Virginia Satir
Virginia Satir was a pioneering American therapist known for her significant contributions to family therapy and the development of family systems theory. Born in 1916 as the oldest of five children, she pursued a career focused on helping families address and solve their problems, driven by her early interests in reading and education. Satir earned her BA in education in 1936 and later an MA in social work in 1948, which laid the foundation for her career in mental health.
In the 1950s, she worked with families at various institutions and was instrumental in founding the Mental Research Institute in Palo Alto, California, where she helped establish the first formal program in family therapy in the United States. Satir emphasized the importance of interpersonal relationships and self-esteem and believed that healing families could lead to broader societal change, including world peace. She conducted numerous workshops globally and authored several influential books, including "Conjoint Family Therapy" and "Peoplemaking."
Her legacy includes the Avanta Network, which she founded to help individuals develop coping skills for better relationships. Recognized for her impactful work, Satir received multiple accolades throughout her life, including the Gold Medal from the University of Chicago in 1976. She passed away in 1988, leaving behind a rich legacy as a renowned therapist, educator, and author.
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Subject Terms
Virginia Satir
American psychotherapist
- Date of birth: June 26, 1916
- Place of birth: Neillsville, Wisconsin
- Date of death: September 10, 1988
- Place of death: San Mateo, California
Type of psychology: Psychological methodologies; psychotherapy
Satir was a pioneer in the psychology of human growth and family systems theory.
Life
Virginia (Pagenkopf) Satir was the oldest of five children born to Alfred and Minnie Pagenkopf. She developed a keen interest in reading at a very young age. By the age of five, she had decided that she would eventually pursue a career that would involve helping families face and solve problems.
During her teenage years, Satir’s family moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, so that she could attend high school. In 1936, she earned a BA in education from Milwaukee State Teachers College (now a part of the University of Wisconsin). In 1948, Satir received an MA in social work from the University of Chicago. After her first marriage ended in divorce, she married Norman Satir in 1951. They divorced in 1957.
During much of the 1950s, Satir worked with families at the Dallas Child Guidance Center and at the Illinois State Psychiatric Institute. In 1959, Satir, Don Jackson, Jules Ruskin, and Gregory Bateson started the Mental Research Institute (MRI) in Palo Alto, California, and created the first formal program in family therapy in the United States. Recognized for her insights into human communication and her understanding of interpersonal relationships and development of self-esteem, Satir became known for her contributions to the field of family therapy and for the development of family systems therapy. She strongly believed that if families could be healed and united, then the problems of the world would be solved, and world peace would eventually be established.
In her efforts to teach people how to cope with their problems, Satir presented hundreds of workshops and training seminars throughout the world. Her change-process model focused on personal growth, health, and the worth of each individual. She authored or coauthored twelve books, including Conjoint Family Therapy (1964), Peoplemaking (1972), and The New Peoplemaking (1988), all three of which achieved international success.
In 1976, Satir was awarded the Gold Medal for “outstanding and consistent service to mankind” by the University of Chicago. The following year, she organized the Avanta Network to implement the Satir model to help people develop coping skills that would change their lives and help them handle problems in their relationships. In 1982, the West German government recognized Satir as one of the twelve most influential leaders in the world at that time. When Satir died in 1988, she had become internationally acclaimed as a therapist, educator, and author.
Bibliography
“About Virginia Satir.” Virginia Satir Global Network. Satir Global, n.d. Web. 12 June 2014.
Andreas, Steven. Virginia Satir: The Patterns of Her Magic. Palo Alto.: Science and Behavior, 1991. Print.
Friedlander, Myrna L. Therapeutic Alliances in Couple and Family Therapy: An Empirically Informed Guide to Practice. Washington, DC: Amer. Psychological Assn., 2006. Print.
Jones-Smith, Elsie. Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy: An Integrative Approach. London: Sage, 2012. Print.
Rambo, Anne Hearon. Family Therapy Review: Contrasting Contemporary Models. New York: Routledge, 2013. Print.
Wilcoxon, S. Allen. Ethical, Legal, and Professional Issues in the Practice of Marriage and Family Therapy. Upper Saddle River: Pearson, 2007. Print.