Objectives: This single case study explored the outcome of nine sessions of counseling with the parents of
an adolescent suffering from a game addiction and an abusive mother. Methods: A total of nine therapy
sessions were conducted, including four individual sessions with the mother, one individual session with the
father, and four conjoint sessions. All the therapeutic processes were recorded, coded, and analyzed using
Nvivo 2.0, a qualitative research software program. The therapist, guided by the Structural Family Therapy
model, used a four-step map to address the parent-child boundary and hierarchy, and to restructure the
family rules. Results: Initially, a rigid and dysfunctional parent-child system affected the mother’s abuse and
the adolescent’s game addiction. Counseling interventions included joining the family, promoting family
interactions, and restructuring the family. Following the parental counseling, family members’ attitudes
changed positively, functional communication ensued, and an appropriate family hierarchy was achieved.
Conclusions: As a result of the interventions, the family structure became more functional and there was a
reduction in the mother’s abuse (physical and verbal) and the adolescent’s game addiction. This study
revealed that parental counseling is effective in reducing symptoms, even when the child does not
participate in the sessions.