Our Team
Regina Taggart MSW, LCSW
Founder & Program Director
Since graduating from the University of South Florida with a Master of Social Work in 1999, Regina has completed extensive training in the Satir Growth Model at the Year Long Practitioner Development Workshop in Chapel Hill. She’s worked in a variety of settings with children and families, including hospice and community mental health. Her cross-cultural work with teaching the Satir Growth Model has taken her to Hong Kong, China, Germany, Tajikistan and Azerbaijan. She’s certified in Equine Assisted Psychotherapy and has integrated the Satir Model into the arena with horses and clients.
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Regina Ragan Taggart, LCSW maintains a private practice in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She is the founder of the Virginia M. Satir Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. As a social worker for 25 years, she has used the Satir Growth Model in multiple contexts including hospice care, therapy with children, adolescents and families. She developed “I Actually Make My Experience,” a skills based self-esteem group for children and adolescents based upon the Satir Growth Model.
Mentored by Jean McLendon, LCSW, LMFT, for 25 years, Regina has trained in Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Hong Kong, China and Europe. Regina has facilitated community based Satir trainings for Carolina Friends School, Chatham County Department of Social Services, Corral, South Carolina HIV/AIDs Network and NASW NC. Also she has co-taught Use of Self and Satir Growth Model at UNC-CH School of Social Work. She enjoys supervising social work interns in the Satir Growth Model.
Carol Holcomb, MSW, JD
Chief Executive Officer
Carol brings to the Center fifteen years of social work experience and more than thirty years as a licensed attorney, and most recently a Satir Life Coach. She believes the Satir Model facilitates growth and the learning of new coping skills. Her goal as a coach is to help each individual access their strengths and resources as they move toward resolution, a decision, or a new possibility. She obtained her M.S.W. from the UNC School of Social Work in 1980 and her law degree from the UNC School of Law in 1988.
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Raised in Gadsden, Alabama, within a traditional Southern Baptist family, Carol’s early life followed a conventional trajectory: high school graduation, a college degree, and a teaching certificate. This path led her to an early marriage, moving her to Chapel Hill, North Carolina — a shift that introduced her to a more diverse, liberal community and eventually, to personal and professional rebirth following her divorce.
Carol’s career evolved profoundly from her initial role as a Social Worker at Duke Hospital. Pursuing a Master’s Degree in Social Work at UNC opened avenues into activism, as she led the North Carolina Council on the Status of Women and fueled efforts for the Equal Rights Amendment. Her advocacy journey continued at UNC-Chapel Hill’s Campus Y, fostering student involvement in social causes.
Transitioning into law, Carol earned her Juris Doctorate from UNC School of Law. Specializing in family law and representing neglected and abused children, she found a unique intersection for her passions: social work, law, and court litigation. Carol’s commitment to social justice defined her career until her retirement in 2018. Throughout the pandemic, she further contributed to the community by supporting social workers through the Satir Coaching program.
Jean McLendon, LCSW LMFT
Master Trainer
Jean is the past president of The Virginia Satir Global Network and is currently the Director of Training Programs at Satir Systems. She trained with Virginia Satir for nearly 20 years and has been published in many journals and books.
Jean has held faculty appointments at the University of North Carolina School of Social Work and the National Institute of Mental Health Staff College, and served as the faculty specialist with the Whole Systems Design Graduate Program at Seattle University.
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In 1970, a young Jean McLendon raised her hand at a Virginia Satir workshop in Charleston, South Carolina, unaware that this moment would pivot her life’s direction. Jean’s courageous step into a role-play as an overburdened mother marked the dawn of a profound professional and personal journey alongside Satir, the pioneer of the Satir Growth Model. This marked the beginning of a lifelong mission: to carry forward and expand upon Virginia’s transformative therapeutic model.
Jean’s deep-seated commitment to Virginia’s work took shape through years of collaboration and mentorship. Her path wasn’t just about learning from Satir’s wisdom; it was living the principles of the Satir Growth Model, both in therapy sessions and in the nuanced symphony of everyday life. Jean’s unwavering presence by Satir’s side, from workshops to pivotal moments of change, was both a testament to her dedication and a period of unparalleled growth in her understanding of human transformation.
A Legacy Entrusted
A pivotal moment came in 1988, when Satir fell ill and selected Jean to lead a crucial month-long training in Crested Butte, Colorado. This event was a professional milestone for Jean and a profound personal honor, symbolizing Satir’s trust in her to carry the torch of their shared work. Jean’s involvement continued beyond Satir’s workshops, extending to the very personal act of care in Virginia’s final days, showcasing the deep, personal bond they shared.
Since then, Jean McLendon has become a beacon of Satir’s teachings, passionately advancing the Satir Growth Model worldwide. With a career spanning over five decades, Jean has led workshops and training sessions globally, from Southeast and Central Asia to Europe and across the United States. Her mission is clear: to foster change and growth through congruence within individuals and relationships.
Jean McLendon Today
Today, Jean McLendon is not just a teacher of the Satir Growth Model; she is a living bridge to Virginia Satir’s legacy. Her work, characterized by an unwavering belief in the model’s power to transform lives, continues to inspire and educate.
Jean holds degrees from Winthrop College, the University of Hawaii, and a specialized certification from the University of North Carolina. She is a licensed clinical social worker and marriage and family therapist, credentials that augment her profound impact on the field. However, it is Jean’s soulful presentations and deep understanding of the Satir Growth Model that truly encapsulate her contribution to the world of therapy and human development.
In her roles as a co-founder of the Avanta Network (Now Virginia Satir Global Network) and as its former president, Jean’s influence transcends her official positions. To witness Jean working is to see the heart of Satir’s teachings in action, a testament to the transformative power of understanding, acceptance, and love.
<<QUOTE FROM VIRGINIA>>
“It is a pleasure to experience Jean work. She has that rare capacity to be able to sit in the airport tower position and at the same time to be aware of all the planes in her vision ad to be able to eke them find out about themselves and their relationship to each other.”