ABSTRACT
Certainly transactional analysis places great emphasis on client protection. However, protection goes much further than inviting a client to close escape hatches. To consider whether a particular client, at any particular point in time, may be potentially moving along a trajectory of kill/harm self, kill/harm others, go crazy, or run away is a helpful shorthand framework as part of a comprehensive risk assessment process. By contrast, the essence of closing escape hatches is that the client's decision is irrevocable and non-negotiable.’ Boliston-Mardula invites therapists to account for these hungers in their work with clients who present with harmful behaviours and to promote healthier replacements for the destructive paths. Therapists are advised to avoid such reductionistic, simplistic and potentially pathologizing ways of thinking about client behaviours.
