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What is Transactional Analysis?

Transactional Analysis (TA) offers a way of understanding our thoughts, feelings and behaviours and of making positive changes in our lives.

It was originally developed over 50 years ago by Dr Eric Berne, MD. Berne had a gift for expressing complex psychological ideas through everyday language. He created a very accessible theory of human development, personality and social interaction that was easy to grasp and apply. "Life scripts" "Games" and "Parent, Adult, Child ego states" are some of the terms he used.

Berne's training was in medicine and psychoanalysis, both of which informed his theory of TA. His philosophy was humanistic, and the way he applied TA was often cognitive behavioural. This combination of influences resulted in an extremely flexible therapy, applicable to a wide range of circumstances from short term counselling to long term in depth psychotherapy.

Over time, in order to meet the changing needs of those seeking therapy, different emphases and applications of TA have developed alongside Berne's original, Classical approach.

I use a variety of different, though not unrelated approaches, depending on the needs of my clients. These include Classical TA, Relational TA and Cognitive Behavioural TA.

Relational Transactional Analysis is influenced by the Object Relations and Psychodynamic schools of psychotherapy. It emphasises the influence of early relationships in the creation of psychological problems, and enables damaging, often unconscious, patterns to be brought into awareness and changed. Therapy is usually long term and involves working through or "mending" the "damage" within a safe therapeutic relationship.

CBTA (Cognitive Behavioural Transactional Analysis) is more aligned to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and is particularly effective in short term work.

In practice I often use a combination of these approaches, depending on the needs of my clients and the therapeutic contract we have made together.

Suggestions for reading about Transactional Analysis:

"Counselling for Toads: A Psychological Adventure" by Robert de Board
- an easy read and introduction to TA counselling

"TA Today: A New Introduction to Transactional Analysis" by Ian Stewart & Vann Joines
- a good introduction to TA theory

"Transactional Analysis: A Relational Perspective" by Helena Hargaden & Charlotte Sills.
- Advanced. An in depth, comprehensive model of Relational TA theory and practice.

"Growing Up Again: Parenting Ourselves, Parenting our Children" by Jean Ilsley Clarke & Connie Lawson.
A practical application of TA, including ages and stages of development, ways to nurture our children and ourselves, and tools for personal and family growth.

Psychotherapy or Counselling
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