ABSTRACT
Teaching TA concepts to clients is often irresistible to TA therapists. We know how useful the concepts can be in understanding the world, and in helping us make sense of and change our behaviour. We know that language does not always need to be complex to understand important internal processes and that some knowledge and common language demysti®es the therapy process for our clients. Because of all this, sometimes TA therapists teach TA concepts to their clients with an almost missionary zeal. This can indeed be very helpful, and can help clients to make sense of their experiences. I am sure all of us who came to TA had many rapid insights and implemented behavioural change almost immediately on learning some of the concepts, and yet, as all of us will attest, learning such concepts does not necessarily change how we feel inside, nor does it stop us from acting in self-destructive ways. The teaching of TA concepts therefore needs to be used sparingly, and needs to account for both the reasons we have for wanting to teach the concept to our client, and of the intrapsychic implications and the impact that such an approach will have on the therapeutic relationship.
