Transactional Analysis: Psychotherapy & Counselling

This is an introduction to Transactional Analysis (TA) and provides a general overview of both the central ideas and theories at play in Transactional Analysis, the goals of the approach, the  general view of psychopathology put forward by TA, and the way that it approaches psychotherapy. It's a useful 'big picture' that's important before we take a closer look at the ideas mentioned in this session.

The Ego State Model is at the very heart of Transactional Analysis (TA) and this video-learning session serves as an in-depth exploration of it. We compare The Structural Ego State Model with The Functional Ego State Model and outline when each should be used. By the end of this session you will understand The Ego State Model very clearly: you should connect every aspect of the course to this Ego State Model in order to get a full understanding of its significance.

This session is all about how we can analyse personality on a deeper level and with a particular focus on the specific 'contents' of a particular individual's ego states.

As Transactional Analysis evolved important divisions emerged as a result of apparent contradictions and ambiguities in Berne's earlier work: here we take a look at the most important divergence in Transactional Analysis theory.

Two competing models (or sets of models) have emerged and understanding these rival interpretations (as you will by the end of this session!) will help you to gain a more complete picture of Transactional Analysis and the therapeutic ideal that it advocates.

This important session outlines the Classical School's basic perspective on the nature of mental illness in terms of the ego state model. We look at contamination, exclusion and constancy as concepts that stand at the centre of the Transactional Analysis framework for diagnosing and understanding psychopathology.

Since the 'Integrating Adult' is, according to the Integrative School, so important in our understanding of what ideal mental health involves - this session clarifies the idea and seeks to solidify and confirm a general outline of what an 'Integrating Adult' ego state really is.

The 'Existential Positions' are important in Transactional Analysis both in terms of understanding a person's general way of relating to others in life and in terms of analysing specific communications (transactions).

The 'OK States' and 'Not-OK States' are a framework for understanding a person's most basic views about themselves and other people - but they are also a way of deeply exploring the ways in which people relate to others and the interpersonal dynamics they choose to sustain in day to day life: in the present moment.

Imagine if it were really true: most people write a script for their entire lives, including the ending, before they are the age of ten - and some people spend their entire life living according to that script (instead of living autonomously).

Here we look at what 'script' is, how  scripts are transmitted, the role of decision and self-authorship in script, and a variety of related issues. As always: we will go deep and explore a variety of different interpretations and implications of this powerful idea.

Autonomy is the central goal of Transactional Analysis (TA) and one important aspect of that autonomy is 'freedom from script'. Engaging in more free, choice-focused, decision making that can take a person's life in new directions instead of repeating old patterns of behaviour. In this way, Transactional Analysis is a deeply existential approach to therapy: it emphasises the role of personal responsibility - one of the key assumptions of Transactional Analysis is, after all, that people are free to shape their own destiny.

Transactional Analysis has a lot to offer when it comes to Developmental Psychology and Motivational Psychology. 'Strokes' are basic units of recognition and, from birth, they have a deep significance for all human beings: they are what our survival depended on!

The 'stroke climate' of our families had a significant impact on the way in which our behaviours were conditioned; 'stroke theory' very much represents one of the more 'behaviourist' aspects of Transactional Analysis. Crucially: human beings are seen to prefer negative strokes to no strokes at all: this opens up a Pandora's Box of implications for our understanding of how mental health disorders, and perhaps especially personality disorders, develop in childhood.

Pay attention to 'Stroke Economy Rules' in your work... one of many interesting topics we'll explore in this session...

Transactional Analysis Proper is the analysis of specific transactions using the Parent, Adult , Child Ego State Model.

Learn how to do it and how to represent different types of transactions diagrammatically in this session!

Here we explore the different types of transaction identified by this fascinating and versatile approach to analysing human interactions.

A simplified model of effective communication that you can use both  with your clients and in your own life!

Use 'The Racket System' to analyse the lives and behaviours of your patients and clients. Explore the significance of 'racket feelings' (substitute feelings) and help people to get in touch with the real emotions and real needs at the core of their racket.

The Games People Play...

In this session we explore 'ego games' or 'games' as they are known in Transactional Analysis. A game in TA is defined as “a series of duplex transactions which leads to a 'switch' and a well-defined, predictable 'payoff' that justifies a not-OK, or discounted (less-than) position.”

Let's go deep and take a look at a some examples of games - paying particular attention to the games that can arise in your own work as a mental health professional.

Combining The Ego State Model with more established ideas around transference and projection from the psychoanalytic tradition can lead to powerful insights - these insights can allow clients to break free of transferential dynamics and enhance their autonomy.

In this session we explore the very real possibility that the interpersonal dynamics human beings manifest in their adult lives are endless replays of early childhood dynamics: dynamics that are locked in some kind of 'impasse' (inner conflict) between the Parent and Child.

Transferential relational dynamics, when understood clearly, can be neatly connected with every other major concept from Transactional Analysis and consideration of this important topic will serve as an excellent spring board for our next section: approaches to therapy and specific therapeutic interventions.

Now we start thinking about how to turn theory into practice. Let's start with an overview of the different schools of psychotherapeutic practice that have branched out from the Transactional Analysis tree since its initial sprouting in the 1950s.

You should now be reflecting on how to translate the many interesting ideas we've explored on this course into practice...

The use of 'Contracts' and 'Contracting' is at the core of Transactional Analysis based therapy. Therapy is an ongoing process of negotiation, metacommunication and consent.

In it's simplest essence - contracting is a way of confirming the client's understanding of what is going to happen in therapy and why it is a good idea for that to be the focus. Contracting also expresses the core ethical principles of Transactional Analysis very clearly: as a therapeutic strategy it empowers the Adult ego state and nurtures autonomous, responsibility-taking, behaviours.

As you'll see in this session, contracting works on many levels - but one should never allow 'contracting for change' or 'contracts for healing' to be done 'by rote' or become overly procedural. The therapeutic relationship is meant to feel personal since much of the work relates to the issue of intimacy and authenticity; this implies that 'contracting' should not become to 'routine' and is meant to be a less formal approach than the term might initially suggest.

How does a Transactional Analyst gain a full and detailed understanding of a client that they've never met before?

Diagnosis in Transactional Analysis can call on all of the concepts from Transactional Analysis if needs be: when you do so for the first time you'll see that Transactional Analysis creates an incredibly comprehensive clinical picture of an individual.

This important session looks at Transactional Analysis based approaches to harm-reduction, client protection and safety, and safeguarding techniques. Don't miss it!

Berne's Eight Therapeutic Techniques serve as the very core of Transactional Analysis based therapy. These specific transactions are designed to strengthen the Adult ego state and decontaminate it of Child and/or Parent influences.

An essential session for psychotherapists and counsellors alike and a fascinating perspective on 'the therapeutic process'.

This innovative new approach shows a recent development in Transactional Analysis practices and approaches. Using 'Metacommunicative Transactions' as a therapeutic strategy may serve as an example of how 'Relational Transactional Analysis' is taking TA in exciting new directions when it comes to how therapy is practiced.

Therapeutic strategies that work directly on the Parent ego state.

Redecision Therapy & therapeutic strategies that work directly on the Child ego state.

The final video-learning session of the course!