The effectiveness of solution-focused brief group counseling in enhancing students’ emphaty

Abstract

Empathy is an essential social-emotional competency that enables students to understand others' perspectives, develop positive interpersonal relationships, and demonstrate prosocial behavior. However, difficulties in expressing empathy highlight the need for effective school-based counseling interventions. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of Solution-Focused Brief Group Counseling (SFBGC) in improving students' empathy. A quantitative experimental design was employed involving 24 students (N = 24) selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected using the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) to measure empathy and the Solution-Focused Inventory (SFI) to assess solution-focused characteristics as part of the intervention evaluation. Data normality was examined using the Shapiro–Wilk test, while hypothesis testing involved paired-samples t tests, Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, and Mann–Whitney U tests. The results indicated a statistically significant improvement in students' empathy following the SFBGC intervention (p < .001), with higher posttest scores than pretest scores. These findings suggest that SFBGC may be a promising approach to enhancing students' empathy and social-emotional development. However, the small sample size limits the generalizability of the findings. Future research should employ larger and more diverse samples, rigorous experimental designs, and mixed methods approaches to investigate the mechanisms underlying empathy development.