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Satir Model Clinical Certification

Certification Courses and Electives planned for 2026/27

January 2026

CC Family Reconstruction (face-to-face) – Novak, Lavinia
CA Satir Model Updates – Hardin, Banmen

February 2026

CC Mandala and Applications (4 weeks on Fridays / 3 hours) – Buckbee, Dupont, Doyle, Sanders-Mays

March 2026

C7 “From Surviving to Thriving: Trauma-Informed STST” – Hardin

April 2026

C8 “Reclaiming the Self: Parts Work, Dissociation & Integration” – Hardin
CC Parts Work – Kennedy, Carlock

May 2026

C9 “The Body Remembers: Embodiment, Touchstones & Repair” – Hardin

June 2026

CA Process of Change – Buckbee, Dupont, Cardenas
Online Conference

July 2026

CA 5 Freedoms – Hardin, Sanders-Mays

August 2026

C1 “Roots of the Self: Foundations of the Satir Model” – Novak, Hardin, Thompson

September 2026

C2 “Mapping the Inner World: Making the Invisible Visible” – Novak, Hardin, Thompson

October 2026

C3“The Dance of Communication: Verbal & Nonverbal Transformations” – Novak, Hardin, Thompson

November

CA Spirituality / 4^th Birth - Banmen, Hardin

January 2027

C4 “Systemic Sculpting: Transforming Family Patterns” – Buckbee, Hardin, Thompson

February 2027

C5 “The Self in the Context of Change: Coping, Conflict, and Choice” – Buckbee, Hardin, Thompson

March 2027

C6 “The Therapist’s Self: Congruence, Presence & Professional Growth” – Buckbee, Hardin, Thompson

__

Michael Argumaniz Hardin, PhD

Vice President & Director of Education

The Virginia Satir Global Network

TX 202449, CA120869

O (626) 487-8875

10200 Richmond Ave., Unit #100
Houston, TX 77042

satirglobal.org

“We get together on the basis of our similarities; we grow on the basis of our differences.” – Virginia Satir

Satir Model (STST) Clinical Certification

Endorsed by the Virginia Satir Global Network

The Virginia Satir Global Network (VSGN) is proud to offer a professional Certification in Satir Transformational Systemic Therapy (STST) to qualified mental health professionals. This clinical certification affirms advanced competency in the application of STST and reflects mastery in guiding individuals, couples, and families through meaningful change using the Satir Model, with emphasis on self-worth, congruent communication, systemic awareness, and transformational change.

Scope of Practice

A certified Satir model clinician is authorized to practice Satir Transformational Systemic Therapy within the bounds of their country of origin, licensing board, and regulatory body. Certification by VSGN does not override local or national regulations for the independent practice of psychotherapy. Practitioners must:

Be licensed or certified to provide independent mental health services in their region
Comply with all relevant ethical and legal standards established by state, provincial, or national governing bodies
Offer services only within the scope permitted by their existing professional licenses and titles
Maintain active malpractice insurance

This certification confirms competence in STST but does not substitute for mental health licensure. Practitioners may incorporate the title Certified Satir Model Clinician in their promotional and clinical materials only if they meet licensure or independent practice criteria in their jurisdiction.

Certification Track Overview

This clinical certification is awarded to licensed mental health professionals who have completed the following foundational, intermediate, and advanced courses in the Satir Model (STST):

“Roots of the Self: Foundations of the Satir Model” $449.00

Focus: Core philosophy, assumptions, and therapeutic stance of STST.
Includes:

Iceberg metaphor
Self-esteem and congruence
Core assumptions of the Satir Model
Creating therapeutic rapport

Core Competencies:

Understand Satir’s holistic view of the self (Self-Mandala)
Identify systemic influences (family, culture, context) on development
Recognize experiential learning principles

Course Objectives:

Describe the eight dimensions of the Self-Mandala and their role in therapy.
Identify the systemic forces that shape internal and relational experiences.
Explain the key assumptions of the Satir Model and how they apply to healing.

“Mapping the Inner World: Making the Invisible Visible” $449.00

Focus: Awareness and utilization of the Iceberg as a systemic tool.
Includes:
- Levels of awareness: feelings, perceptions, expectations, yearnings
- Parts work and internal family systems through the Satir lens
- Eliciting and reflecting inner experience

Core Competencies:

Use the Iceberg Metaphor as a framework for intrapsychic exploration
Distinguish surface behaviors from deeper feelings, perceptions, and yearnings
Facilitate safe access to internal experiences

Course Objectives:

Apply the Iceberg framework to identify and track internal processes in clients.
Facilitate therapeutic dialogue that includes sensations, feelings, perceptions, and beliefs.
Guide clients in connecting present-day challenges to internalized meanings and survival stances.

“The Dance of Communication: Verbal & Nonverbal Transformations” $449.00

Focus: Communication stances and congruence.
Includes:
- Satir’s 5 Communication Stances
- Aligning body, voice, and words
- Sculpting and body-centered work

Core Competencies:

Recognize and shift coping stances
Facilitate congruent self-expression
Develop presence and therapeutic use of self

Course Objectives:

Identify the five communication stances and their effects on relationships.
Demonstrate how to model and teach congruent communication in therapy.
Facilitate client awareness of internal dialogue and external expression.

“Systemic Sculpting: Transforming Family Patterns” $449.00

Focus: Systems thinking, family rules, and transformational sculpting.
Includes:
- Family reconstruction and genograms
- Family roles and intergenerational patterns
- Experiential process tools (family sculpting, touchstones)

Core Competencies:

Understand Satir’s five-stage change process
Use family sculpting to assess and create experiential shifts
Support emotional safety during deep change work

Course Objectives:

Describe each phase of the Satir Change Process Model and its implications for therapy.
Use family sculpting to explore relational patterns and potential transformation.
Identify and navigate resistance and defense mechanisms that arise during change.

“The Self in the Context of Change: Coping, Conflict, and Choice” $449.00

Focus: Coping patterns, self-connection, and therapeutic change processes.
Includes:
- Satir Change Model
- Coping stances, defenses, and transformation
- Crises as opportunities

Core Competencies:

Integrate family-of-origin and parts work into therapy
Facilitate inner integration and healing
Develop strategies for multigenerational transformation

Course Objectives:

Use guided imagery and family reconstruction techniques to process early experiences.
Facilitate internal dialogue and healing using parts work within the Satir framework.
Help clients develop compassion and integration across fragmented inner parts.

“The Therapist’s Self: Congruence, Presence & Professional Growth” $449.00

Focus: Therapist development and integration.
Includes:
- Use of self in therapy
- Inner peace and presence
- Personal growth as a clinical tool

Core Competencies:

Bridge experiential insight with practical life application
Co-create therapeutic homework that supports transformation
Develop systemic follow-up strategies for sustainable change

Course Objectives:

Create therapeutic interventions that promote integration of new insights into daily patterns.
Co-develop future-oriented action steps with clients rooted in internal congruence.
Assess client growth across Satir’s core themes: self-worth, communication, and connection.

Advanced Trauma-Informed Modules

“From Surviving to Thriving: Trauma-Informed STST” $449.00

Focus: Applying STST principles to trauma work.
Includes:
- Trauma through the lens of the Iceberg
- Resourcing the internal world
- Establishing safety and therapeutic alliance

Core Competencies:

Apply STST within a trauma-informed framework
Understand polyvagal-informed safety and emotional regulation
Identify signs of dissociation and freeze responses

Course Objectives:

Identify trauma patterns within the Iceberg and Self-Mandala frameworks.
Facilitate grounding and resourcing for clients with trauma histories.
Incorporate nonverbal, body-based awareness into trauma care using Satir principles.

“Reclaiming the Self: Parts Work, Dissociation & Integration” $449.00

Focus: Working with dissociation, parts, and internal fragmentation.
Includes:
- Internal conflicts and protector parts
- Integration through experiential exercises
- Case examples with trauma survivors

Core Competencies:

Facilitate reconnection after trauma rupture
Guide clients in reclaiming agency and vision
Use symbolic interventions and metaphor

Course Objectives:

Support clients in shifting survival stances into empowered responses.
Use metaphor and visual tools (e.g., Wisdom Box, Golden Key, Courage Stick) in trauma care.
Co-create trauma healing pathways with clients using the Satir Change Process Model.

“The Body Remembers: Embodiment, Touchstones & Repair” $449.00

Focus: Somatic work and embodied presence.
Includes:
- Touchstone experiences and memory reconsolidation
- Body sculpting and breathwork
- Polyvagal-informed application of STST

Core Competencies:

Explore spiritual and existential dimensions of trauma healing
Work with legacy burdens, intergenerational trauma, and ancestral healing
Embody Satir’s philosophy of universal life energy and oneness

Course Objectives:

Guide clients in accessing spiritual essence and post-traumatic growth.
Use narrative, imagery, and ritual to facilitate meaning-making and integration.
Apply transpersonal elements of the Satir Model to support sacred healing.

Additional requirements:

Choice of 18 hours of additional clinical courses offered through or preapproved courses from other affiliates.

CA: Introductory Courses

CB: Intermediate Courses

CC: Advanced Courses

Certification Track Mentorship – Clinical Competency, Mentorship, and Review

Certification Benefits Upon successful completion, Certified Satir Therapists:

Earn the professional designation of Certified Satir (STST) Therapist
May serve as support guides at Satir trainings
Receive a listing on the Satir Clinical Therapist Referral Network
May attend VSGN-sponsored events at 20% reduced rate
Gain access to case consultation services
May lead official Satir trainings (C1-C9 & CA, CB, CC courses) with additional requirements met

Eligibility Requirements To enroll in the Certification Track, applicants must meet the following prerequisites:

Hold a Master's or Doctoral degree in a mental health field
Be licensed or certified to independently practice psychotherapy in their country or region
Carry active malpractice insurance ($1M per incident, $3M aggregate)
Individuals must be able to provide therapy independent of a supervisor.

Mentorship and Review Certified Satir Therapists are developed through guided mentorship with experienced Satir practitioners. Mentors help candidates implement STST in clinical practice through individual or group consultation.

Requirements:

Minimum of 15 hours of individual mentoring (45-minute sessions) or 20 hours of group mentoring (50–90 minute sessions)
Review and approval of four video segments demonstrating STST application
Case presentations, case study review and conceptualization, treatment plan development,
Payment of mentor fees directly to mentor

Possible Mentors include: Steve Buckbee, Jesse Carlock, Johnny Faulkner, Michael Argumaniz-Hardin, Richard Kennedy, Sandy Novak, Michael DuPont, Gina Adams

Fees

Course Fees: Tuition and fees for C1 – C9 & 18 additional hours chosen from CA,CB, or CC courses
Administrative Fee: $540.00 (one-time, payable to VSGN at time of Certification Track enrollment).
Mentoring Fees: Vary by mentor and modality (individual/group). Candidates are responsible for arranging payment directly with their mentor.
Clinical Membership Fees: $200 Clinical membership must be maintained upon being awarded certification to be listed on the Satir Referral Network on the VSGN website.

Timeline

All certification requirements, including video review and mentoring hours, must be completed within three yearsof enrolling in the track

Endorsement This certification is formally endorsed by the Virginia Satir Global Network, the international home for the preservation, dissemination, and evolution of Virginia Satir’s legacy. It affirms the commitment of the certified therapist to practice with integrity, compassion, and congruence in the spirit of Satir’s systemic, transformational, and humanistic approach.