Therapeutic factors and language patterns in group therapy application of computer-assisted text analysis to the examination of microprocesses in group therapy: Preliminary findings

Abstract

The aim of this single-case-design study was to examine the relationships between therapeutic factors in group therapy and the language features of the group dialogue. Forty-two transcripts from a group treatment were investigated. Emotion–abstraction patterns (EAPs) were identified for the group as a whole using computer-assisted text analysis, and therapeutic factors were rated by external judges using the Kiel Group Psychotherapy Process Scale. Significant positive relationships were found between insight and the EAP connecting and between catharsis and the EAP experiencing. Interpersonal learning–output, catharsis, and self-disclosure showed higher scores in connection with the therapeutic cycle, which, according to the therapeutic cycle model, represents a sequence of EAP related to a successful therapeutic process. The current findings show that the use of EAPs allows the identification of key moments in a group therapy process.