Reliability of the Innovative Moments Coding System for Groups and the Association Between Markers of Change and Outcomes

Objective: This observational study aims to analyze the reliability of the innovative moments coding system for groups (IMCS-G), developed to respond to the need for reliable measures to detect markers of change in group interventions. The IMCS-G represents an adaptation of the innovative moments coding system, which is used in individual psychotherapy to assess innovative moments (IMs), that is, change in meanings that contrast with the clients’ problematic patterns. The second aim is to examine the evolution of IMs throughout group counseling sessions in members who improved versus those who did not improve. Method: The IMCS-G consists of seven IM categories, grouped into two macrocategories: individual and group IMs. The IMCS-G was applied to the transcripts of 36 sessions from four counseling groups for underachieving university students (N = 25). Two trained raters coded the transcripts according to IMCS-G procedures. The agreement between the raters and the reliability of the IM categories were calculated. The efficacy of the counseling groups was measured in terms of the improvement in the students’ academic performance, reflective functioning, and psychological well-being. Multilevel models were performed to study the associations between the emergence of IMs throughout the sessions and the improvement in outcomes. Results: Results showed that IMCS-G was highly reliable (agreement = 84.10%–96.85%; Cohen’s kappa = .85–.99) and that the students who improved in academic performance produced more IMs (β = .42, t = 1.99, p = .048). Conclusions: Findings suggest that the IMCS-G is a reliable system able to detect markers of change associated with academic outcomes.