Editorial. Good bye Claude. EATA Newsletter. Dear readers,

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1 EATA Newsletter [Descriptor] Document title is published by the European Association for Transactional Analysis a non-profit association registered in Geneva, Switzerland. Mailing address: N o 118 February 2017 EATA, c/o M. Rauter Silvanerweg Konstanz, Germany Fon: Fax: EATA@gmx.com Editorial Board: Kristina Brajovic Car eata.editor@gmail.com Translation: French: Armelle Brunot; German: Bea Schild: Italian: Cristina Caizzi; Russian: Olga Tuchova, Lilit Sargsyan; Spanish: Carlos Ramirez Frequency/Deadlines: for contributions and adverts September 10 for October issue, January 10 for February issue, May 10 for June issue. Subscription is a benefit of paying member- ship and is not available separately. Membership is available directly from Affiliated Associations Editorial Dear readers, As we are getting close to the springtime, that will bring us new exams, conferences and many more reasons for cooperation and celebration, sadly we must acknowledge that it has been a meaningful winter for the TA community. It has taken away one of the founding fathers of TA and creator of some key concepts script and strokes, Claude Steiner. One of the valued legacies of Claude was this theoretical work. It will always be present in every TA session and every TA 101 that will take place in the future, just as it was present from the first 101 s. Sometimes, when we learn what is working well in practice, all we need to do is to continue doing it especially if it includes strokes! Thank you Claude Steiner! In this issue we have devoted a space for reflective gratitude and beautiful stories about his contribution to TA worldwide. Looking at the near future, soon to come is the TA World Conference with more than 200 presenters from all continents representing all TA fields of application. They bring exciting and inspiring themes. There will be presenters who will report about their concepts, ideas and research; there will be workshops about tools and techniques; and there will be workshops about new ideas that have not been presented and discussed at TA conferences before. Good bye Claude We mourn for Claude Steiner, who died on January 9, 2017 at his ranch in Ukiah, California, in the circle of his family. Claude Steiner was born in Paris in 1935 as the son of a Jewish mother and a Christian father - both originating from Vienna. Fleeing from the Nazis, the family arrived in Mexico by way of Madrid, where Claude grew up from 1946 to After entry into the USA he began to study engineering and physics, until he changed over to psychology in In 1957 he became acquainted with Eric Berne in San Francisco and became his pupil, friend and co-founder of Transactional Analysis, as well as founding member of the ITAA. In addition to his many activities and publications on TA theory (he was twice awarded the Eric Berne Scientific Award: for the The main events will be translated and we hope for more support by volunteers for whispering translations during the conference events (workshops, social activities etc.). Do come to the conference and find out what the growing TA global community has to say about the present state of the art in Transactional analysis! Enjoy reading this issue! Kristina BrajovicćCar Newsletter Editor Script Matrix in 1971 and for the Stroke Economics in 1980), Claude became increasingly politicized under the impression of the Vietnam War. Added to this came the influence of the various liberation movements at the end of the 60 s. With other politically engaged friends he founded the radical psychiatry movement, which opposed the psychiatric and social mainstream of that time by uncovering inhuman structures in the organizations and the society, by questioning exploitative power structures in capitalism and confronting them with the idea of co-operation. In his Emotional Literacy concept, which he started to develop theoretically and practically in 1975 and published in 1997, he connected the theoretical considerations of Transactional Analysis with his political convictions and 1

2 N o 118 February 2017 its conception of human love. He developed a training program in which he introduced this unique version of Transactional Analysis to people in many parts of the world. Experiencing the establishment of the DGEK (officially registered German Association for Emotional Competence) in the year 2010 meant very much to him, since he could experience how its ideas were being carried further. Claude left us a treasure which points to alternatives both in private relations and vocational co-operation and guidance, to renounce systems based on domination, control and obedience, so that personal power by means of autonomy and co-operation in relations get a chance. Love is the answer - these were his last words. A radically honest person and humanist has left us. We and a large circle of transactional analysts work with his model and experience its power. Fulfilled with gratitude and mourning we say good bye Claude. Writen by Hartmut Oberdieck and Norbert Nagel Claude Steiner passed away January 6th January 9th 2017 Claude Steiner died on the shore of Penny Royal Lake at his Round Mountain Ranch in Ukiah CA surrounded by family. As he gazed out over the water, listening to music and crying and laughing at the beauty of life, his final words were "love is the answer" and then "I am so lucky". He died in absolute peace, total comfort and with the dignity of physician prescribed legal aid in dying. His ashes will be buried at the Penny Royal lakeshore, under the willow tree. There will be memorials in Berkeley and Ukiah this summer and hopefully at the TA world conference in Berlin in July, which his son Eric and daughter Mimi will attend. Many people feel they needed more time with him. Together we will keep his wisdom and love alive and together our grief will be soothed. Claude Steiner as you look down upon us from the cosmos - know that you are eternally beloved. Noemi Mimi Doohan, Jim Doohan, Matthew Doohan, Eric Steiner 2

3 The Transactional Analysis World Conference Berlin, Germany July 27th 29th 2017 We ll all come to Berlin! Boundaries a place... to meet... to develop... to define identity. Berlin: The place where famous people expressed their emotions towards this outstanding metropolis and their inhabitants: John F. Kennedy who said Ich bin ein Berliner! Berlin: the place where peace and war were closed neighbors - it is the place where people know what boundaries mean limits, challenges and chances. For more than 25 years Berliners were faced with the wall, the fact of people being shot when they wanted to be free in the threat of the cold war Berliner s experienced the support of many people all over the world. We can now celebrate that it is more than 25 years from the fall of the Berlin wall and we are faced with the challenges of a world in which rich and poor people get more and more separated, where places to meet are often virtual, where identity and the search for it is hard work. In other words, being safe in managing the uncertainty and supporting people in gaining this competency is our next challenge. How do Transactional Analysts respond to these challenges and take social responsibility? What will be our 3 answers, ways and perspectives we can offer? How can we use our theory and practice to build a safe basis? In which areas is TA recognized, and in which not? In which areas do we consider it important to be recognized, in the future? Limits and borders between fields, essential, hard, flexible...? What does it mean to speak of an identity as a transactional analyst? Berlin is a place where boundaries or borders played a vital role in history as a limitation and as a protection. Creating, maintaining and finally opening a border is part of the history and the memory of the city. What are the meaning of borders and boundaries to us? How do boundaries help us to define our identity and contrast ourselves to others or establish contact with others? Is it possible to define identity without borders by crossing borders? More questions than answers so far... Transactional Analysts might make a contribution to answering these questions as a group of individuals and as communities. We invite you to meet and to express your enthusiasm for TA and excitement about the position and the role of Transactional Analysis in the world. Welcome to Berlin!

4 Keynote speakers: Prof. Dr. Günter Abel The first keynote speaker is a professor of philosophy who specialized in his research on the integration of knowledge and identity. He will start of from the questions: how multiple goals in different aspects of life create an identity and a formation of the self, and how will identity become a manifestation in psychodynamics of clients? Kazim Erdogan Mr. Erdogan holds a Diploma in Psychology and Sociology. He was born in 1953 in Turkey. He specialized in integration of migrants and successfully developed a programme for Turkish fathers who came to Germany. For his engagement in this enterprise he was awarded a medal by the Federal Republic of Germany. Festive Evening: Berlin is more a part of the world than a city Jean Paul We are delighted to announce that we successfully booked an amazing typical Berlin location for the festive evening. Berlin was and is still the master of flexible, always changing solutions this is what creates the special flair of a formerly separated Metropolis. Our location tells about the flexible always changing solution an old goods station which has been switched by creative interventions to an event location par excellence. And we thought about something special, because Berlin is full of finger food options and we wanted to share the festive evening with lots, lots of participants: we offer participation with and without dinner. 4

5 The menu will offer typical Berlin dishes (don t worry no Curry-Wurst) as well as vegetarian and on demand special dishes for allergy sufferer (as much as possible). Water and soft drinks are included. And if you want to have more you just dance around. Alcoholic drinks are available but you must pay for them. Think of it as a jamboree: we also offer music to listen to, to dance to... Because we all know Berlin people and TA people know how to celebrate endlessly there is no closing time in Berlin! 5

6 [Descriptor] Document title No February 2017 October 2016 Conference venue: Exams Exams will take place on: Technische Universität Berlin (TU) Straße des 17. Juni 135 and Berlin Germany Lycee Francais Derflinger Str Berlin CTAT exams: July 24th 26th TSTA/CTA exams: July 25th 26th TEW: July 31st August 2nd 6 5

7 Eric Berne and politics: a brief history and reflection Bill Cornell Written for the UKATA Transactional Analyst magazine, Oct., 2016 Peck, Felipe Garcia, Denton Roberts, to name those I knew best. In 1984, Rebecca Trautmann edited a special issue of the Transactional Analysis Journal addressing the issues of nuclear disarmament. It inspired me to write my second article for the TAJ, Teaching people what matters (Cornell, 1984/2008). It was, to my knowledge, the first issue of the TAJ devoted to social and political concerns. Claude Steiner and Eric Berne I was a young TA trainee in the early 1970s. At that time, trainees were told that politics had no place in transactional analysis or the therapy office. I found this very confusing, as so many people at that time were drawn to TA because they were turned off by the elitism of psychoanalysis and worked with client populations who needed much more practical and immediate help. This was certainly true for me, as I worked in a community mental health center where we provided services in churches, schools, work places, as well as the outpatient clinic. I was working in the community mental health center as my alternative service to the military, having fought for conscientious objector status during the Vietnam War. For me, politics belonged in the office. I was not alone. As I became more a part of the TA world, I learned of many TAers who were deeply political. There were, of course, Claude Steiner and Hogie Wyckoff and their radical psychiatry colleagues. The final issue of the Transactional Analysis Bulletin (which was then to become the TAJ), published after Berne s death, included an article by Hogie on Radical psychiatry and transactional analysis in women s groups (Wyckoff,1970). The summer conference that year had presentations on radical psychiatry, women s liberation, and racial tensions. There were many transactional analysts who were of decidedly left wing persuasions and brought political and social issues into their work: Mary Goulding, Natalie and Morris Haimowitz, Harris I had been told that the expectation of TA being apolitical was handed down from Eric Berne. During his tenure of leadership in the San Francisco Social Psychiatry Seminar (which was to become the ITAA), the seminar participants contributed money for the support of George, an orphan in Crete. This was the single socially-motivated activity of the group. I had always assumed that Berne s apolitical stance was yet another holdover from his training as a psychoanalyst. It was only a few years ago that I learned how wrong was my assumption. In 2010 the ITAA was preparing its annual conference in Montreal to be a celebration of Berne s 100th birthday. His family members were invited, and his son, Terry, gave a moving portrait of his father, which was then published in the ITAA Script (T. Berne, 2010). I quote from it here at length: Eric spoke several languages and was familiar with many more, his study had an entire shelf lined with US Army language guides that he used on his travels, especially when researching the incidence and treatment of mental health in non-western societies throughout the world. He traveled extensively from the 1930s right into the 1960s visiting hospitals in cities and rural areas all over Asia, the South Pacific, islands such as Fiji and Tahiti, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, India, Eastern Europe, Syria, and Turkey and wrote extensively about his findings. After his death we found boxes and boxes of his written communications with mental health officers all over the world. An Interesting outcome of this research was that he suffered persecution during the McCarthy era because of his travels. In the late 1940s he was investigated by the Select Committee on Un-American Activities, which was the precursor to the McCarthy investigations. He lost his job as psychiatric consultant to the US army because he was deemed a security risk. He was interrogated 7

8 over a period of several years, had his passport rescinded, and had to justify his reasons for visiting such countries as Turkey, Russia, Hungary, and numerous others where he had traveled while investigating the cultural differences in the diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses. He had also signed a petition circulated by a group of prominent scientists calling for the US government to stop politicizing scientific research by pressuring public and private foundations to cease offering financial support to scientists whom the government deemed too liberal. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) went so far as to request a detailed list of all the maps in his possession. There was a public trial in San Francisco where my father was forced to wear a paper bag over his head and where he was referred to only as Doctor X in order to not completely ruin his reputation. (p7) This was a stunning, truly shocking, story to hear. It may be difficult for UK readers to fully grasp the meanings of these investigations that sought to expose thousands of the American intelligentsia as communists or communist sympathizers. They took place as the Cold War escalated and there was a right-wing-driven hysteria that permeated the US and resulted in the destruction of the careers and reputations of many. It was this same hysteria that resulted in the prosecution and imprisonment of Wilhelm Reich. Eric Berne never spoke publicly about these experiences. In the original 1947 edition of The Mind in Action, Berne included a section on Man as a political animal, addressing such questions as, How do evil men gain followers? and How does an evil leader hold his followers? (1947, pp ). In subsequent editions of his book, this section was deleted. As I listened to Terry tell these stories of what had happened to his father, I had a very different understanding of Berne s declaration that Transactional Analysis and its practitioners were to be apolitical. It was as though Berne s trauma, shame, and (I imagine) fury were sealed off the next generation not to know the facts. What he passed on to his life s work and the members of his beloved San Francisco Seminar was a protective silence. We have seen so often the traumatised and protective silences passed on from one generation to the next. Berne attracted rebels in his profession, many people grounded in characters that defied authority, and at the same time there was to be this constraint, never explained but deeply enacted. As I was researching old papers and other materials for an article on the relationship between the genesis of group therapies and the wars of the 20th century (Cornell, 2016), I was given access to the Berne archives, which are soon to be available online. There, truly to my shock and profound respect, was the Eric Berne that Terry had described in his talk. Here were those boxes of papers and unpublished manuscripts to which Terry had referred. I only scratched the surface, but in what I was able to read was another whole side of Berne. There are his letters requesting a deferral from joining the Army during World War II; he was not successful. There is a detailed outline (1945) of his proposal to the Committee Appointed by the Veterans Aid Council for a program aimed at the rehabilitation of veterans of the war. Berne wrote articles in the local newspaper to advise people on helping returning soldiers to adjust to home life. There are two unfinished, book length manuscripts: A primer for peace and Human nature in peace and war. Both are undated but appear to have been written immediately after the war and in conjunction with the classes and groups he was running for returning soldiers, and the articles he was writing for their families and friends. In Human nature in peace and war Berne identified himself as Captain Eric Berne. A primer for peace, written under the pseudonym of Eric Servitor, was dedicated to Those who brought me up to be a citizen of the world: my mother, my father, my sister, my wife and daughter; and my teachers, Dr Eugen and Dr Paul. In the preface he writes: The ideas written here have been presented at various times to groups of young men whose enemy is death and not deficits. The author has had the privilege of trying to help them understand the world and people, and themselves, as well as they understand blood, mud, bullets, and orders. The questions are theirs, and the answers have been mellowed and beaten into shape by their discussions. (undated, pp.iv-v) I cried when I read first those words and met Berne s compassion, passion and humanity. And, inevitably, I thought (and cried for the fact) that these words could be written again and again for the men and women forced into combat in the failed Americanled wars of Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. With a little more distance, I saw Berne s words as a foreshadowing of the attitude he brought to his supervision model of staff-patient-staff conferences, refusing to see only the possible pathology of patients, but to invite and strengthen their knowledge, experiences, and insights. The manuscript asks: What is communism?; What is fascism?; What are reactionaries, labor-baiters, etc; What is democracy?; and, Which is better: communism, fascism, or democracy?. Berne s was not a positive attitude: Whoever controls the schools, the newspapers, and the radio, one largely controls the thoughts and feelings of the nation and most individuals in it. The great man is simply one who has the courage, energy, intellect, and tenacity to throw off all the prejudices he has been taught from birth. (p92) Most men enjoy being cruel if their consciences and their neighbors will let them get away with it. (p94) Racial hatred is particularly attractive to the dumb and ignorant who really feel inferior to everybody. Thus the small man who wastes his time hating (hate has not been a constructive influence in this world) is allowing himself to be used. (p95) Here we see the pessimism that so often permeated Berne s later writings and that lay in contrast and conflict with his optimism and his dedication to developing a form of psychotherapy that gave people more control over themselves and the quality of their lives. 8

9 Our picture and understandings of Eric Berne (and Transactional Analysis itself) will be transformed by the materials in the Berne Archives. The digitalisation of the archives has been the result of the dedicated efforts of Carol Solomon, Ann Heathcote, Marco Mazetti, and Gloria Noriega to raise the funds to pay for the digitalisation of this treasure trove of letters, manuscripts, and memorabilia. Our community owes them a debt of gratitude. I was delighted to be asked to write this brief piece to lead off this special issue of The Transactional Analyst to tell some of these stories about Berne and the unspoken, silenced history that lay dormant, but powerful, in the foundations of Transactional Analysis. I will be eager to read the articles that accompany my brief history. Berne. E. (undated). Human nature in peace and war. Unpublished manuscript. Retrieved from Calisphere.Berne. E. (undated). Human nature in peace and war. Unpublished manuscript. Retrieved from Calisphere.org (Berne papers of Eric Berne Collection). Berne, E. (undated). A primer for peace. Unpublished manuscript. Retrieved from Calisphere.org (Berne papers of Eric Berne Collection). Berne, E. (1947). The mind in action. New York: Simon and Schuster. Berne, T. (2010). Life with father. The Script. Vol. 40, #8, pp. 1,6-7. Cornell. W.F. (1984/2008). Teaching people what matters. Reprinted in Explorations in Transactional Analysis: The Meech Lake papers. Pleasanton, CA: TA Press, pp Corner on Ethics Making Ethical Sense Part 2 Deontology 9

10 In EATA News 116 (June 2016) I wrote a brief paper entitled Making Ethical Sense. I explored in general terms some of the usages of the word ethical. You ll find a copy of what I wrote on the EATA website where you can download the Newsletter. I now want to briefly look at the idea of deontology as one way we can make an ethical sense. When I am using the idea of ethical sense I am meaning the ways we decide whether or not something that someone does is good or bad. Sometimes I also use the term ethical sense in a more nuanced way as a peculiar balance someone s action has of goodness and badness within it. Let s use a practical example: Often within organisational Transactional Analysis the three-handed contract presents ethical dilemmas for the practitioner. A medium size organisation is in some trouble. It has undergone a significant reorganisation that has resulted in a restructuring. This has meant important changes to the job description at the middle management tier. A TA organisational consultant has been recruited by a senior manager within the organisation to provide a mentoring/ coaching service to these middle managers in response to this situation of organisational change. In the process of providing coaching the consultant and clients reveal histories of conflict with this senior manager that intensify as the reorganisation is established. The organisational consultant meets with the senior manager to review the coaching service that is being provided and has a very difficult meeting because this manager expected the coaching to result in a reduction of conflict at the workplace but has found the opposite to be the case. The senior manager lets slip that a number of the middle managers may to lose their jobs if they don t find a more cooperative way to work with this manager. The consultant finds herself embroiled in a drama that results in her experiencing a loyalty split between her interest in working for the organisation (of course this includes her wages and possibility of further work with them) and her interests as a coach wishing to serve her clients. How does she manage this conflict? Deontology is the rule based structure from which we live. It includes a sense of duty and obligation. In any activity these rules, duties and obligations come into play. When engaging in work relationships these rules, duties and obligations have a specific orientation related to the work we do. In the TA world there is a specific deontology that is rules, duties and obligations that follow from identifying ourselves as Transactional Analysts. It is often considered that four of the basic rules for TA practitioners is to not exploit their clients, to have clear and explicit contracts, to have conscientious consideration towards the law of the country they work in and to maintain confidentiality. These are considered to be the basic deontological structure that a TA practitioner works to. Let s return to my example. What options are open to the practitioner here? Of course many different possibilities but I ll confine this paper to a few. She could do nothing that is any different to how she was when she started the work. She could carry on engaging in the coaching and maintain a neutral stance in which what she knows of the developing drama from all the different people is contained by her. One of her rationales for this could be the existing contract and the rule of confidentiality. She thinks: we have made a contract. I can maintain privacy and work with all these different people. However, she could become concerned about her effectiveness and think that meeting with all these parties is limiting what she can offer. She could start to think that there is an exploitative element to her work in which she maintains a form of passivity in order to keep her job. Let s say she is a single parent (sole wage earner) and that the loss of this job would cause significant distress to her family that she supports. A conflict of values emerges because she might start to think that she made a mistake having sessions with the senior manager and should renegotiate the contract but also imagines that he (the senior manager) sees her as a figure that will harmonise the work environment and won t want to employ her if he perceives her as unable to provide this. Clearly for her a very difficult outcome from doing this could be a renegotiated contract that results in a loss of the work. The consultant starts to think that from the perspective of a sole wage earner it would be a good thing to stay with the existing contract but a bad thing from the perspective of her work. I ll leave this dilemma unresolved. She will have to find a way through this but it looks like relying on rules or deontology is not in itself going to provide a way for her to feel satisfied that she is taking the right action. Next time I will look at a different way she could think she could consider what are the consequences if she acts in a particular way and use that as a guide to what course of action to take. This is known as consequentialism and we will explore the idea in the next Newsletter. Written by Robin Hobbes EATA Ethical Advisor 10

11 TAPACY for Children who are Carers By Mary Tobin, TAPA National Coordinator UK This TAPACY scheme in the UK took place in 3 areas of Kent over July and August groups of young people were taught some TA concepts and then produced portfolios of work to show their understanding of the TA concepts and how they are using what they ve learned to help them in the future. The young people were mainly young carers. The project was led by Kelly Donaldson, Head of Young Carer s service at IMAGO COMMUNITY, who is in training for CTA Psychotherapy. Among the concepts they covered were strokes, rackets, drivers, contracting, ego-states, transactions, drama triangle and OK corral. The young people showed their understanding of these concepts by a number of means: Some of them made masks to demonstrate rackets. This picture demonstrates the authentic feeling of sadness being covered up by the racket feeling of happiness Mad (authentic) covered up by sad (Racket) They made clay models for drivers to demonstrate ego-states/ transactions they drew pictures and acted out different scenarios 11

12 They also acted out scenarios to show the drama triangle and used stories to show the different positions. In general, the young people said they felt better about themselves and communicated better leading to improvements in their relationships. There were some overall changes observed by the teachers of the groups as the sessions went on, for example, both the giving and receiving of positive strokes increased and the types of strokes were moving from conditional to unconditional. Young carers tend to have a great sense of responsibility as they often spend a lot of time looking after others and don t have much opportunity to be children and as such there were some common factors observed such as a Be Strong driver, a lot of Parent ego-state and/or the Victim role on the Drama Triangle. As the sessions progressed there was a development towards expressing the Free Child and showing vulnerability by asking for help to get their needs met. There were individual examples of awareness and changes in behaviour. One group contained 3 siblings who were able to recognise their usual roles on the Drama Triangle and as a result were able to change how they behaved towards each other. A 12 years old girl said she had a Hurry Up driver and realised that sometimes slowing down can help her as she makes mistakes through rushing. In September the 3 groups came together for a celebration event where 15 young people received the TAPACY award. Kelly reported that it was a fantastic evening and great to get the three groups together. IMAGO are planning to teach another 3 groups in January If you would like to explore options for running a TA Proficiency Award, please see ta-proficiency-awards.html or contact TAPA Project Manager Julie Hay on admin@instdta.org 12

13 The Exam Corner CTA ORAL EXAM AND FRONT SHEET The CTA oral examination essentially consists of presenting the candidate's ability to use TA in professional practice. This demonstration partly takes place during the presentation of recorded work sequences. The exam board has several sources to assess the candidate's work: the recording itself. the detailed transcript of this recording. a Front Sheet where the aim is to present the group, couple or person with whom the practitioner is working with in the recording. This document usually includes a brief description of the client (s), some elements of their story, the contract, and a presentation of diagnostic elements through some TA concepts. the discussion with the candidate about the recording after it was listened to. This allows the board to exchange in a professional dialogue with the candidate to assess their knowledge of TA theory, their ability to handle the concepts, to challenge themselves, and to consider other forms of thought. The length of recording is limited in time and therefore, the transcript also has a defined length. However, the Front Sheet has no proscribed framework and COC realized recently how varied they are across the EATA exam sites. There had been feedback from EATA examiners and Observers that the front sheets was so long, it was hard to read and it lead to a loss of contact between the candidate and the board. Therefore, COC decided to make a survey among some boards (in UK (24 answers), Switzerland (42 answers), France (19 answers)), asking them to describe the documents that they had to read and report us what was helping or limiting in their content for the exam process. It turns out that in general, the Front Sheet has 2 or 3 pages, which appears to be a useful size. But sometimes it can be 4 or 5 detailed pages where the candidate gives precise details on diagnosis, treatment plan, and provides detailed historical items. In most cases, over-detailing causes difficulty for the board whom must take time to read and integrate several pages of analysis before listening to the tape. Two other difficulties follow: the time taken for reading is no longer available for the oral exchange with the board. the abundance of information contained in the document means the board members can have difficulty in finding questions. They have the feeling that everything is written in the document. The board members are faced with a dilemma: This document is an important work for the candidate and they usually want not to rush through reading and considering the data recorded therein. On the other hand, the board is aware that most of the evaluation will take place during the exchange with the candidate and in assessing their ability to use TA in their thinking here and now. The purpose of the Front Sheet is to promote the candidate s presentation of the client, not replace it. Or as one examiner writes : «I would like to know what you know, think and feel, and not what you have written down.» This survey brought some good points of attention to be considered when writing the Front Sheet so that it remains a support for the process and for the exchange with the board: 1. The document should ideally be 1 or 2 pages long, given the little time the board has to read. An examiner advises: «Stick to the point, fit it into a format that the board can read in a few minutes», without forgetting that it is a document which is «a personal touch of the candidate». 2. Diagnostic elements must remain limited to those needed to understand the recording. 3. Important points to communicate are: number of sessions, context, problem, contract and some diagnostic elements. Not too much historical data. Diagrams are appreciated. 4. Some (maximum 3) TA concepts can be interesting, but some board members also indicate that they may ask questions about it during the exchange. An examiner proposes to «use such concepts that speak about [the candidate s] personal philosophy». 5. Many examiners suggest that the candidate gives a title to the work presented in the recording (e.g. Decontamination work). 6. Some suggest that there could be a pattern for this document, but this could also prevent the candidate s «creativity». 7. The organisation of the content is important: give the board comfort in reading, by using adapted fonts, enough space in the presentation and keeping information precise. The document is a springboard for dialogue, not the whole conversation. COC hopes this summary of our research helps candidates and supervisors to prepare for the exams. Examiners are encouraged to use the Front Sheet as an introduction to the work and not let it detract from the contact between each other and the candidate. We want to thank all those who took the time to feedback and to consider this aspect of our examinations. Written by Armelle Brunot, Barbara Repinc Zupancic for COC 13

14 Structuring written exam Section D Questions for CTA Candidates; a helpful tool In the UK the United Kingdom Association for Transactional Analysis (UKATA) decided to have a look at the Section D questions for psychotherapy candidates after recommendations from their External Examiner. She suggested that UKATA would benefit from a more varied approach from their CTA candidates if the Section D questions were put into groups. As a result, the UKATA Exams Committee have structured the exam questions into related topics and have made the research question compulsory as this helps their psychotherapy candidates to meet the national requirements of the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP). The candidates have to choose at least one question from each category. It has resulted in candidates writing psychotherapy exams that cover a broader range of areas of application. We see it as useful and practical and therefore would like to share this idea of structuring the section D questions to all EATA colleagues of all fields in all countries. It is not mandatory throughout EATA; rather it is offered as something that might be helpful to candidates and principal supervisors to consider how candidates may choose which questions to answer to help them cover a broader area of their practice. The different categories for the P, C and E-field and the corresponding questions are the same. For the O-field the categories are the same, but the corresponding questions are different 1. Practice: Questions 4, 5, 10; O-field: 6, 11, Process: Questions 8, 9, 11; O-field: 2, 5, 9 3. Philosophy: Questions 1, 3, 7; O-field: 3, 4, Theory: Questions 2, 6, 12; O-field: 1, 8, Research: Question 13; O-field: 7 Written by Kathie Hostick (Chair UKATA Exams Committee) and Cathy McQuaid (UK EATA Delegate) Exam success Congratulations to successful candidates of TEW in Sarajevo, December 2nd- 4th, 2016 Karina Heiligers P Farah Cottier P Michelle Hyams-Ssekasi P Christina Hagehülsmann O Wolfgang Weiss O Jelena Vrsaljko P Elisabetta Berdini P Francesca Vulpiani P Janine Piccirella P Bran Maria P Cor Geffen O Andrea Marconcini P Alicja Smelkowska P Anna Fraczek P 14

15 Board of trainers: Evelyn Papaux Bernd Kreuzburg Pete Shotton Thorsten Geck TEW Coordinator: Sabine Klingenberg 15

16 [Descriptor] Document title No February 2017 October 2016 Successful (T)STA candidates from exam in Rösrath, Germany, November 2016 Peter Bremicker, TSTA Field C Dr. Simonetta Caldarone, TSTA Field P Dr. Giuseppe Chierri, TSTA Field P Gemma Mason TSTA, Field P Barbara Ricci TSTA, Field P Roberta Salvatore, TSTA Field P Anette Werner, TSTA Field C Thanks to exam supervisors: Sabine Klingenberg Ilse Brab Mayke Wagner Theresia Büttner 16

17 The names of the successful CTA-candidates Anglhuber Ursula Germany Counselling Anic Anita Germany Counselling Atinson Mandy UK Psychotherapy Berentzen Dorothee Germany Counselling Billmann Sonja Germany Organisation Binder Christa Germany Organisation Binner Cordula Germany Organisation Bobst Eva Switzerland Education Bräuning Eva-Maria Germany Psychotherapy Bürki-Kuratli Martina Schweiz Counselling Czekalla Beatrice Germany Counselling Dormann Sylvia Germany Education Etzold Ilonka Germany Psychotherapy Fischbacher Eva Switzerland Counselling Fischer Sabine Germany Counselling Gaijmans Anne The Netherlands Counselling Harbeck Daniela Germany Counselling Hochstrasser-Frey Helena Switzerland Counselling Krause Ingrid Germany Educatiion Makowka Alexander Germany Counselling Müller Oksana Germany Counselling Schieber Stefanie Germany Counselling Schulz Monika Germany Counselling Selbach Astrid Germany Organisation Völkel Daniela Germany Counselling Webster Anita UK Psychotherapy Winhart Florian Germany Organisation 17

18 TRANSFORMATIVE POWER In February 2018 we offer a unique opportunity to follow a one day masterclass and a three day in-depth workshop with Dr. Richard Erskine. You can register until May 1 st The hours can be logged as Transactional Analysis training. MASTERCLASS Integrative Transactional Analysis 14 February 2018 Fee: 295 ex. VAT THREE DAY WORKSHOP Integrative Transactional Analysis February 2018 Fee: 995 ex. VAT Venue: Kloosterhotel ZIN, Vught, The Netherlands Dr. Richard Erskine Richard Erskine is the well known founder of Integrative Transactional Analysis. At the core of his work are contact, attunement and presence in the working relationship to attain transformation and healing. Richard is an inspirational speaker, writer, researcher and a master therapist. The beauty of his work lies in the simplicity of his concepts and its thoroughness and transformative power. His approach is applicable to psychotherapy, coaching and counselling. For registration, please visit or Co-created by: autonoom de tussenruimte home-made ZENO organisatieontwikkeling Professional Excellence Workshops The Berne Institute, UK Dates: Feb 2017, April, 8-10 Sept Do you want to enhance your professional skills in TA? Then the PEWs are for you! To all TA professionals, these workshops offer an excellent opportunity for advanced training and supervision. The PEWs run regularly each year since 1992 have been a springboard from which many participants have gone on to gain success in EATA/ITAA examinations, both CTA and T/STA. The workshops have also proved their value as preparation for the EATA/ITAA Training Endorsement Workshop (TEW). The workshop leaders are Ian Stewart, Adrienne Lee, and Mark Widdowson, Teaching and Supervising Transactional Analysts. As a team with many years experience of the PEW format, they can offer you an outstanding environment for learning. Workshop format is highly flexible. Activities are tailored contractually to the needs of the participants, and typically include: multi-level supervision, tape presentation, discussion of theory and ethics, practice exams (CTA or TSTA), supervised teaching and personal work. Venue: all PEWs are held at The Berne Institute, near Nottingham, England. Fee: 395* Non-refundable Deposit: 95 *May increase in 2017 For bookings and further information please contact: The Course Registrar, The Berne Institute, 29 Derby Road, Kegworth DE74 2EN, England (tel/fax (+44)(0) ; via The Berne Institute: Promoting Excellence and Autonomy 18

19 [Descriptor] Document title No February 2017 October 2016 BOUNDARIES A PLACE... TO MEET... TO DEVELOP... TO DEFINE IDENTITY World Conference for Transactional Analysis Berlin Technical University TU Additional events CTAT exams July 24th 26th July 27th 29th 2017 TSTA/CTA exams July 25th 26th TEW July 31st August 2nd Gestaltung: stereobloc, Berlin Foto: jock+scott/photocase.de Contact: info@tawc2017.berlin A project of EATA, ITAA, FTAA hosted by DGTA and TU Berlin