Exploring congruence and counseling competencies: A qualitative study of counseling students trained in the Satir Model

This qualitative case-study research was conducted to explore the experiences of congruence and counseling psychology competencies among doctoral and master's degree students in a counseling psychology program. Participants were selected using purposive sampling based on the following criteria: completion of a 3-day training in the Satir Model of counseling, at least 3 months of experience practicing Satir Model counseling, and a willing to participate in the study. The data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with five participants over 3 months following the completion of the training. The analysis involved content analysis, and credibility was ensured through peer debriefing, data triangulation, and member checking. The findings revealed three forms of congruence: (1) positive self-connection; (2) open attitude; and (3) communication capable of reaching the worlds of others. The findings on the development of counseling psychology competencies included four aspects: (1) knowledge competency, which is reaching the inner self and understanding of counseling; (2) attitude competency, which is seeing the value of counseling based on Satir’s theory; (3) skill competency, generated from those students embarking on Satir Model psychological counseling practice at the time of their participation in the training and after the completion of the training; and (4) obstacles to the counseling psychology competencies, which are part of a learning process that is difficult to understand on the depths of a person's feelings and identities. This study revealed deep and comprehensive congruence and competency experiences among counseling psychology students, suggesting potential for widespread program implementation.