Counseling and psychotherapy culture

Abstract The present study was conducted with a qualitative approach and with the aim of conceptualization, achieving the semantic network of "adolescence," extracting the characteristics of adolescence and the methods of applying intellectual cultivation during this period based on the Qur'an and narrations, using conceptual and inferential analysis methods. The findings showed that the period of adolescence in the paradigm of the Holy Qur'an and narrations encompasses the ages of 11 to 21 years and possesses 30 characteristics within the Qur'anic system, and it is the period of the flourishing of servant identity, responsible autonomy, moving from a state of subordination to independence, and from a position of lack of capability and consumerism to capability and self-efficacy. Words such as "fati" (youth), "rahig" (approaching maturity), "walad" (child), "hadas" (youth), "ghulam" (boy), "baligh" (mature) and "balagha ashuddah" (reaching full strength), "shab" (young man), "yafi'" (adolescent) formed the semantic network of this period in an illuminative relationship, and the concepts of "lahw" (amusement) and "zinah" (adornment) expressed the characteristics of this period. To infer the methods of intellectual cultivation in this period, four foundations, four objectives, and four principles of intellectual education for the period of adolescence were inferred, and based on them, seven methods — "forgiveness, tolerance, feigning ignorance and overlooking, explaining the distinction between salvific actions and futile and destructive ones, showing the reason for the ruling, testing before granting choice, and explaining the distinction between independence and arrogance" — were obtained for the application of intellectual education in this period.

Abstract Objective: This article examines how human transformation is conceived in Mullā Ṣadrā’s theory of substantial motion and in Carl Rogers’s phenomenal psychology, asking at what explanatory level each answers the question of how a person changes. Method: The study is qualitative, conceptual, and text-based. After reconstructing both systems from their principal works and reliable secondary literature, seven axes (subject and depth, graded form, inward source, awareness, blockage, agency, and horizon) were compared by the role each concept plays in answering a shared question, without presupposing conceptual equivalence. Findings: Both traditions treat transformation as graded and inwardly directed and attribute failure to change to inner blockage; yet “depth” refers to the soul’s mode of being in Ṣadrā and to the organization of experience and self in Rogers. Moreover, the two traditions diverge in level or horizon on agency and on the end of transformation. Originality: The study distinguishes two levels of response and identifies where similarities are merely lexical. Conclusion: The relation is neither identity nor absolute incommensurability; distinguishing psychological, ethical, and existential levels is essential in counseling.

Abstract چکیده
هدف: این مقاله با هدف تدوین یک مدل جامع مداخله روان‌شناختی در بحران، به‌ویژه در مراکز اسکان موقت خانواده‌های آسیب‌دیده از جنگ، طراحی شده است تا مسیر مداخله از کاهش آشفتگی اولیه تا ایجاد ثبات و در نهایت توانمندسازی و تاب‌آوری پایدار را تبیین کند. روش پژوهش: پژوهش حاضر از نوع توسعه‌ای-کاربردی و با رویکرد تحلیلی-مفهومی انجام شده است. در این مطالعه، با بهره‌گیری از مرور منابع علمی، تحلیل تجارب میدانی و تلفیق یافته‌های نظری در حوزه مداخله در بحران، مدلی سه‌سطحی برای سازماندهی خدمات روان‌شناختی در بستر اسکان موقت طراحی شد. داده‌های پژوهش از طریق برگزاری ۱۰ جلسه گروه کانونی با مشارکت ۲۰ نفر از سرتیم‌های متخصص روان‌شناسی که سابقه فعالیت مستقیم در مراکز اسکان موقت آسیب‌دیدگان از جنگ را داشته‌اند، گردآوری شد. انتخاب مشارکت‌کنندگان به روش «نمونه‌گیری هدفمند» با معیار «تجربه عملیاتی مستقیم در بحران» صورت گرفت. هر جلسه به‌صورت ساختاریافته و با تمرکز بر شناسایی چالش‌های عملیاتی، موانع و راهکارهای اثربخش برگزار گردید. یافته‌ها: یافته‌ها نشان داد که مداخلات روان‌شناختی در بحران باید به‌صورت پیوسته و مرحله‌بندی‌شده، در سه سطح «کاهش بحران»، «ایجاد ثبات» و «توانمندسازی» اجرا شوند. در هر سطح، کمیته‌های تخصصی شامل اطلاع‌رسانی و ارتباطات، منابع انسانی و ارزیابی، پایش و غربالگری، ارزیابی و کنترل، هماهنگی بین‌بخشی، آموزش و درمان، پژوهش و مستندسازی، و مداخلات روانشناختی محیط محور و تسهیل گری پویایی های جمعی نقش محوری در اثربخشی مداخله دارند.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of social competence training on emotional self-awareness and social competence of aggressive students. The research method was semi-experimental. The statistical population included male high school students in Isfahan in the academic year 1403-1404, of which 48 people were selected as the research sample using the Convenience sampling method with experimental and control grouping. 8 sessions of social competence training were considered based on the Felner model, and finally, data were collected using the social competence questionnaire of Zhu and Ji (2012) and emotional self-awareness of Rifi (2007). Data analysis was performed using a combined analysis of variance test. The results of the parametric test showed that a significant part of the changes in social competence and changes in emotional self-awareness of students were affected by the effect of the training sessions. As a result, by teaching social competencies, the student strives to develop characteristics such as responsibility and self-confidence, ultimately leading to better social competence and emotional self-awareness.

Abstract One of the most important steps in the counseling process is ending the counseling relationship, and considering that the termination process is a vital part of the counseling process , the actions at the end of the sessions need special attention. This research was conducted by the counselors by thematic analysis method by studying how the process of ending counseling sessions. A semi-structured interview was used to collect information. The field of study was counseling who had at least five years of consulting experience. Participants were selected voluntarily and available, and interviews were conducted with 10 people and up to data objects. Data analysis was done through the 6-step method of Brown and Clark (2006). Through the analysis of interviews and the identification of sentences and phrases, the obtained frame themes were classified into the four main themes of the gradual steps of ending, the errors related to ending, the factors affecting the quality of the ending, the counselor's reactions to the ending were classified. The results showed that the counseling often do not act in a planned manner to end the meeting, despite knowing the steps to end, and closing the counseling process is not done according to the standard of scientific counseling resources.

Abstract The present study aimed to identify and explain the experience of lack of work volition among female secondary school students in Kermanshah. The study was applied in terms of its purpose and employed a mixed-methods approach with an explanatory design, in which a quantitative phase was first conducted to identify students experiencing lack of work volition, followed by a qualitative phenomenological phase to explore their lived experiences. The study population consisted of female secondary school students in Kermanshah during the 2023–2024 academic year. In the quantitative phase, 200 students completed the Student Version of the Work Volition Scale developed by Duffy, Diemer, and Jadidian (2012). Of these, 28 students who scored more than one standard deviation below the mean were identified, and 20 were selected for the qualitative phase through purposive sampling based on the inclusion criteria. Qualitative data were collected through in-depth, unstructured interviews and analyzed using Colaizzi’s method. The findings resulted in 84 initial codes, 29 subthemes, and two main themes: individual factors and contextual-social factors. The findings indicated that lack of work volition is a multidimensional phenomenon experienced through the interaction of individual and contextual-social factors. Therefore, identifying these factors and designing targeted interventions in schools, educational settings, and career counseling services may help reduce uncertainty, strengthen personal agency, and facilitate informed and sustainable entry into the world of work.

Abstract The emergence of online social networks has affected communication patterns and emotional states, highlighting the importance of identifying factors associated with emotional competencies. This study examined the roles of marital status and social media use patterns in emotional competencies, including emotional intelligence, emotional wisdom, and emotion regulation. This study included 561 users selected through convenience sampling. Data were collected using questionnaires assessing emotional intelligence, emotional wisdom, and difficulties in emotion regulation and analyzed in SPSS using independent-samples t-tests, ANOVA, and chi-square tests. Compared with single participants, married participants had significantly higher emotional intelligence and emotional wisdom, as well as greater hopefulness, flexibility, and problem-solving. Two-way ANCOVA controlling for gender and age showed that the interaction effect of marital status and social network type on emotional competence dimensions was not significant (p > .05). However, marital status significantly affected emotion regulation, with married participants showing better regulation, whereas its effects on emotional wisdom and difficulties in emotion regulation were not significant after controlling for gender, age. Daily use of social networks for more than 4 hours was significantly associated with lower levels of almost all emotional competence indicators. The findings suggest that emotional competence may result from the interplay of relational protective factors, excessive use, and selection of image-based online networks, while digital lifestyle, communication choices, and relationship status are associated with mental health in the digital age. The study emphasizes emotional literacy education, digital-use management, and attention to the quality of the social network as important factor in emotional health.

Abstract The educational system in the contemporary era faced emerging challenges such as students’ moral-religious deviances in the context of rapid developments in the digital space. The present study aimed to elucidate the paradigmatic model of students’ moral-religious deviances with an emphasis on teacher agency, cognitive immunization, and digital space in the school environment. This study was conducted using a qualitative approach and a grounded theory design. The statistical population included educational counselors, psychologists, and experienced educational staff of schools in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad and Khuzestan province, from which eighteen individuals were selected through purposive and theoretical sampling until theoretical saturation was reached. Data were collected using the Semi-Structured Interview Form (Researcher, 2026) and analyzed through open, axial, and selective coding approaches. The results showed that role model conflicts, cognitive weaknesses, and media invasion acted as causal conditions, while abandonment in the cyberspace alongside the hidden curriculum served as contextual conditions. Furthermore, in facing intervening conditions such as bureaucratic obstacles, the core category of transitioning from cognitive-value vulnerability to active immunization through the revitalization of teacher educational agency amidst systemic conflicts emerged, which required strategies such as cognitive persuasion and emotion management. It was concluded that the educational system stood at a historical-cognitive turning point, and managing the identity crises of the new generation depended on overcoming passive and directive-based perspectives. Therefore, revitalizing teachers’ agency and repairing the normative gap between family and school played a vital role in creating identity cohesion and preventing value metamorphosis.

Abstract This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of an educational package for bullying prevention based on moral commitment in reducing bullying and moral disengagement among elementary school students. A quasi-experimental design with pretest–posttest assessments and a control group was employed. The study population consisted of male elementary school students exhibiting bullying behaviors in schools in Mashhad during the 2024–2025 academic year. Due to limited access to and cooperation from schools, two elementary schools were selected through convenience sampling. Students in these schools were then screened using the Illinois Bully Scale (Espelage & Holt, 2001), and those who met the study’s inclusion criteria were enrolled. The participants were subsequently randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. Both groups completed the Moral Disengagement Scale developed by Bandura et al. (1996). The experimental group then received nine 60-minute sessions of the educational program for bullying prevention based on moral commitment (Babaei, 2020), whereas the control group received no intervention. Following the posttest, the data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) and univariate analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). The results indicated that the educational package significantly reduced bullying among elementary school students (F(1, 27) = 108.045, p < .001) and moral disengagement (F(1, 27) = 39.380,p < .001). Therefore, this educational program may serve as an effective approach to addressing bullying and moral disengagement in elementary schools.

Abstract The present study aimed to investigate the lived experience of self-injurious behaviors among adolescent female students aged 13 to 18 years in Khorramabad, Iran. Employing a qualitative approach and Colaizzi’s phenomenological method, the study described and interpreted participants’ lived experiences. The study population consisted of female students with a history of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in 2025 (1404 in the Iranian calendar). Participants were selected using purposive and snowball sampling, and data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 14 participants until saturation was reached. Data were analyzed using a six-stage thematic analysis process, resulting in the identification of 157 basic themes, 53 organizing themes, and six overarching themes. The overarching themes were: emotional distress and negative self-appraisal; self-injury as an emotion regulation and control strategy; self-injury as punishment, habit, or a communicative message; interpersonal, familial, and sociocultural contexts; situational pressures and difficulties in coping; and traumatic experiences and the need for support. The findings indicated that self-injurious behavior functions as a maladaptive mechanism for managing negative emotions and achieving temporary relief, but is accompanied by feelings of shame, concealment, and exacerbation of difficulties. The study further demonstrated that self-injury should not be understood merely as a “behavior,” but rather as an “experienced process” embedded within contexts of pressure, distress, relationships, meaning, and the need for support. Based on the findings, recommendations include strengthening coping-skills training, developing supportive infrastructures, implementing psychological interventions, mitigating the negative effects of social media, and reducing the social stigma associated with self-injurious behaviors.