What is Transactional Analysis Coaching? 1 Key piece of information for your coaching practice.
If you want to become a Coach learning Transactional Analysis Coaching is a great place to start. For more experienced Coaches if you haven’t got the amazing tools this approach offers you are in for a treat.
Defining Transactional Analysis
Let me start by defining Transactional Analysis. Transactional Analysis (TA) is made up of theories and techniques designed to help you understand human behaviour. In addition, you learn through a mixture of self-awareness and strategies how to change unhelpful patterns and behaviours. The goal of TA, if there is one, is to help you move towards “autonomy”.
Okay, yes TA does like jargon! Autonomy is being able to live in the present without being triggered by your “emotional baggage”. The straightforward definition is you get to have a happier more satisfying life that is probably a lot more peaceful too.
Originally this approach was developed by Eric Berne specifically in the therapy world. The applications developed into four fields; psychotherapy, counselling, education and organisational.
Transactional Analysis Coaching
In more recent years TA has become a key tool in Coaching and sits somewhere between the educational and organisational fields.
Transactional Analysis Coaching has a basic underlying principle of equality. So while it is possible to use TA to inform your Coaching (e.g. you use it to understand what is happening for the client and yourself), if you are applying TA fully you share the models with your client.
This means that as you work with your client you listen out for clues that a TA model could be helpful. You would share the model with your client and then help them use the model to analyse their particular situation.
Over time you may share many models with your client. As your client becomes more “educated” in how the models work it will be possible to work with several models at once. For example, there are models about communication, personality type, repeating patterns and conflict.
Why I use Transactional Analysis Coaching with my clients
What I love about using TA with clients is how often my own learning deepens as a result of working with the client. The equality of the approach means that as a Coach you are working in partnership with your client rather than taking a position of authority.
Where can you learn Transactional Analysis Coaching?
I have been teaching TA on my Coaching Diploma for many years and it is often described as one of the most useful parts of the training. The great thing about the training is that I can teach it via Zoom allowing you to access it from your own home. From time to time I do offer it here in East Sussex too.
Over the next few weeks, I will share some case studies with you where TA was used to help the client. If you have any questions before then or want to have a chat about either experiencing Transactional Analysis Coaching as a Client or attending the training do contact me to arrange a free discovery call.