The Innovative Moments Coding System for Groups: Reliability and Association with Outcome in a Sample of Group Counselling for University Students

Aim: Process research in group psychotherapy has grown extensively during the past decades. However, it still encounters many difficulties and process measures are needed. This study aimed at: 1) analyzing in a new sample the reliability of Innovative Moments Coding System for Groups (IMCS-G), a coding system to track innovative moments (IMs) throughout group process; 2) examining the evolution of IMs comparing improved and not improved members; 3) describing the association between Reconceptualization IMs and outcome. Methods: Two trained raters applied the IMCS-G to 36 sessions transcripts from four counselling groups for underachieving university students (N=25). Agreement and reliability were calculated. Efficacy was measured in terms of students’ improvement in academic performance, reflective functioning, and psychological wellbeing. Multilevel models were performed to study the associations between the emergence of IMs in counselling and improvement. Moreover, a phenomenological analysis was performed to describe the association between Reconceptualization IMs and outcomes. Results: Results showed the IMCS-G high reliability (agreement=84.10%–96.85%; Cohen’s kappa=.85–.99) and the higher production of IMs by members improved in academic performance (β=.42, t=1.99, p=.048). Moreover, qualitative findings showed that individual and group Reconceptualization IMs emerging was associated with group members improvements in all outcomes. Discussion: Findings suggest the IMCS-G reliability and sensibility in detecting markers of change associated with academic outcomes. Moreover, an association between RTP in the process and Reconceptualization IMs was found, suggesting that future research may focus also on analyzing the relationship between specific levels of meaning elaboration, significant reflective changes of group members, and good outcomes.