College Student’s Experience and Meaning of Counseling for Family Problems: A Narrative Inquiry Using Photovoice

Objectives This study aims to analyze the experiences and meanings of college student clients facing family issues during counseling through narrative inquiry using photovoice, and to discuss the implications of this approach in the fields of education and counseling. Methods Participants in the study were 3 collage students and in-depth interviews were conducted two to three times per participant from November 2021 to December 2021. This study combined the photovoice research procedure with the narrative inquiry procedure to understand collage student clients' experience of the counseling and explore their meaning. Results For the study participants, it was confirmed with photos and their voices that the experience of family problem counseling was ‘the process of facing oneself and family in the dark, and personal and relational changes taking place’. The meaning of the study participants' experience in the counseling for family problems was found to be “as if they were in a fog,” “courage facing pain,” “time to understand me and family,” “reconstruction of family relationships,” and “a journey with family.” Conclusions Through this study, we were able to understand their unique experience and meaning of counseling for family problems among 3 collage student clients while examining the possibility of narrative inquiry that combines photovoice in terms of methodology of qualitative research. This suggests the potential for application not only in college students' academic learning but also in various educational settings and counseling fields, making a practical contribution.