Reconceptualization Innovative moments as a predictor of symptomatology improvement in treatment for depression

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.
The Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology supported
this research with the Doctoral Grant SFRH/BD/86808/2012. This study was conducted at Psychology Research Centre (UID/PSI/01662/2013), University of Minho, and supported by the Portuguese
Foundation for Science and Technology and the Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education through national funds and cofinanced by FEDER through COMPETE2020 under the
PT2020 Partnership Agreement (POCI‐01‐0145‐FEDER‐007653). We are grateful to Lynne Angus and Leslie Greenberg for sharing with us part of the sample from the York I depression study.
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion