The effectiveness of family counseling based on positive thinking and problem solving on interpersonal relationships of female adolescents

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of family counseling using elements of cognitive-behavioral therapy (positive thinking and problem solving) on female adolescent's interpersonal relationships. The research method utilized in this research was case study. In this study, the participant was a 17 years-old female third-grade high school student who diagnosed with serious problems in interpersonal relationships. For inclusion in the study, DSM-IV criteria were used, along with clinical interview, as well as Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), Symptom Chechlist-90-R (SCL-90-R) and Cattle's 16 Personality Factors Questionnaire. Findings indicated the role of family in onset, maintenance, and improvement of interpersonal problems of adolescent girls. In addition, findings showed the effectiveness of combining positive thinking and problem-solving methods in improving interpersonal relationships for the participant. Results indicate that families to be consider as an important element. The results from the present study suggest that providing family counseling based on combined use of positive-thinking and problem-solving (from set of cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques) is a cost- effective intervention to improve interpersonal relationships of adolescent girls.