KMAN Publication Inc. (KMANPUB) Psychology of Woman Journal 3041-8615 In Press 2027 07 01 Development, Validation, and Effectiveness of an Integrative Counseling Package Based on Emotion-Focused Therapy and Positive Psychology for Trauma-Exposed Women Heads of Household Development, Validation, and Effectiveness of an Integrative Counseling Package Based on Emotion-Focused Therapy and Positive Psychology for Trauma-Exposed Women Heads of Household 1 19 EN Journal Article 2026 05 22 <p><strong>Objective:</strong> This study aimed to develop and validate an integrative counseling package based on Emotion-Focused Therapy and positive psychology and to evaluate its effectiveness in improving emotional self-regulation, reducing emotional inhibition, enhancing character strengths, and promoting posttraumatic growth among trauma-exposed women heads of household.</p> <p><strong>Methods and Materials:</strong> This developmental-applied study employed a sequential exploratory mixed-methods design. In the qualitative phase, 14 trauma-exposed women heads of household were selected through purposive sampling and interviewed using semi-structured interviews. The data were analyzed through thematic analysis, and the initial integrative package was developed by combining the qualitative findings with theoretical principles of Emotion-Focused Therapy and positive psychology. Content validity was evaluated by 10 experts using the Content Validity Index and Content Validity Ratio. In the quantitative phase, 72 eligible women were randomly allocated to four groups consisting of Emotion-Focused Therapy, positive psychology, integrative intervention, and control. Following attrition, data from 60 participants, 15 per group, were analyzed. The three interventions consisted of 10 group sessions of 90 minutes. Assessments were conducted at pretest, posttest, and three-month follow-up using measures of emotional self-regulation, emotional inhibition, character strengths, and posttraumatic growth. Data were analyzed using ANCOVA, repeated-measures multivariate analysis, and Bonferroni post hoc comparisons in SPSS 27.</p> <p><strong>Findings:</strong> Content validation supported the acceptability of the developed package, with a mean CVI of 0.86 and a mean CVR of 0.78. ANCOVA showed significant posttest differences among the four groups in emotional self-regulation, F(3,55) = 31.20, p &lt; .001, η² = .64; emotional inhibition, F(3,55) = 29.70, p &lt; .001, η² = .62; character strengths, F(3,55) = 42.80, p &lt; .001, η² = .70; and posttraumatic growth, F(3,55) = 45.10, p &lt; .001, η² = .71. Bonferroni comparisons indicated that the integrative intervention significantly outperformed the other three conditions across all outcomes, while EFT was more effective than positive psychology for emotion-related outcomes and positive psychology was more effective than EFT for character strengths and posttraumatic growth.</p> <p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> The validated integrative counseling package combining Emotion-Focused Therapy and positive psychology appears to be an effective intervention for simultaneously improving emotional functioning and strengthening positive psychological resources in trauma-exposed women heads of household.</p> https://journals.kmanpub.com/index.php/psywoman/article/download/6129/12330