Effectiveness of the Unity-oriented Psychology training on mental health of mothers of children with autism spectrum disorders

Unity-oriented psychology is a new school in the field of psychological sciences in the Iran. This relies on the philosophy of pantheism, converging psychological principles with this philosophical view, and Iranian- Islamic values. A qualitative inquiry of the effectiveness of Unity - oriented interventions may be beneficial. Hence, this research aimed to analyze the views of mothers of children with autism spectrum disorders of their effectiveness of Unity-oriented Psychology education. Mothers of children with autism spectrum disorders residing in Tehran who visited the training and rehabilitation center for autistic children selected based on convenience. These participated in eight sessions of Unity-oriented Psychology education. Participants who then asked to mention changes that had occurred in their lives as result of their participating in these sessions, through semi-structured interviews designed and validate by specialists in clinical psychology. Colaizzi’s descriptive phenomenology method applied to analyze content of the interviews. Research findings showed notable effectiveness of Unity-oriented Psychology education on mental health in mothers of children with autism spectrum disorders as result of their participation in the sessions of Unity-oriented Psychology education, humanitarian values had developed, and mental well-being, tolerance, empathy, self-actualization, and unified presence had increased.