Keith Tudor

Cocreative Transactional Analysis

Drawing on field theory and social constructivism, the authors present a dynamic, cocreative approach to transactional analysis. This approach emphasizes the present-centered nature of the therapeutic relationship—or therapeutic relating—and the cocreative nature of transactions, scripts, ego states, and games. The authors frame this approach within a positive health perspective on transactional analysis (as distinct from an undue emphasis on psychopathology) and argue that cocreative transactional analysis provides a narrative or story about transactional analysis itself that offers new and contemporary meanings to old transactional truths. The article concludes with a series of questions for self-supervision that may serve as a useful guide to cocreative transactional analysis practice.

Training health visitors in cognitive behavioural and person-centred approaches for depression in postnatal women as part of a cluster randomised trial and economic evaluation in primary care: the PoNDER trial

AIM This paper aims to describe the training preparation for health visitors who took part in the intervention arm of a cluster randomised controlled trial and economic evaluation of training for health visitors - the POstNatal Depression Economic evaluation and Randomised (the PoNDER) trial. A secondary aim is to make available, by electronic links, the training manuals developed for and used for the cognitive behavioural approach (CBA) and the person-centred approach (PCA) training for the health visitors. The paper is of relevance to health visitors, general practitioners, nurse practitioners, midwives, clinical psychologists, mental health nurses, community psychiatric nurses, counsellors, and service commissioners. BACKGROUND The trial clinical outcomes have been published, indicating the pragmatic effectiveness of the package of training for health visitors to identify depressive symptoms and provide a psychologically informed intervention. The training was associated with a reduction in depressive symptoms at six months postnatally among intervention group women and some evidence of a benefit for the intervention group for some of the secondary outcomes at 18 months follow-up. METHODS The two experimental interventions examined in the PoNDER trial built upon promising work on the potential for psychological interventions to help women recover from postnatal depression as an alternative to pharmaceutical interventions and to address the limitations of previous research in the area. FINDINGS The package of health visitor training comprised the development of clinical skills in assessing postnatal women and identifying depressive symptoms, and the delivery of a CBA or a PCA for eligible women. This was the largest trial a health visitor intervention and of postnatal depression ever conducted. We are aware of no other rigorously performed trial that has published details of an extensively tested training programme for the benefit of health-care professionals and clients.

Transactional Analysis Supervision or Supervision Analyzed Transactionally

A review of the literature on supervision reveals surprisingly few specifically transactional analysis models of supervision. The author offers an organizing framework for supervision that locates and interrelates transactional analysis philosophy, practice, and theory, in the course of which Bernes (1966) therapeutic operations are applied to supervision as “supervisory operations.” The article explores the question of whether there is such a thing as transactional analysis supervision or whether supervision is a metatheoretical—and, for that matter, a transdisciplinary—activity that may be analyzed in transactional analysis terms.

“Take It”: A Sixth Driver:

“Take it” is considered as a sixth driver that accounts, both in developmental and social terms, for the introjection by the child of Parental messages to take and own objects in an inappropriate, exploitative, and unsustainable way. As a negative driver message, “Take it” is considered to support the development of narcissism. It also accounts for the integration of messages that encourage the child to impact in a constructive and sustainable way his or her environment. The author reflects on the nature of theory and the impact of a new contribution to existing transactional analysis theory, as well as on a number of theoretical implications of this additional driver. This contribution to the literature is placed in the context of transactional analysis as a social psychology and a radical psychiatry.

The State of the Ego: Then and Now

This article considers the state of ego state theory in transactional analysis. Based on the hypothesis that there is a confusion in practice and the transactional analysis literature based on different and differing structural models of ego states, the author clarifies Bernes concept of the ego and of ego states by drawing on the earlier work of Federn (1952d), Weiss (1950), and Glover (1955). Following the work of Trautmann and Erskine (1981), Erskine (1988, 1991), Gobes (1990), Oller-Vallejo (1997, 2003), and Wadsworth and DiVincenti (2003), and based on a close reading of Bernes (1961/ 1975a) Transactional Analysis in Psychotherapy, the author clarifies the distinction between two sets of structural ego state models with regard to definitions of ego states, theories of human development, the concept of integration, and views about the goal or end of therapy. While the article is primarily a contribution to the clinical field (psychotherapy and counseling), the clarification of the two sets of models, and especially the differing views of the Adult, has implications for all applications of transactional analysis.

From Client Process to Therapeutic Relating: A Critique of the Process Model and Personality Adaptations

The authors offer a critique of the process model as articulated by Kahler (1975a, 1975b, 1978, 1979, 1996) and the theory of personality adaptations as articulated by Kahler with Capers (1974), Kahler (1982), Ware (1983), and Joines & Stewart (2002). Specifically, they take issue with Joines and Stewarts assertion that narcissism cannot be considered to be a personality adaptation and argue for a consistent conceptualization of personality that encompasses narcissistic and borderline adaptations.

There Ain't No License that Protects: Bowen Theory and the Regulation of Psychotherapy

The author discusses Smiths (2011) article and draws further on the example and criticisms of moves toward the statutory regulation of psychotherapy and the state registration of psychotherapists as an example of societal—and professional—regression.

“In the Manner of”: Transactional Analysis Teaching of Transactional Analysts

This article explores transactional analysis (TA) teaching—that is, teaching “in the manner of TA”—and distinguishes it from teaching TA from a generic educational perspective, an activity that may or may not be analyzed in transactional analysis terms. The author applies transactional analysis philosophy, practice, and theory to the teaching and training of transactional analysts and, in doing so, reviews the literature on TA teaching, as distinct from teaching TA. Drawing on literature about education and learning, as well as about teaching and training, the article makes the point that all transactional analysis trainers are, in effect, in the educational field of application. Therefore, those trainers in the clinical (psychotherapy and counseling) and organizational fields could—and perhaps should—draw more on the experience and expertise of colleagues in the educational field. This, together with a previous, parallel article on transactional analysis supervision (Tudor, 2002), forms essential reading for practitioners teaching and supervising TA as well as those preparing for the Teaching and Supervising Transactional Analysis examination.

“We Are” The Fundamental Life Position

This article argues that the existential statement “We are” most accurately describes the fundamental life position of human beings and identifies some ontological, epistemological, methodological, and practical implications of this. Taking the phrase “I’m OK, You’re OK” and its variants as its theme, the article critically examines the three elements of this central aspect of transactional analysis theory and philosophy, that is, in terms of the person, OKness, and existential life positions. In doing so, it offers some clarification regarding Klein’s influence on Berne and some variations that are informed by and advance we psychology.

Person-centered expressive arts therapy: A theoretical encounter

This article aims to make explicit the theoretical underpinnings of person-centered expressive arts therapy (PCEAT). We introduce PCEAT with a summary of the person-centered perspective on creativity, and expressive therapy, followed by a discussion which connects it to the fundamental principles of the person-centered approach (PCA), specifically the nature of the organism, and the nondirective attitude of the therapist. The article concludes with some thoughts about how expressive therapy facilitates individual and collective action, and the peace movement. Drawing on Natalie Rogerss work on creativity (N. Rogers, 1993/2000, 2011), and an invited lecture on expressive arts and peace (N. Rogers, 2004), the article aims to make explicit the theoretical underpinnings of person-centered expressive arts therapy.