TA Training

Psychotherapy Training, Counselling Training, Transactional Analysis Training, TA101 in Leeds, West Yorkshire

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Community. Learning..

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Community image of people on a hillside with sunset behind.

New year, new group, new start

Beren Aldridge and Bev Gibbons, our Foundation Certificate trainers, share their thoughts on the first training weekend of the new academic year.

Building a community

Beginning the Foundation training with a new group of trainees is always a privilege. This weekend felt even more so. We met as a diverse Zoom room of strangers. By Sunday afternoon we had worked together to build a sense of community and belonging that will enable our learning together throughout the year.

Sharing our learning

This weekend, we’ve been looking at Group Imago theory (Eric Berne, Petruska Clarkson and Keith Tudor). In addition, Steiner’s classic and enduring thinking on contracts set the scene for us to attach and to explore the deep roots of TA. The vibrancy of early 20th century Vienna and the development of psychodynamic and humanistic thinking has helped bring the subject alive.

Individuals but together – a learning community

I’ve been more struck this time with the joy of finding my tribe. I feel, more so that usual, that its OK to voice and learn in my own way. Through the weekend the community of trainees also felt the same.

We’ve been exploring what it means to be a learner and our individual learning identity. Exploring disturbance as a necessary component of transformational learning; embracing self as a learner with prior knowledge, our own learning style and being in charge of own learning. We’ve been looking at essential components of TA – group process, ethics and philosophical foundations of TA.

Such an exciting start. I’m looking forward to October already.

Bev Gibbons and Beren Aldridge train on our Foundation Certificate course and are members of a group of trainers on the Clinical Training Group (years 2 – 4 of the clinical training programme).

The Foundation Certificate is a 1 year part-time course meeting 1 weekend per month during the academic year. To find out more about our Foundation Certificate course, click here.

Never Seen, Never Will

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David Brooks is the inspiration for this week’s creativity exploration. Albert Durer (1471 – 1528) had never seen a Rhinoceros and drew this sketch in 1515 based on a written description by someone who had seen the animal in person. David Brooks then used this idea to create scupltures of critically endangered animals which we may never see, particularly if they are to become extinct.

In this exercise Brooks challenges us to apply this thinking to something we know exists but have never seen, and, probably never will.

I know this exists but have never seen…

Finding something to base my creation on was surprisingly challenging. I wanted to take Brooks literally and create based on something I have never seen, not just in person, but also in images or pictures in books, posters, TV or the web.

This may have been a mistake. It ruled out a lot of the natural world-related things I could think of.

There are many science-related things I haven’t seen either (like a black hole) or skin cells through a microscope. However, these didn’t seem to be hitting quite the right note.

This sent me off in a more abstract direction. Feelings. Ideas. Things I see the aspects of in myself or others but find it difficult to describe or portray. A response, I’m sure, actors will be very aware of.

Does curiosity kill the cat?

Helping my children with their school work, I find it frustrating that they are not interested by questions that come up. Not enough to explore them anyway. The subject doesn’t really matter – the industrial revolution to electronics to chemistry to music. With so many resources at our fingertips I’m fascinated by it all and want to know more.

Maybe its because they are teenagers and doing schoolwork (I’m sure this has a lot to do with it). I’m also now wondering if this is because I grew up in an age where we had few resources to use – the school and public libraries and my parents ancient Children’s Britannica. No internet.

Which brings me back, in a roundabout way, to the abstract concept I want to portray – curiosity. I know it exists but what exactly is it? My creation is a montage of pictures and words to hopefully explain it a little:

Never seen. Curiosity

For me, curiosity is being open and observant, asking questions and being interested in the answers. Not being afraid to make mistakes or say ‘I don’t know…’. Being interested in people and their stories. Wanting to know more.

I’ve used images of looking and listening, wide open mountainscapes, opening up pathways, questions for people and things, the joy of exploring through experience (the puddle bit) and a lot of books.

What next?

I have used pictures and text but the creation could be a drawing, a sound composition, a video, written account or sculpture – the creator chooses.

A client may be having difficulty expressing themselves or exploring an emotion. Encourage them to create something about it first and then use this as the means to talk about it.

To explore more of your own creativity – for yourself and with clients – check out our online Creativity Summer School taking place in August.

Creative Proposals

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Invitation to creative proposals and to imagine

Proposals as invitations

Welcome to the second piece on my journey to explore creativity. This week’s exercise is based on Peter Liversidge‘s work (p101 in Sarah Urist Green’s ‘You Are An Artist’). Peter types proposals for what he might like to do. These are invitations rather than orders and can be ignored, brought into fruition or simply considered. The thing I love about this idea is that the proposals need an audience, an interaction – someone else to think about the invitation and carry it out. We, as the interactor, become part of the creative process.

The exercise has a set of 3 of Peter Liversidge’s proposals to choose from.

Bearing in mind it is very wet outside today (and that we are in covid-19 lockdown) and that I don’t really want to dress like my parents, I chose the proposal that fired my imagination:

“I propose that the person reading this proposal should imagine that their feet are in a mountain stream”.

Mountain Stream

Normally, at this time of year, we have a family holiday to the Highlands. With Lockdown, it hasn’t been possible. I find my heart yearning for the hills and mountains, streams and lochs, and the abundance of outdoors and head space. This proposal probably resonated more because of a feeling of loss and a chance to imagine and revisit.

I’ve had my feet in mountain streams a few times in my life. Not always intentionally and, sometimes, with boots on. Although I don’t think this is what is intended for the exercise.

So, I’ve concentrated on the sitting by a stream and dipping my feet in idea. Closing my eyes certainly helped with the imagining. I slowed my breathing and took my mind back to the Highlands. The smell of damp greenness and the slipperiness of the stones and rocks. The cool breeze and the sharp coldness of the stream at first – followed by the slight numbness. Both very welcome after a long walk in hiking boots.

I imagined the bubbling and rush of the stream, over rocks and in the hollows, carrying leaves, twigs and bubbles further on its journey. I remembered the light and shadows, the every changing reflections. And tried to record my thoughts in simple words and impressions:

Mountain stream picture and words talking about the proposals to imagine feet in a mountain stream

Reflections

It was good to purposely take time to focus on the imagining (rather than as a by product of doing the washing up). It felt a bit like putting aside time for a home yoga class initially.

I don’t know if it is the Scottish national identity or the landscape but the Highlands are one of the places I feel instantly grounded and solid. It feels ancient and expansive and so much closer to the ‘earth’ that my surroundings in my day to day life. All this helps take me back fairly quickly in my mind. The stream with my feet in, fed by melted ice and snow, rushing hundreds of miles downhill until it meets the sea, certainly puts my life’s struggles in proportion. And gives a sense of release and freedom and calm.

I wonder if Peter Liversidge had envisioned this response when he wrote the proposal.

What next?

This has been an interesting and challenging exercise in imagining and mindfulness. Its amazing that one short sentence can provoke so much.

Why not come up with your own proposals for clients/supervisees or, alternatively, get them to write their own. There are some examples to download here that you might want to use.

ProposalsDownload

And more….

We have an online workshop Vitality in a Virtual World looking at creativity coming up on 3 July 3 – 5pm.

Creativity – a new journey

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Why creativity?

Exploring creativity – both for work with clients and for ourselves – is important to our team. I’m sure you will have noticed the emphasis on creativity in our workshop programme.

Not to be outdone by the trainers at TA Training Organisation, I have also started a journey to explore creativity – using a new book, ‘You are an Artist’ by Sarah Urist Green as a resource.

Sarah has put together a whole range of easy to assignments to help access new ways of expression and creativity. It is about exploration rather than skills development – refreshing when many other resources are about developing a hobby.

In this series of weekly Creativity posts, I’ll share how I got on with my explorative journey and, hopefully, you will find elements to encourage you and ideas to use in client or supervision work.

I was very excited when the book arrived (but then I always get excited by new books). I had a quick skim through the contents and quickly saw that it was going to be fun. And challenging. And much, much, more.

Where to start – First steps

You Are An Artist

The book has sat on my desk for the last 5 days while I decided where to start. At the beginning perhaps? Well, no, I decided to start with one of the more (apparently) simpler exercises – adding elements to this visual image:

The assignment suggested annotating the picture with my own words, quotes from songs, movies or books, sketches or anything really as long as it gave meaning for me.

Old Boots

I struggled at first. The boots in the image feel very old to me. Maybe belonging to someone from WW1. Not something I have much experience of other than a shared cultural history.

Picture of boots - creativity opportunity

Old Roots

I then moved on to thinking about the boots’ origins. Who owned them? What did they do? Why leave their boots? I began thinking about my ancestors in Ireland working in the fields or factories. Does this picture speak to where I came from? My past being part of me now and my future?

In My Boots

This started me thinking about the phrase ‘being in my boots’ and what it means. To me, it means being firmly grounded and secure and truly me. Boots feel stable to me, not higher heels that can wobble as I walk but solid and supportive. Reliable and resilient.

Resilience

I was tempted by the Lord of the Rings quote above but then this led me to something Terry Pratchett wrote about Tiffany Aching in The Shepherd’s Crown. Whilst its about boots, obviously – I also feel it has a lot to say about resilience and the ability to manage life and its challenges.

Boots picture with resilience quotation - creativity

Resilience is very important if I’m not going to be flattened by experience. This is true for me generally but particularly in the current Covid-19 times we are living in. But I don’t feel resilience is like a bomb-blast wall – a hardness developed as a response to negative things. There is something joyful about being secure in knowing I can march through anything or, with Peppa Pig, jump in muddy puddles.

What next?

It felt a relief but also very satisfying to pin down the picture to something that does represent how I feel. With the first assignment complete, I’m now a little less daunted and looking forward to the rest of the journey.

Final note

And finally, I’ve put together some images as A4 pdf templates that you might want to use with clients. Click on the buttons below to download. Or create your own.

creativity 1 template paint splatter
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creativity 1 template bridge
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Creativity 1 template stairs
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creativity 1 template footprints
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creativity 1 template chest
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creativity 1 template trees
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creativity 1 template window
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What our trainees are saying…

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trainees giving feedback

What our trainees are saying….

Andy Williams ran an Introduction to Transactional Analysis TA101 course last weekend. It was a great weekend’s training and we’ve had some lovely comments back from the trainees. These are some of the things they had to say:

An excellent introduction to TA. Andy is informed, enthusiastic and a skilled trainer. He has left me wanting to learn more. Thank you. Andy has brought the TA textbook to life!

Peri O’Connor

A really good trainer with excellent knowledge. I would thoroughly recommend the course to anyone

S Worsnop

Enjoyed the course. Definitely recommend.

Neil Martin

There is nothing about this course that is dry or overly clinical. The two days flew by and I will put what I have learned to use with my clients.

Kim M

I’d thoroughly recommend this course. I learnt a lot and had fun in a very nurturing environment with an excellent trainer.

P Moulding

If you are a counsellor or psychotherapist from a particular modality, then I’d recommend coming on this course to open your eyes again. It refreshed some of my thinking.

TA

If you’d like to know more about the TA101 or transactional analysis, then please take a look at the TA101 page. Dates for the next few courses are 1 & 2 February, 18 & 19 April , 27 & 28 June 2020.

Lin Cheung

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Lin Cheung is a Co Director and Trainer at TA Training Organisation. Lin lives in Buxton, where she has a supervision and therapy practice. She also an exhibiting artist.

What did Lin have to say about her career as a psychotherapist?

Q1. How long have you been a psychotherapy trainer and how did you get into this as a career?

I’ve been working as a psychotherapist now since 2005 when I started my private practice in Chesterfield, where I was living at that time. I came into the career, like many people do, from having had my own experience of therapy.

That experience of therapy, which was transactional analysis, enlivened a long-held fascination with people. That wasn’t my sole motivation. I had also been working in business, in sales and marketing since I left university and I had been feeling dissatisfied with this work for a while. I was looking for something where I felt I would be making a contribution to society in a different way.

I began the training without a definite view that “I was going to become a psychotherapist.” It was very much a test it out process. I fell in love with the work, and am continually fascinated by the intellectual and psychological challenges it presents. And it is incredibly satisfying to me to know that my work can be a help to people.

Q2. Is there a specialist area that you are particularly passionate about and why?

I think my areas of interest in my work fall into three areas.

How politics, in the broadest sense, and power are part of therapy. Social justice is important for me. So one of the initiatives I’ve started here at TA Training Organisation is a merit scheme. This is an opportunity for someone who is a strong candidate but might struggle to afford the costs of training to benefit from a financial package.

These are also a themes that run through my teaching. I think as therapists it is important that we invite questions about issues of justice, fairness, prejudice, diversity, power, authority, and culture.

As an artist I’m interested in creativity. As a psychotherapist, trainer and supervisor I’m interested in how we bring our creativity to living our lives. And by this I mean that I think all people are innately creative and capable of developing new ways of approaching life. I’m also keen to encourage trainees and supervisees to think creatively about their work. To consider how they might refresh and update their understanding and knowledge of what they are doing.

Finally, like Andy, I am interested in relational theory. Particularly in unconscious processes and how they emerge in therapy, supervision and training.

Q3. Do you find that as a trainer you learn something as part of the sessions you run which you can take back to your own practise?

Almost always. I get a real buzz from the experience of working with a group of interested, engaged people. New ideas and perspectives emerge from the lively discussions on the training weekends. I thoroughly enjoy the stimulating debate about theory and the differences of opinion and experience that happen.

Q4. What advice would you give to someone who is thinking of taking up psychotherapy or counselling as a career?

I’d say follow your intuition. What is your instinct telling you about this idea you have to train as a counsellor or psychotherapist. Then get lots of information about what types of courses are out there. Don’t choose something just because its local. Find a course and trainers where you feel like you will learn in a way that suits you. I think fit is very important in these things. Take some time to explore first.

If you are not sure if the training is for you then you could take our email challenge to help you understand more about whether you might be the kind of person who will enjoy the work.

Q5. How do your training sessions support students in their careers?

I think our course itself equips people to be effective practitioners. We look at a wide range of theory both the early and current theoretical thinking. We consider the methods of how to do therapy. We consider questions of social justice, power politics, ethics. We pay attention to the context of being a practising psychotherapist in the the UK today. Andy and I have both worked in the NHS and have a private practice. We have a team of three core trainers working with us, Bev Gibbons, Beren Alridge and Michelle Hyams-Sekassi who all have a vast amount of knowledge and experience for our trainees to draw on.

Q6. Has there ever been a particularly memorable course that you have run and why?

I think some of the more recent sessions I have delivered on creativity have been fascinating. Our NETAC conference in 2018, and which we organise on behalf of UKATA, was exceptional. It was on a subject that is very close to my heart , “Power: the political and social responsibility of the practitioner.” Right now I’m really looking forward to working with Helen Rowland at the end of March when Helen and I will be running an advanced two day supervision group working using relational theory of supervision and paying attention to unconscious processes. It going to be great.

Like what you hear? Want to find out more? Why not book in for an information chat or download our application pack.

What is the Foundation Certificate in psychotherapy?

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Andy Williams, one of the Training Directors at TA Training Organisation talks about our 1 year Foundation Certificate in Transactional Analysis Psychotherapy.

Why train with us?

We offer exceptional training in smaller groups. Our training is outward looking. It is a pragmatic training which acts as a stand-alone qualification. In addition, it can lead to a career is psychotherapy if you wish to continue training beyond the Foundation Certificate.

We look at the social and political context in which we live and work and explore what this means for us as psychotherapists.

We offer a fresh, dynamic curriculum that is attentive to difference and diversity and social change.

Who trains with us?

We have applicants from a broad range of backgrounds; individuals from the business and corporate area looking at how to apply TA within their work more effectively, therapists and counsellors qualified in other fields, and those looking for their own personal development.

The Foundation Certificate is made up of 10 weekends across the academic year. We begin with getting to know each other and looking at contracting. We then explore areas including personal script, psychological games, attachment and child development theories.

At the end of the 1 year course, those who wish to continue can apply for the clinical training programme.

How do I apply?

The application process is really simple. Email us on contact@tatraining.org or call us to ask for an application form. Once we have your completed application, two of the course trainers will have an informal chat with you to see if this course is right for you.

CARL: Acrostic to use when writing client notes

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CARL is an acrostic to use with clinical notes: Context. Adequate. Relevant. Limited. Andy Williams, one of our Training Directors talks us through it.

Part of a series of materials to support you to become the best therapist that you can be.

Once of the questions that often comes up in supervision is about clincial notes and how to think about them. There aren’t rules about this but we do support our learners in thinking about this area.

C – Content. Thinking about the context in which we are working whether private practice, voluntary placements, charities etc. Some organisations have local procedures about how to approach clinical notes.

A – Adequate. The notes need to be adequate for purpose. I use them for reviewing treatment week to week and an overall view of the treatment plan. My notes need to be adequate as a reminder of where we have got to in the treatment sequence.

R – Relevant. Its very important that we don’t make conjecture or guess work and only record information that is relevant to the treatment. For example do the details given by the client in check in need to be recorded if they are not relevant to the therapy contract.

L – Limited. The final area in CARL. Think about a boundary around our work. What is in and out but also not putting in excessive details that aren’t linked to their therapy. You may also need to consider time boundaries.

It goes without saying that all clinical notes come under the GDPR regulations and data protection. Do make sure you get consent from the client about keeping clinical notes.

Want to know more?

If you are thinking of starting in private practice, our First Steps to Successful Private Practice 1 day course covers writing and keeping client notes in more detail and GDPR. Go to our Events Diary page for the next course dates.

Andy Williams

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Andy Williams
Andy Williams

One of our series of interviews with the trainers at TA training Organisation. Andy Williams is Co Director of TA Training Organisation and an experienced psychotherapist supervisor and trainer. Andy lives in Leeds and we tracked him down at the Training Centre in Horsforth.

Q1. How long have you been a psychotherapy trainer and how did you get into this as a career?

My passion for therapy developed when I was working in the corporate world, working for several large hotel companies.  I began to see how disjointed the workplace was and how abandoned and “missed” colleagues felt.  I knew from this time that I wanted to be a therapist, and then as I became more experienced, to train other therapists.  I qualified in Transactional Analysis and became a UKCP registered psychotherapist in 2005.

I have now been a trainer since 2008 and completed my final training exams in Europe in 2015.  Every journey in psychotherapy is ongoing. I can definitely say I learn something new every day. Especially from my colleagues.

Q2. Is there a specialist area that you are particularly passionate about and why?

When I think about therapy I think about freedom, emancipation and liberation. I want people to be free to be fully themselves; and to be comfortable in their skin.  This often leads me to be passionate about those who are at the margins and edges of our world.  I am very interested in the huge variety of gender identities, gender expression and differing sexualities.  I am also deeply committed to teaching and working particularly in the area of relational theory. I am fascinated to see what happens in the therapy relationship can be a mirror of our past.

Q3. Do you find that as a trainer you learn something as part of the sessions you run which you can take back to your own practise?

It is a great privilege to be a trainer. Humbling, and there is deep learning throughout every process and session.  Above all at the moment I feel I am learning to think!  I can be terribly impulsive and want to get things done and finished.  This is not a good process when considering being or learning to become a therapist.  Things take time and deep reflection.

Q4. What advice would you give to someone who is thinking of taking up psychotherapy or counselling as a career?

I feel generous and warm towards someone who is considering the profession.  I would encourage them to come and talk to someone, to take advantage of one of our free advice hours or to speak to other professionals and ask their advice and seek their experience.  You must find a course and environment that “fits” and goes well with your way of being. Here at TA Training Organisation there are several ways you can have an experience of what it might be like to train here. The TA 101 is a good first step.


Q5. How do your training sessions support students in their careers?

Well I see us as a totally applied training, we watch people becoming living and breathing practitioners.  This week during training we supported someone who was starting running their own business and their own private psychotherapy practice.  We train at the TA Training Organisation in order that people can go and do!  I see it as a very pragmatic process.

Q6. Has there ever been a particularly memorable course that you have run and why?

I have had a few disasters in my time!  I have learnt that it does help if the trainer reads the course brief before starting, so they don’t, for instance, deliver the wrong material to the wrong group. 

On a more serious note, I have greatly enjoyed working with external agencies and delivering training to them.  It’s been great working with some of the local universities and exploring integrative psychotherapeutic approaches in order to support the counselling for students service.

Interested in finding out more about working with us? Please contact us here.

Playing Detective – Or, is it ever really about the toothpaste?

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Psychotherapy is often like being a detective.  In learning how to be a psychotherapist we go on the hunt for what is the underlying meaning beneath the narrative the client brings. I often find myself thinking as I’m listening to a client describe their week – and a key event that has them troubled in some way – what is this person telling me?  What is this really about?  Eric Berne referred to his process as learning to speak Martian.

Supervision in Psychotherapy

Supervision in psychotherapy is where we can take our professional questions about our work.  In the beginning of our practice it is about learning how to be a psychotherapist with one to one support of another experienced psychotherapist.  Supervision is for learning and development, and for support.

Talking about listening for the underlying meaning is something I do with some of the people I supervise.  As they are learning how to be a psychotherapist, I will often talk about how we can be distracted from the meaning of what a client is telling us by the subject matter of the narrative.  One of the important developments for new therapists is learning to listen to the subtext.  Therefore to focus on the underlying psychological process rather than the happenings in the story.

Here’s an example composed from several typical stories from my clients to illustrate what I mean.

Is it really about the toothpaste?

Let’s suppose I have a client who comes and talks to me about how angry she is over the way her partner leaves the top off the toothpaste.  She finds this a revolting mess, and hates finding toothpaste all over the side of the sink. She tells me about her seething resentment and anger at having to clean up after her partner again. That it’s not fair that she always has to do this. She describes how she has spoken to her partner about this, but it just gets laughed off as unimportant.

How do we approach this kind of question therapeutically?  One way would be to look at alternative strategies around the toothpaste.  I might make suggestions to “problem solve” the toothpaste question.  I could suggest buying two tubes of toothpaste. I could encourage my client to talk to her partner and tell her how she feels.  We could work on my client finding a way to be more relaxed about mess.  All of these approaches might go some way to helping my client.  However as someone who is interested in speaking Martian with my clients I think about the underlying psychological process.

What is the underlying psychological process?

Therefore this means I will explore with her how this experience might remind her of her history.  We talk about how she feels when she cleans the sink yet again.  We make connections and see patterns in her experiencing of the world. We begin to understand that this is connected to being the eldest child in a family with four siblings.  What it felt like to be the one to tidy up after the other younger children.

So, the messy toothpaste in the present day is a powerful psychological reminder of the past.  Of a particularly difficult experience of being a child oneself and being made responsible for the tidiness of younger siblings, when you have no adult power to do so.  Of other memories as a teenager where her sisters would come into her room and mess about with her clothes and make-up and make a mess.  How powerless again she felt to do anything about this because parents would just tell her to “laugh it off because they’re only playing.”

Past and Present Day

We can look at what is happening today with my client’s partner with a fresh eye.   Connections between past and present can be explored.   We may see that this is not really about the top on the toothpaste. It is about how important it is for my client to be  listened to when her parents didn’t. About feeling that her needs are being recognised, heard and met.  About not feeling like the responsibility is always hers to tidy up another’s mess.

Next Steps?

Does this example interest you?  Would you like the task of uncovering how the past can be influencing our relationships in the present?  So, sometimes we get to play detective and the role of psychotherapist is to help the people we work with to understand how history and the present may converge.  That sometimes it’s really not about the toothpaste.

Does this sound like the kind of work that appeals to you?  If so, you could take our email challenge which is to help people explore more about themselves in thinking about psychotherapy as a career.  Or, why not contact us using the form below for a further discussion about training and learning how to be a psychotherapist.

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