Integrating Cognitive Behavioral Therapy And Expressive Writing To Improve Psychological Well-Being

Abstract

Challenges in college life often cause students to experience pressure that impacts their psychological well-being, particularly among first-year students. The aim of this study is to identify the effect of integrating Cognitive Behavior Therapy with Expressive Writing to improve the psychological well-being of first-year students. The study involved 15 first-year students from the Guidance and Counseling Department, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Mulawarman University, divided into three groups: the integration of Cognitive Behavior Therapy with Expressive Writing, Cognitive Behavior Therapy, and Expressive Writing.  The research design used was a pre-test post-test comparison group design, and psychological well-being was measured using the Psychological Well-Being Scale-42 Ryff, which was adapted into Indonesian.  The results of the Kruskal-Wallis test analysis showed no significant difference in the effectiveness of the three experimental interventions.  These findings confirm that each intervention—whether integrating Cognitive Behavior Therapy with Expressive Writing, Cognitive Behavior Therapy alone, or Expressive Writing—can effectively improve the psychological well-being of first-year students with similar levels of effectiveness.