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Transactional Analysis with Children: Encounter, Presence, and Creativity

Editor : Alessandra Pierini, Editor : Keith Tudor

Reviews and Endorsements

'Transactional Analysis with Children: Encounter, Presence, and Creativity is a treasure, and not only because it brings a rich and largely unknown body of Italian transactional analysis (TA) thinking into the English-speaking world, though that alone makes its publication significant. What makes this collection truly remarkable is the world it opens. It reminds us that working with children is not a smaller version of adult therapy, it is a different world entirely, with its own language, its own logic, and its own demands on the therapist.

For practitioners working with children – and adolescents – this book answers the questions we carry into every session: how? what? and when? However, this is not just a book about techniques; it is a book about keeping the spark of physis alive, about curiosity, and about the profound respect we owe to those who speak in and through play. This volume of papers gives us permission to slow down, to trust the symbolic, and to meet young people where their inner world actually lives.

As someone who has spent years working at the intersection of transactional analysis, Gestalt play therapy, and creative approaches, I found in these pages both confirmation and challenge – a reminder of what truly matters in this work, and an invitation to explore further.'

Alina Comendant, MSc, PTSTA(P), CTA(P), CTA(E), child and adolescent psychotherapist, trainer and supervisor specialising in transactional analysis and creative therapeutic approaches in Bussum, The Netherlands

'This book fills a huge hole in transactional TA knowledge regarding which most of us are not even aware. It is an exciting, creative, and compelling collection of chapters about working with children – and adolescents – using TA.

It is not only a book of papers about technique; more importantly, it is about philosophy, working relationally with children, and using creative methods to enable going deeper into the inner world of the child. The authors in this volume challenge assumptions about working with children and young people and provide evidence for the depth of work, the influence of script formation in young children, and of creative methods. The book essentially showcases all the fabulous pioneering work being done with children and young people in Italy, a country in which transactional analysts have been at the forefront of new developments with this client group, mostly building on the seminal work of Romanini in the 1980s as well as many subsequent practitioners and authors.

This volume is a must read for all practitioners, not least as those who do not work with children can learn a lot about working with the Child ego state. Pierini and Tudor and have curated a marvellous and moving collection of work that enhances TA for all.'

Mica Douglas, PhD, TSTA(P), psychotherapist and supervisor, Rochester, UK

'Like a symphony orchestra in which where each player performs their part while listening to others, the editors of this volume have creatively and thoughtfully brought together different authors who share their knowledge and experience of working with children in a similar way. Each author, in their own words, reveals the beauty of the child’s inner world and how to connect with it.

This collection of papers is a much-needed contribution to TA, while also offering valuable insights for the wider field of psychotherapy. The authors provide a meaningful integration of theory and techniques from different play therapy modalities, supported by examples from practice. In curating this volume, the editors have opened a very important door for Italian colleagues, some for the first time, to share with the international community deep insights into their decades of dedicated work with children.'

Tatjana Gjurković, MA, CTA(P), TSTA(P), psychologist, Director of Center Proventus, Ama Dablam Institute, Zagreb, Croatia

'We wholeheartedly endorse this exploration into working therapeutically with children through the lens of transactional analysis (TA). This book outlines many TA concepts that help us understand script development in a young child. As child-centred play therapists, we have seen the power of early interventions with protocol and script decisions. The importance of play and the relationship are woven throughout this book, and we welcome and value the contributions to ethics and contracting, both of which are often overlooked when working with children. We are pleased that the contributors have brought forward the view that working with children requires the therapist to have the capacity to work with uncertainty, and bodily felt experiences. Working with children, in play and symbolism, is richly rewarding, and this book will be invaluable for both those already working with children as well as those considering a shift to working with younger clients.'

Natalie Astin CTA (Psychotherapy), child-centred play therapist, trainer and supervisor, and
Frankie Dean CTA (Psychotherapy), child-centred play therapist, trainer and supervisor, Wanaka, Aotearoa New Zealand