| Summary: | The purpose of this study was to discover how therapists understood and experienced the
Personal Iceberg Metaphor from Satir's systemic brief therapy training program. This metaphor
provided a framework for insight into the internal world of the person. Nine therapists (seven
women and two men) whose ages were between 35-61 years old, participated in the study.
Participants must have completed 120 hours of Satir's systemic brief therapy training, which
included the beginner and the advanced level programs.
A phenomenological approach was used for the procedure on how to interview
participants and on how to analyze the data which was gathered. The researcher conducted two
interviews with each participant over a seven month period. Five common themes emerged
which highlighted the lived experience of the participants. The lived experience of the Personal
Iceberg Metaphor: (1) facilitates awareness, (2) is an integration process of externalization
towards internalization, (3) fosters acceptance, (4) facilitates change, and (5) fosters spiritual
development and connection to Self: I am. The inner world and process of therapists was
surfaced and explored. The participants experienced intrapsychic and interactive impacts and
changes.
The descriptions within each theme have illustrated the growth and development of the
participant as a person and as a therapist. The findings of this study illustrates how therapists
have positively changed through their involvement and exploration with the Personal Iceberg
Metaphor within Satir's systemic brief therapy training. The findings from this research offer
recommendations for counselling research and practice in the area of personal and professional
development for therapists. === Education, Faculty of === Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of === Graduate
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