The Effectiveness of Existential-Humanistic Group Counseling in Enhancing Self-Esteem among Junior High School Students: A Pre-Experimental Study in Indonesia

Abstract

Self-esteem plays a crucial role in adolescents' psychological development, influencing their academic performance, interpersonal relationships, and emotional well-being. However, many junior high school students experience low self-esteem, which negatively affects their confidence and social adjustment. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of existential-humanistic group counseling in improving students' self-esteem at SMP Pembangun Medan, Indonesia. A quantitative approach employing a pre-experimental one-group pretest-posttest design was utilized. Eight students identified as having low self-esteem were selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected using a validated self-esteem questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics and the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test. The findings revealed a substantial increase in students' self-esteem after participating in the counseling program, with the mean score improving from 69.00 during the pretest to 106.13 in the posttest. The statistical analysis indicated a significant difference between pretest and posttest scores (Z = −2.25; p < 0.05), demonstrating the effectiveness of the intervention. These findings suggest that existential-humanistic group counseling provides an effective psychological intervention for fostering adolescents' self-esteem and may serve as an alternative strategy for school counselors in promoting students' personal and social development.