Life's problems often have their source in the childhood, the therapist helps the client:

• Identify what it is they want.

• How they can now use their resources to achieve their goals, rather than remaining 'stuck in their problem'.

• This leads to living in the present rather than living in the past, or being afraid of the future.

Four stages of therapy:

1. Contact: developing your relationship with the therapist.

2. Contract: deciding what you are wanting to change.

3. Content: dealing with the issues.

4. Concluding: dealing with the ending of the relationship.

I often think of two stages... the first dealing with the immediate difficulties... what is bringing you to therapy now and the second stage dealing with the underlying (in TA terms... script issues) issues. The first stage can often be relatively short term, while the second stage is dealing with underlying issues which usually require longer term therapy.

TA is a humanistic therapy, believing that the client knows best what they want and have the resources within themselves to achieve their desires. The role of the therapist is to promote the clients autonomy and their inner healing.

Counselling: Is used in a similar way to psychotherapy, however it's focus is usually to resolve current specific problems, without exploring or resolving the underlying issues.

In the UK to qualify as a counsellor takes approximately half the time it does to train as a psychotherapist... In some countries such as Austria and Germany counsellor training is on a par with psychotherapy training.

In Germany counselling is known as "Beratung"... see Uta's site (which is only in German): www.ta-beratung.de for details of how counselling is used by Uta for conflict resolution and leadership training as well as personal and professional development... which in the UK may well be described as coaching.