Meaning Coconstruction in Group Counseling: The Development of Innovative Moments

Abstract

This study discusses a model of group counseling, the narrative mediation path (NMP), which is a unique narrative, multimodal approach that combines four narrative modes (metaphoric, iconographic, writing, and bodily) and the narrative group. The purpose of the NMP is to foster reflexive processes with underachieving university students and to improve their academic performance. The study analyzes a single case of group counseling for seven underachieving economics students at an Italian university and the process of meaning construction among NMP narrative modes and the follow-up session. It applies the innovative moments coding system, a reliable method for studying change by tracking narrative innovations in sessions. More specifically, we focus on how innovative moments (IMs: action, reflection, protest, and reconceptualization) evolve during the four different narrative modes and the follow-up session. The findings suggest that the NMP fosters narrative innovations, mainly of a reflexive nature (reflection and reconceptualization). Moreover, during counseling and the follow-up session, the pattern of change is primarily characterized by reconceptualization IMs, the most complex form of narrative innovation.

FUNDING

This work was made possible by a grant from the European Commission (Grant Agreement 2011- 4040 Project 517750-LLP-1-2011-1-IT-ERASMUS-ESIN). This work was also made possible due to funding from the Short International Mobility Program in the International Relations Office of the University of Naples Federico II, Italy.

ORCID

Miguel M. Gonçalves http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2575-7221

Notes

¹This project was funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views of the author, and the European Commission cannot be held responsible for any use that may be produced from the information contained herein.