ABSTRACT
This chapter explains Therapeutic processes and change mechanisms. An examination of the wider psychotherapy literature seems to suggest that different therapeutic approaches tend to have a primary mode of action based around a maximum of two domains out of four. These four domains are cognitive, behavioural, affective and relational. Effective transactional analysis (TA) therapy works with all four of these domains in order to promote maximum client change. Within most therapies, change is promoted through the emphasis on changing two of these domains, which then results in change in other domains. Similarly, emotion-focused therapy and psychodynamic therapy promote change primarily through the affective-relational domains. It would appear that this is a unique and significant contribution that TA makes to psychotherapy. Systematic experiential disconfirmation process has not previously been articulated in TA theory and again constitutes a proposed additional extension to TA practice as a therapeutic strategy.
