Transactional Analysis Therapy – Counselors and Therapists in Columbia SC

Transactional Analysis or TA is a psychological framework or technique used to help people better understand their own behavior and behaviors of others, especially interpersonal relationships. It is commonly recognized as a brief and solution-focused approach. TA is a model for explaining why and how people think like they do, act like they do and, interact/communicate with others like they do. Transactional analysis is considered to be one effective method of enhancing communication and improving relationships with oneself and with others.

Central to TA: Basic Assumptions

• Each individual is valuable and has the capacity for positive change and personal growth.
• People can change despite any unfortunate events of the past.
• Believes people have choices in their lives
• Knowing we all have a right to be in the world and be accepted.
• Responsibility of change is placed on the clients.
• People are responsible for their own lives
• We make current decisions based on past beliefs or assumptions—These assumptions were at one time appropriate to our survival needs but may no longer be valid
• The way we view a situation is not the other person’s behavior but our own state of mind and the way we perceive the situation

Example: Do you ever feel that you find yourself engaging in the same destructive patterns? You might feel that you are never able to say no to a particular person or that someone in your life always puts you on the defensive with a constant stream of criticism or maybe you have someone in your life who always recruits you to serve as the listener and never reciprocates that back to you and you think to your self never again, but you keep allowing it to happen. Its very hard to understand reasons why people behave the way the do. Sometimes our own behaviors puzzle us and we dismiss our puzzling behaviors as this is just the way I am there’s nothing I can do about it- TA can help.

The goal of TA is autonomy, which is defined as awareness, spontaneity, and the capacity for intimacy. When autonomy is achieved, people have the capacity to make new decisions (re-decide) their life path, thereby empowering themselves to change the course of their lives- change the way we think, act communicate and interact with ourselves and others.