Abstract

This study explores the question: Is there a narrative development of the storied sense of self in a Cognitive and a Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy session? Therapy transcripts from Beck and Meichenbaum were hermeneutically interpreted through the lens of a narrative-constructionist perspective. The Narrative Processes Coding System was used as part of the hermeneutic process. ;Narrative-constructionist concepts, such as problem externalization, the deconstruction of the problem-saturated story, the development of stories from "unique outcomes" , and the articulation of preferred stories were evident in the CT transcript, and to a lesser degree in the CBT transcript. Among the findings from the NPCS was the fact that there were fewer client initiated narrative shifts than therapist initiated shifts in the Beck transcript or in previously coded client-centered transcripts