Effectiveness of Parental Counseling in Parent-Child Relational Problems: A Quasi Experimental Research

The present study aimed at measuring the effectiveness of parental counseling on parent child-relational problems. This study included (N =31) parents including mothers (n = 20) and fathers (n = 11) from different cities of Punjab, Pakistan. The age of parents ranged between 31-52 years (M = 38.63, SD = 12.36). In a quasi-experimental design study; a pre-post assessment of parent-child relational problems was done by using 78-items Urdu version of Parent Child Relationship Inventory (PCRI). An indigenously developed 6 sessions’ Parental Counseling Program was implemented to improve parent-child relational problems. Results of the paired sample t-test revealed significant differences in pre-post assessment. Parents in post-test significantly exhibited higher scores on support (r = 2.73), satisfaction (r = 1.59), Involvement (r = .91), communication (r

• 43), limit setting (r = 1.91), autonomy (r = 2.33) and role orientation (r = 3.36) as compared to the pre-test results. In conclusion, parental counseling (and this ingeniously developed program) can play a significant role in improving parent-child relationships. The current study provides a counseling program for educational and school counselors, as a treatment process to improve parent-child relationship and consequently decrease the negative effects of parent-child relationship problems on children.