ASSESSMENT OF NARRATIVE-EMOTIONAL PROCESSES AND PROCESSES OF CHANGE IN EMOTION-FOCUSED THERAPY
Keywords: change processes, narrative-emotional processes, NEPCS 2.0, emotion regulation, emotion-focused therapy.
Change process research seeks to understand how therapeutic change occurs and the mechanisms involved in this process. Investigating narrative-emotional markers has proven to be an effective method for understanding the change process. These markers emerge from the interaction between therapist and client, allowing for the identification of the quality and manner in which the client accesses their internal experience and life history, encompassing cognitive, affective, and experiential elements. This study aims to analyze the relationship between narrative-emotional processes identified throughout therapy and therapeutic outcomes in individuals undergoing Emotion-Focused Therapy. The Brazilian version of the Narrative-Emotion Process Coding System 2.0 will be used to identify narrative markers in sessions recorded at various stages of the therapeutic process. Based on this analysis, it will be possible to examine marker prevalence, the frequency of shifting between different marker categories, and the quality of this change throughout the psychotherapy process, as well as to investigate the relationship between these variables and outcomes on the Emotional Dysregulation Scale. The findings may contribute to the understanding of change processes in psychotherapy, providing guidance for more efficient clinical practice.