KMAN Publication Inc. (KMANPUB) KMAN Counseling & Psychology Nexus 3041-9026 4 Serial Number 6 2026 07 26 Effectiveness of Existential–Humanistic Group Therapy on Self-Compassion, Mindfulness, and Flourishing among Female University Students Residing in Dormitories Effectiveness of Existential–Humanistic Group Therapy on Self-Compassion, Mindfulness, and Flourishing among Female University Students Residing in Dormitories 1 16 EN Journal Article 2026 03 23 <p>This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of existential–humanistic group therapy in improving self-compassion, mindfulness, and flourishing among female university students residing in dormitories. This quasi-experimental study used a pretest–posttest design with an intervention group and a control group. The statistical population consisted of female dormitory students enrolled at public and non-public universities in Mashhad, Iran, during the second semester of the 2023–2024 academic year. Thirty eligible students were recruited through quota and convenience sampling and assigned to the intervention and control groups using permuted blocks, with 15 participants in each group. Data were collected using the Self-Compassion Scale–Short Form, the Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills, and the PERMA-Profiler. The intervention group participated in nine weekly 90-minute existential–humanistic group therapy sessions, whereas the control group attended a book-introduction group unrelated to the study variables. Data were analyzed in SPSS version 21 using paired-samples and independent-samples t tests at a significance level of .05. Paired-samples t tests showed significant increases in self-compassion, t(14) = 7.99, p &lt; .001, mindfulness, t(14) = 8.97, p &lt; .001, and flourishing, t(14) = 9.39, p &lt; .001, in the intervention group, whereas no significant changes were observed in the control group. Comparisons of change scores indicated that the intervention group improved significantly more than the control group in self-compassion, t(28) = 6.30, p &lt; .001, Cohen’s d = 2.30; mindfulness, t(28) = 7.07, p &lt; .001, Cohen’s d = 2.58; and flourishing, t(28) = 7.38, p &lt; .001, Cohen’s d = 2.69. Existential–humanistic group therapy appears to be an effective intervention for enhancing self-compassion, mindfulness, and flourishing among female dormitory students and may be incorporated into university counseling and student-support programs.</p> https://www.journals.kmanpub.com/index.php/psychnexus/article/download/5811/11214