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TA Worldwide Professional Framework

All the activities of qualified transactional analysts - including TA training and accreditation are carried on under the auspices of a worldwide network of professional TA associations. This network is co-ordinated at national, continental and international levels through a system of affiliation. It provides a secure professional and ethical basis for the work of accredited transactional analysts.

The International Transactional Analysis Association www.itaa-net.org/
This is a worldwide "umbrella" organisation for TA. It is a non-profit educational corporation, and is based in San Francisco. In its role as an international forum for TA services and standards, the ITAA makes feasible the mutual recognition of TA professional credentials in 60 countries around the world. Its accreditation arm, the Board of Certification, performs the same role outside of Europe as EATA's COC does within Europe; the BOC and COC stay in close liaison with each other so as to maintain comparability in the competency-based examinations that the two bodies conduct in their respective areas. The ITAA publishes a monthly newsletter, The Script, and a quarterly scientific journal of theory and research in TA, the Transactional Analysis Journal. 

Western Pacific Association of Transactional Analysis (WPATA) www.wpata.com.au
WPATA maintains close professional ties with ITAA and  is a non-profit organisation dedicated to the understanding and acceptance of transactional analysis and its theories and practice. WPATA is committed to the promotion of transactional analysis nationally and internationally through liaison and cooperation with ITAA, EATA, with other associations worldwide, and adhering to a stated strict code of professional ethics.  
In November 1996, WPATA was granted National Accreditation for its courses. Growth continued and in early 2000 WPATA became the sole organization representing TA training and examining for all of Australia. It continued to form close links with other eastern countries and has Jessica Leong from Singapore on its board. In 2002 a mutual recognition agreement was signed between ITAA and EATA which means WPATA has Mutual Recognition within the International Training and Certification Body for Transactional Analysis and European Training Association. WPATA is a mutually re-cognized body in Transactional Analysis Certification Council Association.

European Association for Transactional Analysis www.eatanews.org
Britain's ITA is among more than twenty TA associations in European countries which are affiliated to the European Association for Transactional Analysis (EATA). Registered in Switzerland as a non-profit professional association, EATA has an expanding membership currently numbering some 6,000. The Association publishes a thrice-yearly Newsletter and organises an annual conference.  One of EATA's most important tasks is to administer the system of standard, competency-based professional examinations for transactional analysts in Europe. This is the special province of EATA's Commission of Certification (COC). Britain's ITA, like all the other European associations, uses the COC examination structure as the basis for accrediting TA professionals.

International Centre for Development Transactional Analysis   www.icdta.net
ICDTA is an international network of trainers, supervisors, trainees, students and other interested parties who want to contribute to the following aims: 

  1. Maintenance and ongoing development of high professional standards in the application of developmental transactional analysis internationally
  2. Public awareness of the existence and benefits of various levels of qualifications and awards that confirm competence of application of developmental transactional analysis
  3. Accessibility to a diverse range of individuals who wish to develop and confirm their competence by attaining practitioner or vocational awards or professional qualifications in developmental transactional analysis

Developmental TA (DTA) refers to those approaches to TA that are focused on helping people to develop themselves rather than on curing pathology.   For those already familiar with TA qualifications, it is the fields currently called organisational, educational and counselling as opposed to psychotherapy.  There are a number of key features of DTA, some of which are of course shared with PTA and others which differentiate the two broad approaches. 

The shared principles include our commitment to behaving in non-discriminatory ways that respect diversity in all its forms, the use of contracting so that we work with clients rather than on them, our underlying philosophy around okayness, adherence to codes of ethics and professional practices, and our openness to analysing ourselves and using supervision in order to maintain continuous professional and personal development. 

In addition, we all refer to the same TA theories, albeit that we vary in which ones we prefer to apply most often, the theoretical depth we go into, and the non-TA theories we choose to use alongside or combined with TA.  We thus have a strong shared heritage which keeps us together as a TA community.  This is important because it allows us to learn from each other.  Applying similar concepts in different situations generates much of value to us all. 

Institute of Developmental Transactional Analysis   www.instdta.org
 evelopmental TA are the TA fields of organisational and education. The IDTA is a young and growing organisation based in the UK that aims to promote Developmental TA to the public, including to individuals, groups, organisations and institutions.