This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of a Habits of Mind empowerment program based on the Costa and Kallick model on problem-solving skills in eighth-grade female students. The research employed a quasi-experimental design with a pretest-posttest control group and a two-month follow-up phase. The population consisted of all eighth-grade female students in Khaf city during the 2024–2025 academic year. After selecting one school through convenience sampling, 40 students were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups, each comprising 20 participants. The experimental group received training through 16 sessions, each lasting 90 minutes, based on the Habits of Mind empowerment program aligned with Costa and Kallick’s model, while the control group did not receive any intervention during this period. Data were collected using the Heppner and Peterson Problem-Solving Inventory (1982). The data were analyzed using analysis of covariance.

Results indicated a significant difference between the experimental and control groups in all components of problem-solving skills at the post-test stage (p < 0.05), reflecting the effectiveness of the empowerment package. However, at the follow-up stage, after statistically controlling for post-test scores as covariates, no significant differences were found between the groups (p > 0.05). Given the experimental group’s significantly higher performance at the post-test stage, the maintenance of this status in the follow-up phase suggests the sustainability of their performance and the lasting impact of the intervention over time. These findings suggest that the Habits of Mind empowerment package plays an effective role in enhancing students’ problem-solving skills and can be utilized as a practical tool in curricular and extracurricular programs—particularly for eighth-grade students in middle school—by teachers, counselors, and educational planners.