A PILOT STUDY OF THE EFFECT OF A COMPASSION-FOCUSED THERAPY GROUP COUNSELING PROGRAM ON SELF-COMPASSION IN EMERGING ADULTS WITH HEART CENTER ENNEAGRAM TYPES

Abstract

This study examined the feasibility of a group counseling program based on Compassion-Focused Therapy and compared self-compassion among emerging adults with heart triad Enneagram types before and after participation. A pre-experimental, one-group pretest-posttest design was employed. Six emerging adults with heart triad Enneagram types were selected by purposive sampling from 10 applicants. The research instruments were a Compassion-Focused Therapy group counseling program consisting of eight 90- to 120-minute sessions, a general information questionnaire, and the Thai version of the Self-Compassion Scale, which was pilot-tested with 33 emerging adults whose characteristics were similar to those of the study participants and yielded a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of .957. Data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, median, interquartile range, and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test with exact one-tailed probabilities consistent with the directional hypothesis, together with effect sizes and confidence intervals for the median difference. Regarding feasibility, all six participants attended all eight sessions, yielding a retention and attendance rate of 100.00%, with no dropouts and no adverse events. Regarding the outcome, self-compassion scores were significantly higher after the program than before it at the .05 level, with a median of 51.00 at pretest and 98.50 at posttest (Z = 2.20, p = .016, r = .64). The median difference was 43.00 points (95% CI [21.00, 57.00]), and every participant improved. These findings indicate that the program is feasible for enhancing self-compassion in this population. Because the design included no control group and the sample was small, the results should be interpreted as preliminary. Future research should incorporate a control group and a follow-up assessment.

Keywords: Compassion-Focused Therapy, Self-Compassion, Emerging Adults, Heart Triad Enneagram, Pilot Study