Satir, Virginia

Virginia Satir (1916–1988), one of the pioneers of family therapy, developed a systemic and positively directional model that has been identified by names such as communication theory of couples and family therapy, the human validation process model, and transformational systemic therapy. Satir has been identified among practitioners in counseling, social work, and psychology as one of the most influential figures in psychotherapy over the past 25 years.

Satir was born Virginia Pagenkopf on a farm in Neillsville, Wisconsin, on June 26, 1916. At the age of 20, she began her professional career as a classroom teacher. As a teacher, she was curious and touched by the many difficulties the children were bringing to school beyond their learning focus. She felt that there must be ways to ...