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractObjectiveMethodsResultsConclusionInterpersonal synchronization is increasingly studied as a biomarker of empathy, therapeutic alliance, and treatment outcome. However, most studies average data over sessions, leaving associations between synchrony and actual interactions largely unexplored. We aim to showcase a novel approach examining synchronization during specific micro-processes: Innovative Moments (IM) as markers of exceptions to clients’ problematic patterns of meaning.Electrodermal activity was recorded over 15 sessions of a psychodynamic psychotherapy single case. Moment-to-moment patient-therapist synchrony was calculated using the Adaptive Matching Interpolated Correlations (AMICo) algorithm. The Innovative Moments Coding System was utilized to identify IMs within session transcripts with precise timing. Monte-Carlo permutation tests were conducted to examine the association between physiological synchrony and IM Levels of increasing complexity (Levels 1–3).Higher-than-random synchronization emerged during Level 3 IMs (p = 0.046; d = 0.21) but not in lower Levels. Post-hoc qualitative analyses linked high synchrony to sub-processes of Level 3 IMs, such as positive contrasts and attributions for change.Our findings show it is possible to link moment-by-moment physiological co-regulation to theoretically identified meaning-making processes. While generalization of these observations is undue, this work demonstrates a robust and promising application of a multimodal approach to investigating psychotherapy, providing insights into both the clinical case and the theoretical model adopted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Innovative moments (IMs) pinpoint new and more adaptative meanings that emerge in clients' discourse during psychotherapy. Studies with adult clients have found a greater proportion of IMs in recovered compared to unchanged cases, but similar studies have yet to be conducted with adolescents. Aims: The paper aims (1) to study retrospectively the emergence of IMs in therapy, using a post‐therapy interview, in adolescents that underwent psychotherapy for depression, and (2) to characterize the themes present in IMs identified retrospectively in the interviews. Method: Semi‐structured post‐treatment interviews conducted with 24 adolescents on the experience of taking part in a clinical trial of youth depression, were coded using the Innovative Moments Coding System. After identifying IMs, a thematic analysis identified the prominent themes within them. Results: Higher presence of IMs were found in recovered compared to unchanged cases. Two main themes emerged in the IMs, changes that occurred with therapy and attributions of changes. Recovered cases presented more IMs centred on the self, whereas unchanged cases identified more non‐specific changes. Conclusion: This study suggests that it is possible to code IMs, identified retrospectively, based on post‐therapy interviews with adolescents. Meaningful differences were found between recovered compared to unchanged cases. Therapeutic recovery was associated with a higher focus on the self and more specificity in clients' representations of the change process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This special section contains studies in which innovative moments are used as markers of changes in meaning in psychotherapy. Innovative moments, as an empirical operationalization of the concept of "unique outcomes" from narrative therapy, have been used as a strategy to evaluate changes in meaning in psychotherapy sessions and interviews. Innovative moments are defined as exceptions to the problematic pattern of meaning that is associated with clients' suffering. The emergence of these change markers indicates that flexibility is occurring in the meaning system. This special section contains five studies. Esposito et al. address innovative moments in group intervention by considering the idea that these events are not just individual but also interactional and collective events. Shimshi et al. study shifts between self-states and their relation to innovative moment production in therapy. These shifts are associated with the production of innovative moments, providing further support for the idea that flexibility and the emergence of these change markers are associated. Leeav et al. analyze the relationship between innovative moment production and the therapeutic alliance in a single case study. Fernandez-Navarro et al. interview therapists to understand whether coding innovative moments in sessions may help therapists become more attuned to these events in practice. Finally, Koustafa et al. analyze the evolution of innovative moments in a small sample of individuals with bulimia nervosa. Together, these studies illustrate the potential of this concept as well the domains in which it may be applicable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the relationship between implicit and explicit levels of change in psychotherapy—the ability to shift between self-states, measured by the Two Person APES (TPA), a relational extension of the Assimilation of Problematic Experiences Scale (APES), and the emergence of exceptions to the problematic self-narrative, measured by the Innovative Moments Coding System (IMCS). The contribution of each of these dimensions of change to session outcome was also examined. Eighty sessions of eight psychodynamic treatments (10 sessions each) were sampled and coded according to the TPA and the IMCS. Session outcome was measured by the Outcome Rating Scale (ORS). A repeated measures correlation approach was used, revealing a positive association between IMs and client TPA. Also, IMs showed stronger correlations with session outcome compared to TPA. These results indicate that a growing ability to shift between self-states in the implicit level is related to the client's ability to construct new meanings in the explicit level, and that these explicit changes have stronger correlations with functioning improvement at the session level than implicit processes concerning the renewal of dialogue between self-states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In psychotherapy, ambivalence may be conceptualized as a conflict between two distinct motivations: one that is favorable to change (pro-change) and another that favors the maintenance of a problematic pattern (pro status quo). Previous studies identified two processes by which clients resolve this conflict: imposing the innovative part and silencing the problematic one (dominance), and establishing negotiations between the innovative and the pro status quo parts (negotiation). The present exploratory study examined ambivalence resolution in a sample of clients diagnosed with complicated grief. Results revealed that, in recovered cases, negotiation increases and dominance decreases from the beginning until the middle sessions of therapy and the opposite tendency is observed from the middle to the final sessions. Unchanged cases reveal an overall high proportion of dominance and an overall low proportion of negotiation. These results are partially divergent from those reported in previous studies with samples of clients diagnosed with major depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of narrative therapy with emphasis on innovative moments on cognitive emotion regulation in adolescent girls with self-harm with suicidal ideation. The present study is a quasi-experimental study with experimental and control groups. The statistical population of the present study was all female high school students with self-harm with suicidal ideation who were referred to Shahid Fahmideh Student Counseling Center in Bonab city in 2019 In this study, the available sampling method was used to select the sample. The experimental group underwent 8 sessions of narrative therapy based on the intervention program of White and Epston (1990) and the control group did not receive any intervention. Findings indicate that narrative therapy with emphasis on innovative moments had a significant effect on improving cognitive emotion regulation (p

This paper analyzes the audiovisual essay Conceptualization of Change from the perspective of psychotherapy. Psychotherapy aims to transform lives and alleviate people’s suffering, making it a natural setting to observe and study how individuals undergo change (or remain unchanged). The essay explores the concept of innovative moments, which represent exceptions to the problems that led clients to seek psychotherapy. Defining an innovative moment requires identifying a problematic pattern beforehand, as these moments are defined as deviations from the established pattern. This identification process is not straightforward in psychotherapy and becomes even more challenging in social and political contexts due to the involvement of political and ethical considerations. The paper suggests that increasing complexity and fostering dialogue serve as overarching criteria for defining innovative moments in the wider socio-political contexts.

Background: Innovative moments (IMs), defined as moments in psychotherapy when patients’ problematic patterns change toward more elaborated and adaptive patterns, have been shown to be associated with a clinical change in patients with depression. Thus, far IMs have been studied in face-to-face settings but not in telephone-based cognitive-behavioral therapy (t-CBT). This study investigates whether IMs occur in t-CBT and examines the association between IMs and symptom improvement, and reconceptualization and symptom improvement. Methods: The therapy transcripts of n = 10 patients with mild to moderate depression (range: 7–11 sessions, in total 94 sessions) undergoing t-CBT were qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed. Symptom severity (Patient Health Questionnaire-9) and IMs (levels and proportions) were assessed for each therapy session. Hierarchical linear models were used to test the prediction models. Results: The rating of IMs was shown to be feasible and reliable using the Innovative Moments Coding System (IMCS) (84.04% agreement in words coded), which is indicative of the applicability of the concept of IMs in t-CBT. Only reconceptualization IMs were shown to have a predictive value for treatment success (R2  = 0.05, p = 0.01). Discussion: The results should be interpreted with caution due to the exploratory nature of this study. Due to the telephone setting, it was necessary to adapt the IMCS. Nonetheless, the extent of IMs identified in the low-intensity t-CBT investigated was comparable to IMs in face-to-face therapy. Further studies are needed to clarify the association between IMs and treatment success as a change process, especially for low-intensity treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study tests an add‐on procedure to foster change in Career Construction Counseling by eliciting reconceptualization innovative moments. After the career counseling intervention with 42 participants, 21 participants were allocated to the add‐on procedure, consisting of two additional sessions focused on eliciting reconceptualization innovative moments In turn, participants in the comparison group attended two extra intervention sessions in which the lifetime task was used. Outcome measures assessing vocational behavior and psychological distress were applied at the onset, at the end of counseling and after the two additional sessions. The findings show that Career Construction Counseling was effective, allowing a significant increase in vocational certainty, vocational identity, career decision‐making, and a decrease in psychological distress. After counseling, participants in the add‐on intervention fostering reconceptualization innovative moments revealed greater gains in vocational identity and psychological distress than those in the comparison group. The practical implications of these findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundInnovative moments (IMs), defined as moments in psychotherapy when patients’ problematic patterns change toward more elaborated and adaptive patterns, have been shown to be associated with a clinical change in patients with depression. Thus, far IMs have been studied in face-to-face settings but not in telephone-based cognitive-behavioral therapy (t-CBT). This study investigates whether IMs occur in t-CBT and examines the association between IMs and symptom improvement, and reconceptualization and symptom improvement.MethodsThe therapy transcripts of n = 10 patients with mild to moderate depression (range: 7–11 sessions, in total 94 sessions) undergoing t-CBT were qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed. Symptom severity (Patient Health Questionnaire-9) and IMs (levels and proportions) were assessed for each therapy session. Hierarchical linear models were used to test the prediction models.ResultsThe rating of IMs was shown to be feasible and reliable using the Innovative Moments Coding System (IMCS) (84.04% agreement in words coded), which is indicative of the applicability of the concept of IMs in t-CBT. Only reconceptualization IMs were shown to have a predictive value for treatment success (R2 = 0.05, p = 0.01).DiscussionThe results should be interpreted with caution due to the exploratory nature of this study. Due to the telephone setting, it was necessary to adapt the IMCS. Nonetheless, the extent of IMs identified in the low-intensity t-CBT investigated was comparable to IMs in face-to-face therapy. Further studies are needed to clarify the association between IMs and treatment success as a change process, especially for low-intensity treatments.

Background: Nonsuicidal self injury has become a common and worrying issue among female adolescents. One of the most important factors in the occurrence of self-harming behaviors is negative emotions. Studies have examined the efficacy of limited therapies on borderline personality disorder and the efficacy of narrative-therapy on girls with nonsuicidal self injuiry has been neglected. Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of narrative therapy with emphasis on innovative moments on emotion regulation in adolescent girls with nonsuicidal self injuiry. Methods: The present study is a quasi-experimental study with experimental and control group. The statistical population of the present study was all female high school students with nonsuicidal self injury who were referred to Shahid Fahmideh Student Counseling Center in Bonab city from 2015 to 2020. In this study, the available sampling method was used to select the sample, Thirty students with a history of nonsuicidal self injury who had low emotion regulation were selected and were randomly assigned to the experimental group of 15 people and the control group of 15 people.The experimental groups were exposed to 8 sessions of narrative therapy based on the intervention program of White and Epston (1990) and the control group did not receive any intervention.The post-test was performed for groups. Due to the nature of the research, the statistical model used to test the hypotheses of the present study is multivariate analysis of variance. Results: Narrative therapy with an emphasis on innovative moments had a significant effect on improving emotion regulation (p

Introduction. In group psychotherapy research, there are few reliable measures for tracking members’ change. This study proposes a further adaptation of the Innovative Moment Coding System for Groups (IMCS-G), a reliable method previously developed in one format of group intervention for detecting innovative moments (IMs). IMs are exceptions to the clients’ problematic narratives, organized in different levels of complexity in terms of meaning elaboration (Level 1, 2, and 3). IMCS-G consists of 7 categories (Self-Directed, Other-Directed, Explicit Mirroring, Interaction 1, Interaction 2, Collective, Voice of Group) organized in two macro-categories: Individual (e.g., change was narrated by a single participant) and Group IMs (e.g., change was co-constructed by more than one participant). Methods. Two reliable coders applied the IMCS-G to analyze the transcripts of nine sessions of a counseling group addressed to underachieving university students (N=10) and eight sessions of a brief group psychotherapy targeted to substance abusers (N=8). Agreement and reliability for IMCS-G categories and their Levels were calculated. Results. Consistently with previous studies, a strong agreement and reliability for IMCS-G categories and Levels were found in both group interventions. Furthermore, despite some differences in the frequency of IMCS-G categories and Levels, in both interventions, there was a higher frequency of Self-Directed IMs, a lower frequency of the Explicit Mirroring IMs, and a higher frequency of Level 3 Group IMs. Discussion. This study confirmed the reliability of IMCS-G in different group formats, but it also suggested rooms of improvement for some IMCS-G categories.

Copyright of Revista de Psicoterapia is the property of Revista de Psiquiatria y Psicologia Humanista, S.L. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In group psychotherapy research, there are few reliable measures for tracking members' change. This study proposes a further adaptation of the Innovative Moment Coding System for Groups (IMCS-G), a reliable method previously developed in one format of group intervention for detecting innovative moments (IMs). IMs are exceptions to the clients' problematic narratives, organized in different levels of complexity in terms of meaning elaboration (Level 1, 2, and 3). IMCS-G consists of 7 categories (Self-Directed, Other-Directed, Explicit Mirroring, 'Prompting change, Reinforcing change, Collective, Voice of Group) organized in two macro-categories: Individual (e.g., change was narrated by a single participant) and Group IMs (e.g., change was co-constructed by more than one participant). Two reliable coders applied the IMCS-G to analyse the transcripts of nine sessions of a counselling group addressed to underachieving university students (N=10) and eight sessions of a brief group psychotherapy targeted to substance abusers (N=8). Agreement and reliability for IMCS-G categories and their Levels were calculated. Consistently with previous studies, a strong agreement and reliability for IMCS-G categories and Levels were found in both group interventions. Furthermore, despite some differences in the frequency of IMCS-G categories and Levels, in both interventions, there was a higher frequency of Self-Directed IMs, a lower frequency of the Explicit Mirroring IMs, and a higher frequency of Level 3 Group IMs in comparision with Level 3 Individual IMs. This study confirmed the reliability of IMCS-G in different group interventions, but it also suggested rooms of improvement for some IMCS-G categories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Innovative moments (IMs) are moments in which the previous problematic pattern of meaning is challenged. Studies have shown that IMs are associated with good psychotherapy outcomes. A three-level hierarchy of IMs was observed in recent studies, with level 1 IMs being more elementary and levels 2 and 3 being more complex and associated with treatment success. However, studies with manualized protocol treatments are thus far lacking. This study analyzed the longitudinal progression of IMs in the Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders (UP) and explored its associations with changes in psychological distress. Data were collected from a Portuguese university-based outpatient clinic and included 18 cases with positive outcomes. Nine sessions of each case were coded with the IM coding system (N=162). Multilevel analyses showed a significant increase in all IM levels across treatments. The decrease in psychological distress predicted an increase in level 2 IMs in the same session. The evolution of IMs is similar to what was found previously in other studies. Contrary to what was found in previous studies, IMs did not predict outcomes in the following session, whereas the reduction in psychological distress predicted the emergence of level 2 IMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Career Construction Counseling fosters client change by evoking and elaborating innovative moments in client narratives. In this article, we describe four types of dialogues that counselors may use to prompt narrative novelty and foster client change: (a) identify and evaluate the effects of innovative moments, (b) highlight contrasting self-positions, (c) ask about changes achieved, (d) promote a meta-perspective on change. Vignettes from a case are used to illustrate how to use IM markers as a heuristic guide for when to engage in these four types of dialogues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a promising intervention for reducing alcohol consumption among the population. However, due to the lack of studies in the area, the present study aims to evaluate the effects of the therapeutic process of online CBT for alcohol addicts in a Brazilian sample. Thirty-six recordings of six male participants diagnosed with alcohol dependence, who sought treatment to cease or reduce the substance's consumption, were analysed using the Innovative Moments Coding System (IMCS). The IMCS is a method that analyses changes occurred during the therapeutic process. The results suggested: (1) an increase in the number of Innovative Moments (IMs) from the beginning to the end of the sessions in all analysed cases, and (2) a correlation between a decrease in the doses of alcohol consumption at the end of the sessions and the increase of IMs. The present study successfully applies for the first time the IMCS in alcohol dependence and proved to be an adequate method to evaluate the online therapy process for this sample. However, it is necessary to conduct further research to confirm the IMCS's effectiveness for alcohol dependence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reasoning may help solving problems and understanding personal experiences. Ruminative reasoning, however, is inconclusive, repetitive, and usually regards negative thoughts. We asked how reasoning as manifested in oral autobiographical narratives might differ when it is ruminative versus when it is adaptive by comparing two constructs from the fields of psychotherapy research and narrative research that are potentially beneficial: innovative moments (IMs) and autobiographical reasoning (AR). IMs captures statements in that elaborate on changes regarding an earlier personal previous problem of the narrator, and AR capture the connecting of past events with other parts of the narrator’s life or enduring aspects of the narrator. A total of N = 94 university students had been selected from 492 students to differ maximally on trait rumination and trait adaptive reflection, and were grouped as ruminators (N = 38), reflectors (N = 37), and a group with little ruminative and reflective tendencies (“unconcerned,” N = 19). Participants narrated three negative personal experiences (disappointing oneself, harming someone, and being rejected) and two self-related experiences of more mixed valence (turning point and lesson learnt). Reflectors used more IMs and more negative than positive autobiographical arguments (AAs), but not more overall AAs than ruminators. Group differences were not moderated by the valence of memories, and groups did not differ in the positive effect of narrating on mood. Trait depression/anxiety was predicted negatively by IMs and positively by AAs. Thus, IMs are typical for reflectors but not ruminators, whereas the construct of AR appears to capture reasoning processes irrespective of their ruminative versus adaptive uses.

Reasoning may help solving problems and understanding personal experiences. Ruminative reasoning, however, is inconclusive, repetitive, and usually regards negative thoughts. We asked how reasoning as manifested in oral autobiographical narratives might differ when it is ruminative versus when it is adaptive by comparing two constructs from the fields of psychotherapy research and narrative research that are potentially beneficial: innovative moments (IMs) and autobiographical reasoning (AR). IMs captures statements in that elaborate on changes regarding an earlier personal previous problem of the narrator, and AR capture the connecting of past events with other parts of the narrator's life or enduring aspects of the narrator. A total of N = 94 university students had been selected from 492 students to differ maximally on trait rumination and trait adaptive reflection, and were grouped as ruminators (N = 38), reflectors (N = 37), and a group with little ruminative and reflective tendencies ("unconcerned," N = 19). Participants narrated three negative personal experiences (disappointing oneself, harming someone, and being rejected) and two self-related experiences of more mixed valence (turning point and lesson learnt). Reflectors used more IMs and more negative than positive autobiographical arguments (AAs), but not more overall AAs than ruminators. Group differences were not moderated by the valence of memories, and groups did not differ in the positive effect of narrating on mood. Trait depression/anxiety was predicted negatively by IMs and positively by AAs. Thus, IMs are typical for reflectors but not ruminators, whereas the construct of AR appears to capture reasoning processes irrespective of their ruminative versus adaptive uses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Journal for Educational & Vocational Guidance is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper aims to describe the Innovative Moments (IM) Coding System (IMCS), an idiographic and transtheoretical methodology that allows the identification of IMs—markers of changes in the client's initial maladaptive framework of meaning—throughout psychotherapy. The present study introduces the theoretical background underlying this methodology, along with the main empirical findings resulting from former studies that have applied this tool to clinical data. The IMCS application is also detailed: the coding phases, the training steps and inter‐rater agreement measures. In order to illustrate the application of IM coding, a case study is presented. Although a partial coding was used, the results are in line with previous research. Discussion is centred on the usefulness of the IMCS for the advance of process research in psychotherapy, and the potential use of this methodology in group format. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The identification of poor outcome predictors is essential if we are to prevent therapeutic failure. Ambivalence – defined as a conflictual relationship between two positions of the self: one favoring change and another one favoring problematic stability – has been consistently associated with poor outcomes. However, the precise relationship between ambivalence and clients’ symptomatology remains unclear.Objective: This study aims at assessing ambivalence’s power to predict symptomatology, using a longitudinal design.Methods: The complete 305 sessions of 16 narrative and cognitive-behavioral cases have been analyzed with the Ambivalence Coding System and outcome measures have been used for each session.Results: Ambivalence emerged as a significant predictor of subsequent symptomatology suggesting that ambivalence is not only related to treatment outcomes, but that it represents a strong predictor of subsequent symptomatology.Discussion: The implications of ambivalence’s power to predict outcomes for research and clinical practice are discussed.

This article advances understanding of career construction counseling (CCC) by viewing it through the lens of the innovative moments model (IMM) of how clients construct change. The IMM conceives clients' narrative transformations as resulting from counselors prompting and clients reflecting on exceptions to a problematic self‐narrative (i.e., innovative moments; IMs) that emerges in counseling dialogues. On the basis of intensive IMM analysis of CCC case studies, the authors propose an integration of the 2 models that describes the sequence of client change in IMs across the 3 phases of CCC. This proposal provides both conceptual and assessment tools that make it possible to describe and analyze the process of client change through life‐designing dialogues. The authors illustrate the integrated framework with vignettes from case studies and conclude by suggesting research to examine the validity and usefulness of the client change sequence and interventions for using this pattern of change to foster client transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Les ruptures professionnelles sont nombreuses dans le monde du travail d'aujourd'hui et peuvent induire mal être psychologique, sentiment de précarité et perte de confiance en soi. La résilience correspond à un ensemble d'attitudes et de processus psychologiques qui permettent aux individus de lutter pour retrouver un sens à leur vie et une certaine confiance en soi à la suite d'un évènement traumatique. Cet article propose dans une première partie, une revue de la littérature sur le concept de résilience en lien avec des ruptures professionnelles et plus particulièrement le licenciement économique. La seconde partie est une étude de cas qui vise à mettre au jour le rôle et l'intérêt des dialogues de conseil en life design (DCLD) (Guichard, 2004) pour la mise en œuvre des processus psychologiques contribuant à la résilience après un licenciement. Dans le cadre d'une intervention d'orientation auprès d'un individu, des DCLD ont été mis en œuvre. Ils ont été retranscrits et analysés en utilisant la méthodologie des moments innovants (Gonçalves et al., 2009). L'analyse met au jour une augmentation du nombre des moments innovants marquant un changement dans la vie de la personne et confirme l'émergence de la résilience au cours des DCLD. Ces résultats sont discutés en lien avec les modèles de la résilience et le rôle des conseillers et des psychologues qui accompagnent les licenciés économiques dans leur recherche d'un nouvel emploi. Professional breakdowns are numerous in today's world of work and can lead to psychological distress, precariousness and loss of self-esteem. Resilience gathers a set of psychological attitudes and processes that allow individuals to struggle in order to find life meaning and recover self-confidence after a traumatic event. This article proposes in a first part, a review of the literature on the concept of resilience in connection with career breakdowns and more particularly with layoffs. The second part is a case study that aims to highlight the role and interest of Life Design Counseling Dialogues (LDCDs) (Guichard, 2004) as a career counseling method supporting the implementation of psychological processes that contribute to resilience after a layoff. As part of a career counseling intervention, LDCDs were implemented in a case study. They were transcribed and analyzed using the methodology of innovative moments (Gonçalves et al., 2009). The analysis reveals an increase in the number of innovative moments showing a change in the person's life and it confirms the emergence of resilience processes during DCLDs. These results are discussed in relation to models of resilience and with the role of counselors and psychologists who accompany individuals who have met a layoff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The identification of poor outcome predictors is essential if we are to prevent therapeutic failure. Ambivalence – defined as a conflictual relationship between two positions of the self: one favoring change and another one favoring problematic stability – has been consistently associated with poor outcomes. However, the precise relationship between ambivalence and clients' symptomatology remains unclear. Objective: This study aims at assessing ambivalence's power to predict symptomatology, using a longitudinal design. Methods: The complete 305 sessions of 16 narrative and cognitive-behavioral cases have been analyzed with the Ambivalence Coding System and outcome measures have been used for each session. Results: Ambivalence emerged as a significant predictor of subsequent symptomatology suggesting that ambivalence is not only related to treatment outcomes, but that it represents a strong predictor of subsequent symptomatology. Discussion: The implications of ambivalence's power to predict outcomes for research and clinical practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Innovative moments (IMs) are exceptions to the maladaptive framework of meaning that typically motivates clients to seek psychotherapy, and previous studies have shown that IMs are associated with psychotherapy outcomes. While IMs are exceptions that occur at the level of the therapeutic conversation, relational schemas are more stable patterns, and their increased flexibility may facilitate change during psychotherapy. With this in mind, we tested the hypothesis that IMs contribute to outcomes by improving the flexibility of relational schemas. Method: The Core Conflictual Relationship Theme (CCRT) was used to assess relational schemas. IMs were evaluated using the Innovative Moments Coding System. The sample included 22 clients diagnosed with major depressive disorder. The flexibility of the three components of the CCRT (Wishes, responses of the self (RS), and responses of others (RO)) were tested as mediators between IMs and outcomes. Results: The flexibility of the RS was a mediator between IMs and outcomes, but Wishes and RO were not. Conclusion: These findings align with previous research showing that RS is the component most open to change, whereas the other components seem less sensitive to change during brief therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: In previous studies, reconceptualization innovative moments were associated with successful psychotherapy. Reconceptualization has two components—(a) a positive temporal contrast between the past self and the present self (contrasting self [CS]) and (b) a description of how and/or why this change has occurred (change process [CP])—from the perspective of the client. The aim of this study is to analyse if CS and CP have the same association with outcomes as reconceptualization. Method: Sixteen cases of clients with major depression (305 sessions) were analysed. Longitudinal regression models were used to explore if proportions of CS, CP, and reconceptualization predicted outcome measures and if outcome measures predicted CS, CP, and reconceptualization. Results: Reconceptualization is less frequent than CS and CP taken separately, but reconceptualization was a better predictor of treatment outcomes than were its separate components. Moreover, symptom improvement did not predict reconceptualization. Conclusion: The construction of new meanings is important in improving depressive symptomatology. Psychotherapists can elicit these new meanings in their regular practice by posing questions that may help clients to conceptualize what is changing in themselves (CS) and questions of how this change is occurring (CP). The construction of an integrative account of these new meanings is associated with psychotherapeutic gains, and thus, reconceptualizing change could improve symptoms of depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has found that online self-help groups related to healthcare can be therapeutic. These therapeutic effects often stem from social support conveyed by respondents; however, relevant studies appear to have overlooked the therapeutic potential of thread openers' narratives. This article investigates thread openers' narratives in 80 threads from four online self-help groups for anxiety and depression. The data analysis focuses on unique outcomes (UOs), referring to opportunities for therapeutic change to occur, which are conceptualized within the framework of innovative moments (IMs). The findings indicate that the presence of IMs is what makes online narratives therapeutic, but that they diminish gradually through interactions with respondents. This decline can arguably be attributed to respondents' provision of unsolicited support, and this implies that most users do not find resolution for their problem through participating in online self-help groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ambivalence can be understood as a cyclical movement between two opposing positions of the self: one expressed in a novelty—an innovative moment (IM)—and another one conveyed by a return to the maladaptive pattern. If not properly addressed and resolved during therapy, ambivalence can prevent change and lead to psychotherapeutic failure. Two processes of ambivalence resolution have been suggested: (1) the dominance of the innovative position and consequent inhibition of the problematic position and (2) the negotiation between both positions. Objectives: To empirically study both processes of ambivalence resolution in a successful case of emotion-focused therapy. Method: Sessions were independently coded with three coding systems—the IMs, the return to the problem and the ambivalence resolution. Results: Ambivalence tended to be resolved from the initial to the final sessions. Although resolutions through dominance tended to decrease and resolutions through negotiation seemingly increased along treatment, dominance was, nonetheless, the most prominent process of resolution along the whole treatment. Conclusions: Although it has been suggested that integrating opposing parts of the self is a necessary process for psychotherapeutic success, a less integrative process of ambivalence resolution may also be an important resource along the process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ambivalence in the process of psychotherapeutic change should be addressed and resolved if we are to avoid psychotherapeutic failure and promote sustained change. In this context, ambivalence can be defined as the cyclical conflictual relation between two opposed positions of the self: one expressed as an innovation, and a subsequent one expressed in a trivialization or rejection of the innovation (problematic position). This conflict may be resolved in two different ways: (a) the dominance of the innovative position and the consequent inhibition of the problematic one and (b) the negotiation between the innovative and the problematic positions. In this study, we sought to study the evolution of the dominance and the negotiation processes in recovered and unchanged cases; to analyse if different therapeutic models produce different results on the evolution of the dominance and negotiation processes, and finally, to study if these processes are predictive of ambivalence resolution. The complete sessions of 22 clinical cases of depression (6 cognitive‐behavioural therapy, 10 narrative therapy, and 6 emotion‐focused therapy cases) were independently coded for innovative moments, ambivalence, and ambivalence resolution. Results revealed that recovered cases had a progressively higher proportion of negotiation along treatment, whereas in unchanged cases, negotiation was virtually absent throughout treatment. Both dominance and negotiation were significant predictors of ambivalence reduction, however, negotiation had a higher impact than dominance. Overall, these results did not significantly differ for the 3 therapeutic models. The theoretical implications of these findings are discussed, and theoretical derived suggestions for clinicians are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective:This research explored the consolidation phase of emotion-focused therapy (EFT) for depression and studies—through a task-analysis method—how client–therapist dyads evolved from the exploration of the problem to self-narrative reconstruction.Method:Innovative moments (IMs) were used to situate the process of self-narrative reconstruction within sessions, particularly through reconceptualization and performing change IMs. We contrasted the observation of these occurrences with a rational model of self-narrative reconstruction, previously built.Results:This study presents the rational model and the revised rational-empirical model of the self-narrative reconstruction task in three EFT dyads, suggesting nine steps necessary for task resolution: (1) Explicit recognition of differences in the present and steps in the path of change; (2) Development of a meta-perspective contrast between present self and past self; (3) Amplification of contrast in the self; (4) A positive appreciation of changes is conveyed; (5) Occurrence of feelings of empowerment, competence, and mastery; (6) Reference to difficulties still present; (7) Emphasis on the loss of centrality of the problem; (8) Perception of change as a gradual, developing process; and (9) Reference to projects, experiences of change, or elaboration of new plans.Conclusions:Central aspects of therapist activity in facilitating the client's progression along these nine steps are also elaborated. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The aim of this case study is to demonstrate how an innovative group counseling method, the narrative mediation path, promotes reflective mirroring in a group of underachieving university students. We used an adaptation of the innovative moments coding system, a reliable method for studying change by tracking narrative innovations throughout the intervention. The transcripts of the seven sessions of a single narrative mediation path counseling group were analyzed, and three types of innovative moments were identified: self-directed innovative moments (those directed at the participants themselves), other-directed innovative moments (those directed at another group member), and group-directed innovative moments (those directed at the group as a whole). To study the narrative sequences containing both other-directed or group-directed innovative moments and self-directed innovative moments, a microgenetic approach was adopted. Results suggested that across the narrative mediation path counseling sessions, different types of reflecting mirroring emerged, based on supporting, interpreting, and connecting members’ experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Innovative moments (IMs) are new and more adjusted ways of thinking, acting, feeling and relating that emerge during psychotherapy. Previous research on IMs has provided sustainable evidence that IMs differentiate recovered from unchanged psychotherapy cases. However, studies with cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) are so far absent. The present study tests whether IMs can be reliably identified in CBT and examines if IMs and symptoms' improvement are associated. Methods The following variables were assessed in each session from a sample of six cases of CBT for depression (a total of 111 sessions): (a) symptomatology outcomes (Outcome Questionnaire-OQ-10) and (b) IMs. Two hierarchical linear models were used: one to test whether IMs predicted a symptom decrease in the next session and a second one to test whether symptoms in one session predicted the emergence of IMs in the next session. Results Innovative moments were better predictors of symptom decrease than the reverse. A higher proportion of a specific type of IMs-reflection 2-in one session predicted a decrease in symptoms in the next session. Thus, when clients further elaborated this type of IM (in which clients describe positive contrasts or elaborate on changes processes), a reduction in symptoms was observed in the next session. Discussion A higher expression and elaboration of reflection 2 IMs appear to have a facilitative function in the reduction of depressive symptoms in this sample of CBT. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Key Practitioner Message Elaborating innovative moments (IMs) that are new ways of thinking, feeling, behaving and relating, in the therapeutic dialogue, may facilitate change., IMs that are more predictive of amelioration of symptoms in CBT are the ones focused on contrasts between former problematic patterns and new adjusted ones; and the ones in which the clients elaborate on processes of change., Therapists may integrate these kinds of questions (centred on contrasts and centred on what allowed change from the client's perspective), in the usual CBT techniques., When elaborating these IMs successfully, therapists may expect an improvement in symptoms in the next session of psychotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Narrative and dialogical perspectives suggest that personal meaning systems' flexibility is an important resource for change in psychotherapy. Drawn from these theoretical backgrounds, a research program focused on the identification of Innovative Moments (IMs)—exceptions to the inflexible meaning systems present in psychopathological suffering—has been carried out. For this purpose, three process-oriented coding systems were developed: The IMs Coding System, the Ambivalence Coding System, and the Ambivalence Resolution Coding System. They allow, respectively, for the study of change, ambivalence, and ambivalence resolution in therapy. This paper presents these coding systems, the main findings that resulted from their application to different samples and therapeutic models, the main current and future lines of research, as well as the clinical applications of this research program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective:The aim of this study is to improve the understanding of self-changes after an intervention for depression focused on implicative dilemmas, a type of cognitive conflict related to identity. As recent research has highlighted the relevance of identity-related dilemmas in clients with depression, we sought to assess the way in which clients resolve such inner conflicts after a tailored dilemma-focused intervention and how this is reflected in the clients’ self-narratives.Method:We used three instruments to observe differences between good (n = 5) and poor (n = 5) outcome cases: (i) the Repertory Grid Technique to track the resolution of dilemmas, (ii) the Change Interview to compile clients’ accounts of changes at posttreatment, and (iii) the Innovative Moments Coding System to examine the emergence of clients’ novelties at the Change Interview.Results:Groups did not differ in terms of the number and relevance of client-identified significantly helpful events. However, between-group differences were found for the resolution of dilemmas and for the proportion of high-level innovative moment (IM) types. Furthermore, a greater self-narrative reconstruction was associated with higher levels of symptom improvement.Conclusions:Good outcome cases seem to be associated with the resolution of conflicts and high-level IMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims:The present study focuses on the analysis of novelty emergence in classicGloria Filmswith Rogers, Perls, and Ellis to understand how the same client formulated her own problem and if and how change occurred in those three sessions.Method:The Innovative Moments Coding System was applied to track innovative moments (IMs) and their themes.Results:The session with Rogers showed more diversity in disclosed problems and themes of IMs, as well as a higher proportion of reflection IMs. The session with Perls demonstrated a high proportion of protest IMs. The session with Ellis showed less innovation than other sessions. The changes found were based mostly on reflection and protest IMs in three sessions.Conclusion:Narrative innovations occurred in the three single sessions. The type of dominant innovation is consistent with the therapeutic model and the IMs model. The exploration of the IMs’ themes allowed a more precise identification of Gloria's new narrative positions and their development throughout those sessions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Innovative moments (IMs) pinpoint new and more adaptative meanings that emerge in clients' discourse during psychotherapy. Studies with adult clients have found a greater proportion of IMs in recovered compared to unchanged cases, but similar studies have yet to be conducted with adolescents., Aims: The paper aims (1) to study retrospectively the emergence of IMs in therapy, using a post-therapy interview, in adolescents that underwent psychotherapy for depression, and (2) to characterize the themes present in IMs identified retrospectively in the interviews., Method: Semi-structured post-treatment interviews conducted with 24 adolescents on the experience of taking part in a clinical trial of youth depression, were coded using the Innovative Moments Coding System. After identifying IMs, a thematic analysis identified the prominent themes within them., Results: Higher presence of IMs were found in recovered compared to unchanged cases. Two main themes emerged in the IMs, changes that occurred with therapy and attributions of changes. Recovered cases presented more IMs centred on the self, whereas unchanged cases identified more non-specific changes., Conclusion: This study suggests that it is possible to code IMs, identified retrospectively, based on post-therapy interviews with adolescents. Meaningful differences were found between recovered compared to unchanged cases. Therapeutic recovery was associated with a higher focus on the self and more specificity in clients' representations of the change process., (© 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Copyright of Revista de Psicoterapia is the property of Revista de Psiquiatria y Psicologia Humanista, S.L. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista de Psicoterapia is the property of Revista de Psiquiatria y Psicologia Humanista, S.L. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article aims to explore the relationship between clients' narrative transformation and the promotion of vocational decidedness and career maturity in a mid-adolescent case of Life Design Counseling (LDC). To assess LDC outcomes the Vocational Certainty Scale and the Career Maturity Inventory — Form C were used before and after the intervention. To intensively analyze the process of LDC change two measures of narrative change were used: the Innovative Moments Coding System (IMCS), as a measure of innovation emergence, and the Return to the Problem Coding System (RPCS), as a measure of ambivalence towards change. The results show that the three LDC sessions produced a significant change in vocational certainty but not in career maturity. Findings confirm that the process of change, according to the IMCS, is similar to the one observed in previous studies with adults. Implications for future research and practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a case study that aims to describe the effectiveness of a life-design counseling approach using the Career Construction Interview (Savickas, ) with a final-year female engineering student. A qualitative tool, the Career Counseling Innovative Outcomes (CCIO), was administered before and after the intervention to describe the client's change when using the life-design model. The results of the analysis using the CCIO coding system indicate that the life-design counseling allowed the participant to have a greater awareness of herself to autonomously develop her own career and life path. Further research on the CCIO may provide additional support for its effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main aim of this research is to study the patterns of narrative change in a case of life design counseling (LDC). The innovative moments coding system (IMCS) was used to conduct an intensive analysis of the career counseling sessions. This coding system is grounded in a narrative conception of the self, and suggests that narrative change results from the elaboration and development of narrative exceptions to a client's core problematic self-narrative. The results supports the adequacy of the IMCS to the study of change in career counseling and reveal that the intervention promotes a pattern of change characterized by three types of innovative moments: action, reflection, and protest. The results are discussed taking into account their implications for career counseling theory, research and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]