How Does Group Counseling Work for Adolescents’ Mothers to Improve Healthy Relationships?

Abstract

Adolescence is a developmental stage in which significant changes are experienced. Although some adolescents have achieved successful completion of this stage, some may be in need of professional help. Providing psychological support for the adolescents and their families will contribute to the healthy development of adolescents. The aim of the study was to test the effectiveness of the group counseling program which was developed to establish a healthy relationship between the mothers and the adolescents. Pre-test, post-test and follow up experimental model was used as research design. The sample consists of 16 mothers of adolescents (aged between 12-14 years) who receive individual psychological counseling. Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire and Communication Skills Inventory were used as measurement instruments. The results indicated that there were significant differences among pre-test, post test and follow up scores of mothers’ negative automatic thoughts and communication skills. It was observed that the program enabled mothers to learn more about their children while gaining self-awareness. Thus, group counseling contributed to improving family functioning by relying on parent-adolescent interactions.