The Centre

Under the leadership of Dr. Janet Christie-Seely, the Satir Learning Centre of Ottawa presents workshops that teach you methods that help you choose, at a very deep personal level, how you react to what life presents you each day, every minute. These methods were developed by Virginia Satir and others.

A core principle of the Satir method is "congruent" communication, a style of communicating that allows people to give honest expression to their thoughts and feelings while ensuring that their verbal and non-verbal messages are in accord, or congruent. This communications approach also encourages awareness of the other person's position and feelings, along with the context of the relationship.

Non-congruent communication is the result of coping techniques that lead to blaming, placating, super-reasonable or distracting behaviours. Each of these four non-congruent stances, learned in childhood for survival, tends to lower self-esteem of both speaker and listener and promotes interpersonal conflict.

Congruence promotes high self-esteem in self and others and facilitates conflict resolution.

(The Satir Learning Centre of Ottawa is an Ontario not-for-profit corporation, corporation number 1645845.)