The Development and Adaptation of the Innovative Moments Coding System for Groups (IMCS-G)

Abstract

Previous researches have attempted to adapt the Innovative Moments Coding System (IMCS) to the group setting by identifying new IM categories able to detect meaningful interactions between group members. This study aims to develop a further adaptation of the IMCS by tracking the categories emerging from previous group coding schemes and analyzing if other types of IM categories emerged in the transcripts of three counseling groups addressed at underachieving university students. Results showed that seven IM categories (Self-directed, Other-directed, Explicit Mirroring, Prompting Change, Reinforcing Change, Collective, and Voice of Group) emerged in the current study, five of which resulting from the findings of previous researches and two obtained in this study through a data-driven method based on the coders’ agreement. The previous and emerging IM categories were illustrated, and agreement and reliability of the IM categories were calculated. Overall, this study refined and integrated the previous group coding schemes and proposed the development of a new coding system, the Innovative Moments Coding System for Groups (IMCS-G), which showed to be a reliable method that allows the detection of markers of change within the group setting.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Giovanna Esposito

Giovanna Esposito received her PhD in health psychology and psycho-social risk prevention from University of Naples Federico II, Italy. Currently, she is a researcher in clinical psychology at the Department of Humanities, Universisty of Naples Federico II. Her areas of research interest include the study of mentalization in group counseling and psychotherapy, the use of multimodal narrative devices in clinical psychology interventions, and the process analysis in psychotherapy research.

Anna Sara Cutolo

Anna Sara Cutolo received her PhD in “Mind, gender and language” from the University of Naples Federico II, in Italy. Her areas of research interest include the study of markers of change in process psychotherapy research.

Raffaella Passeggia

Raffaella Passeggia received her master’s degree in clinical psychology from the University of Naples Federico II, in Italy. Currently she is a PhD student in “Mind, Gender and Language” at the University of Naples Federico II. Her areas of research interest include the study and evaluation of mentalization in group psychological interventions.

Maria Francesca Freda

Maria Francesca Freda received her PhD in psychology of education from the University of Naples Federico II, in Italy. Currently she is a Full Professor of Clinical Psychology at the Department of Humanities of the University of Naples Federico II, in Italy. Her areas of research interest include clinical psychological intervention in the health sector within the institutional framework, mentalization, narrative methods, and trauma elaboration during illness.