Transactional Analysis Counselling in Action (Counselling in Action series)

`A skilful synthesis of techniques developed over 25 years... The thorough sections on contract making are extremely valuable for starting practitioners... the self-supervision sequence is an excellent teaching aid... a magnificent compilation which is concise, well-documented and clearly laid out. For me as a TA therapist preparing for my Level 1 exam an invaluable revision resource. Thank you, Ian!' - ITA News

`of interest to all who are concerned with interpersonal skills... The clear declarations of intent, lucid explanations and readable style make this a very accessible book... Ian Stewart has made the difficult link between theory and practice clear without being patronising. This is valuable for everyone interested in TA since many concepts can only be fully assimilated when linked to actual examples. Even if you are not in clinical practice, this book would be a useful addition to your library and, for anyone in training or beginning practice, this is required reading' - Group Relations

`well written and clear... A book, I felt, that summarises well what a TA counsellor does' - Counselling, The Journal of the British association for Counselling

`has some very useful and thought provoking things to say about suicidal feelings' - The Samaritan

`I liked the structured way in which the subject was tackled and in particular the way the issues of intake, referral criteria and contracts were pursued. These broader aspects will be useful to both practitioners and students of counselling, as will the `key idea' summaries and `self-supervision' exercises... I found reading the book an excellent aide-memoire with regard to the basic tenets of Transactional Analysis and a useful introduction to current thinking and practice in the subject. It provides a secure base on which to build should one wish to incorporate more TA into practice' - British Journal of Medical Psychology

`a lucid and comprehensive account of transactional analysis theory and practice. An accurate if inelegant description of the book would be `user friendly'. Complex theoretical material is made accessible by a clear layout, the opportunity to relate the reader's understanding to their own experience with clients, and an internal logic that echoes the process of helping... What stands out is the clarity of Stewart's presentation. Refreshingly he drops the formal conventions of academic texts and addresses the reader directly, using `I' and `you'... an excellent book. My immediate response in reading it was one of regret that it had not been around when I was first encountering TA. Stewart has taken a mass of material from the three major schools of TA, some of which was only available in specialist journals, and has presented a coherent and readable account... I find I am clearer on aspects of TA about which I had not previously realised I was confused. In publishing this volume Stewart has made my life as a teacher of counselling easier. I now know where to refer students who ask the perennial question: `TA is all very interesting but what do you do with it'. Chapter 7 on blocking tragic outcomes is essential reading for all practitioners' - British Journal of Guidance and Counselling

`Stewart has tackled a very significant task and has managed to include a tremendous amount of material and information in relatively limited space. He deserves much credit for this endeavor... (the book) will undoubtedly prove an extremely useful resource to introduce some appropriate clinical applications of TA and their underlying theoretical foundations' - Transactional Analysis Journal

`an excellent summary of important transactional analytical themes' - Changes

`Ian Stewart has written a text which should appeal both to students of counselling and qualified counsellors interested to explore TA and apply it in their everyday work. The text is succinct and the layout is easy to follow. There is a strong emphasis on practice throughout with an appropriate amount of theory to help those new to TA understand both its application and its origins... A notable highlight of the text is the self supervision sequences... While purists may argue that books such as this encourage anyone with sufficient interest and basic skills to practice TA, it strikes me that this text will be a considerable addition to the repertoire of skilled counsellors' - Bethlem and Maudsley Gazette

`succeeds in presenting TA as an important, interesting and intelligible framework for understanding and promoting constructive psychological change' - Choice