Therapist activities preceding setbacks in the assimilation process.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the therapist activities immediately preceding assimilation setbacks in the treatment of a good-outcome client treated with linguistic therapy of evaluation (LTE). METHOD: Setbacks (N = 105) were defined as decreases of one or more assimilation stages from one passage to the next dealing with the same theme. The therapist activities immediately preceding those setbacks were classified using two kinds of codes: (a) therapist interventions and (b) positions the therapist took toward the client's internal voices. RESULTS: Preceding setbacks to early assimilation stages, where the problem was unformulated, the therapist was more often actively listening, and the setbacks were more often attributable to pushing a theme beyond the client's working zone. Preceding setbacks to later assimilation stages, where the problem was at least formulated, the therapist was more likely to be directing clients to consider alternatives, following the LTE agenda, and setbacks were more often attributable to the client following these directives shifting attention to less assimilated (but nevertheless formulated) aspects of the problem. CONCLUSIONS: At least in this case, setbacks followed systematically different therapist activities depending on the problem's stage of assimilation. Possible implications for the assimilation model's account of setbacks and for practice are discussed.

The innovative moments coding system and the assimilation of problematic experiences scale: a case study comparing two methods to track change in psychotherapy.

The Assimilation of Problematic Experiences Scale (APES) and the Innovative Moments Coding System were applied to transcripts of a successful case of linguistic therapy of evaluation independently by different research groups. Assimilation theory and research suggest that higher APES scores reflect therapeutic gains, with a level of approximately 4.0 separating good from poor outcome cases. The innovative moments (IMs) model suggests that IMs classified as reconceptualization and performing change occur mainly in good outcome cases, whereas action, reflection and protest occur in both good and poor outcome cases. Passages coded as reconceptualization and performing change were rare in this case, but 100% of them were rated at or above APES 4. By contrast, 63% passages coded as action, reflection or protest were rated below APES 4 (Chi-square = 28.62, p < .001). Implications for research are discussed.

Convergence of voices: assimilation in linguistic therapy of evaluation.

This paper shows the convergence of voices in psychotherapy in the context of the assimilation model. Convergence is the link between patients' voices within the community of voices. The main aim of the paper was to explore (a) how convergence (and divergence) is shown during sessions and the usefulness of convergence for the process of assimilation; (b) if a well-structured patient is able to track the sociohistorical antecedents of his/her main voices; and (c) if, at the end of the therapy, the self becomes richer and with more resources.For this aim to be realized, a case study of a patient, María, treated with linguistic therapy of evaluation for 14 sessions, was analysed by using the Assimilation of Problematic Experiences Scale (APES). Three main problematic experiences or non-dominant voices were identified with the APES: inability to do things, dizziness and tiredness. María's main dominant voices were to cure, solve and overcome problems, to be always doing things and to cope.Results showed a convergence but no divergence of voices as early as session 3. Results also showed how continuity-benevolence assumptions were broken and that, at the end of therapy, the patient's self became richer due to assimilation through the dialogue between non-dominant and dominant voices.Discussion emphasized these results, which are especially representative of a well-integrated patient who showed a healthy multiplicity.