Three narrative-based coding systems: Innovative moments, ambivalence and ambivalence resolution

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Psychotherapy Research
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Flexible personal meaning systems are crucial for therapeutic change.
• Innovative Moments (IMs) are exceptions to rigid meaning systems in psychopathology.
• Previous research highlights the importance of meaning-making in therapy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce three process-oriented coding systems for studying therapeutic change.
• To investigate Innovative Moments (IMs), ambivalence, and ambivalence resolution in psychotherapy.
• To present findings from applying these systems across different therapeutic models and samples.

Main Methods:

• Development of the IMs Coding System.
• Development of the Ambivalence Coding System.
• Development of the Ambivalence Resolution Coding System.

Main Results:

• The coding systems facilitate the study of change, ambivalence, and resolution within therapy.
• Application of the systems revealed key insights into therapeutic processes.
• Findings are applicable across various therapeutic models and patient populations.

Conclusions:

• The developed coding systems provide a robust framework for analyzing therapeutic change.
• Understanding Innovative Moments and ambivalence resolution enhances psychotherapy practice.
• Future research will continue to explore these concepts and their clinical utility.