Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book is organised into three parts. The first part covers an introduction to transactional analysis (TA) theory, and then moves into providing the reader with a solid understanding of depression. The second part aims to provide a detailed overview of the therapy protocol that will be of immediate use to practitioners. The third part is an introduction to the neuroscience of depression. This book is the first research-based, disorder-specific TA treatment guide to be published, and has been developed from a wide range of research literature and years of clinical experience. The psychotherapy community in general has had a somewhat ambivalent relationship with such therapy manuals over the years. This treatment guide was developed from the research, which examined actual psychotherapy cases as conducted in routine clinical practice.