Dear Blog Reader
Please visit my revised and, hopefully, improved website for further information about my counselling and psychotherapy service for individuals and couples based in the Leith area of Edinburgh.
New features include:
Sidebar links to relevant articles and external information sources
http://www.harfordtherapy.com
Hyperlinks relating to page content within the body of each page
http://www.harfordtherapy.com/transactionalanalysis.htm
An improved online payments system
http://www.harfordtherapy.com/apps/webstore/
A dedicated page for couple counselling
http://www.harfordtherapy.com/couplescounselling.htm
A dedicated page for telephone and Skype counselling
http://www.harfordtherapy.com/phoneskypecounselling.htm
An improved page of useful links
http://www.harfordtherapy.com/apps/links/
Please feel free to contact me if you wish to leave comments, or suggestions.
Thank you for looking.
David Harford www.harfordtherapy.com
Wednesday, 14 December 2011
Monday, 12 December 2011
The Only Certainty Is Change
Changes are afoot. Whether I happen to be gazing through a personal, professional, or Scottish Transactional Analysis Association (STAA) lens, this is an exciting period of transition at all levels of attention.
Following in the wake of a highly successful STAA Conference and long-anticipated affiliation with EATA, there are various changes within the composition of the STAA Committee; new faces to take in and new relationships to build, while casting a grateful glance back towards those whose involvement is receding into recent history. Our external relationships are in flux, too; the parameters of our interaction with national and international bodies being re-negotiated and reconfigured with the aim of mutual enrichment of the TA community.
On a personal level, having gone through the factious and secretive machinations of TUPE legislation and eventual redundancy- an unenviable experience common to many thousands of people in the UK just now- I am about to embark on the next phase of my career as a full-time, self-employed TA practitioner, which will require careful adjustments in both my private and professional life to ensure a smooth and harmonious transition to a condition of total freedom and, with it, total responsibility.
Looking wider again, there are also a whole raft of social and political shifts on the immediate horizon. Like it or not, we may be witnessing the dying throes of the Euro and, with it, the ambitions of those looking for greater fiscal and political integration. Is the exchange of promissory capital- the dominant duplex transaction in our society- about to implode, or is it just postcolonial hand-wringing in response to the cold hard fact that China and India are playing an increasingly effective 'NIGYSOB' these days, while we slide inexorably into decadent 'Kick Me' and passive 'Poor Us'? (Berne, 1964)
And, looking through the TA glass again, there are still ideological battles to be fought, research to be conducted and recognition to be won in the aftermath of the recent failed attempt to introduce statutory regulation of our profession and the ongoing checks and imbalances of the 'Increasing Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT)' programme.
So, what's it going to be, then, eh?....How do we position ourselves within this massive palimpsest of turmoil?....The TA familiar at my side replies, “With our selves firmly grounded in the only dimension we can effect and negotiate change- the present, marshalling all the skills and emotional resources afforded by a robust Adult.
David Harford www.harfordtherapy.com
Following in the wake of a highly successful STAA Conference and long-anticipated affiliation with EATA, there are various changes within the composition of the STAA Committee; new faces to take in and new relationships to build, while casting a grateful glance back towards those whose involvement is receding into recent history. Our external relationships are in flux, too; the parameters of our interaction with national and international bodies being re-negotiated and reconfigured with the aim of mutual enrichment of the TA community.
On a personal level, having gone through the factious and secretive machinations of TUPE legislation and eventual redundancy- an unenviable experience common to many thousands of people in the UK just now- I am about to embark on the next phase of my career as a full-time, self-employed TA practitioner, which will require careful adjustments in both my private and professional life to ensure a smooth and harmonious transition to a condition of total freedom and, with it, total responsibility.
Looking wider again, there are also a whole raft of social and political shifts on the immediate horizon. Like it or not, we may be witnessing the dying throes of the Euro and, with it, the ambitions of those looking for greater fiscal and political integration. Is the exchange of promissory capital- the dominant duplex transaction in our society- about to implode, or is it just postcolonial hand-wringing in response to the cold hard fact that China and India are playing an increasingly effective 'NIGYSOB' these days, while we slide inexorably into decadent 'Kick Me' and passive 'Poor Us'? (Berne, 1964)
And, looking through the TA glass again, there are still ideological battles to be fought, research to be conducted and recognition to be won in the aftermath of the recent failed attempt to introduce statutory regulation of our profession and the ongoing checks and imbalances of the 'Increasing Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT)' programme.
So, what's it going to be, then, eh?....How do we position ourselves within this massive palimpsest of turmoil?....The TA familiar at my side replies, “With our selves firmly grounded in the only dimension we can effect and negotiate change- the present, marshalling all the skills and emotional resources afforded by a robust Adult.
David Harford www.harfordtherapy.com
Monday, 22 August 2011
Workshops announced for Scottish TA Conference 2011- Oct 29th - Edinburgh
STAA Conference Update
29th October 2011, Edinburgh
TARTAN TA - What's the Impact?
Exploring Borders and Boundaries
FULL LIST OF WORKSHOPS!
The STAA Conference Committee are pleased to announce the following programme for our forthcoming October event. We are proud to be able to bring delegates such a fascinating variety of subject matter and presentation styles- and we advise all readers to book their places quickly in order to beat the 18th September deadline for discounted ticket prices.
Full details can be found by visiting www.scottishta.org.uk and clicking on the 'Conferences' page, where there are instructions on how to purchase tickets either online, or by post.
Morning Workshops 11.15 am – 1.15 pm
Mick Cooper DPhil, Cpsych: “Exploring Relational Depth”
An opportunity for participants to explore the experience of deep relating, and to examine its potential contribution to therapeutic effectiveness.
Morag Highet, PTSTA: “Let’s Put the TArTAn in TA!”
Two workshops in which delegates will create unique tartans!
Attendance can be to one or both workshops.
Part One: An experiential workshop to explore our personal identity, using the PAC model and tartan as metaphors.
Trevor Timms, CTA: “A Body of TA”
As Without so Within: We will explore boundaries and borders as an internal experience created in response to relationship.
Rob van Tol, PG Dip Psych.: “Online Identity, Reputation & Boundaries”
The Internet has created new local spaces: Facebook, Twitter etc.
How do I manage my professional boundaries, my reputation and my identity? How do we have a private life in a public sphere?
Afternoon Workshops 3.00 pm – 5.00 pm
Morag Highet, PTSTA: “Let’s Put the TArTAn in TA!”
Part Two: An experiential workshop to explore our collective Scottish identity, using the PAC model and tartan as metaphors.
Ray Little, CTA: “Let’s Talk Therapy”
An examination of therapeutic theory and methodology from an integrated relational TA perspective.
Rosemary Napper, TSTA: “The Individual in Context: the subtleties of cultural scripting throughout our lives.”
This lively workshop will engage you in considering your own experiences of different cultures.
Mary O’Neill, Dip in TA counselling: “Emotional Baggage: How to Travel Light”
In this workshop we will consider the nature of emotional baggage....instead of getting someone else to carry our baggage we can repack the suitcase and take what we need.
David Harford www.harfordtherapy.com
29th October 2011, Edinburgh
TARTAN TA - What's the Impact?
Exploring Borders and Boundaries
FULL LIST OF WORKSHOPS!
The STAA Conference Committee are pleased to announce the following programme for our forthcoming October event. We are proud to be able to bring delegates such a fascinating variety of subject matter and presentation styles- and we advise all readers to book their places quickly in order to beat the 18th September deadline for discounted ticket prices.
Full details can be found by visiting www.scottishta.org.uk and clicking on the 'Conferences' page, where there are instructions on how to purchase tickets either online, or by post.
Morning Workshops 11.15 am – 1.15 pm
Mick Cooper DPhil, Cpsych: “Exploring Relational Depth”
An opportunity for participants to explore the experience of deep relating, and to examine its potential contribution to therapeutic effectiveness.
Morag Highet, PTSTA: “Let’s Put the TArTAn in TA!”
Two workshops in which delegates will create unique tartans!
Attendance can be to one or both workshops.
Part One: An experiential workshop to explore our personal identity, using the PAC model and tartan as metaphors.
Trevor Timms, CTA: “A Body of TA”
As Without so Within: We will explore boundaries and borders as an internal experience created in response to relationship.
Rob van Tol, PG Dip Psych.: “Online Identity, Reputation & Boundaries”
The Internet has created new local spaces: Facebook, Twitter etc.
How do I manage my professional boundaries, my reputation and my identity? How do we have a private life in a public sphere?
Afternoon Workshops 3.00 pm – 5.00 pm
Morag Highet, PTSTA: “Let’s Put the TArTAn in TA!”
Part Two: An experiential workshop to explore our collective Scottish identity, using the PAC model and tartan as metaphors.
Ray Little, CTA: “Let’s Talk Therapy”
An examination of therapeutic theory and methodology from an integrated relational TA perspective.
Rosemary Napper, TSTA: “The Individual in Context: the subtleties of cultural scripting throughout our lives.”
This lively workshop will engage you in considering your own experiences of different cultures.
Mary O’Neill, Dip in TA counselling: “Emotional Baggage: How to Travel Light”
In this workshop we will consider the nature of emotional baggage....instead of getting someone else to carry our baggage we can repack the suitcase and take what we need.
David Harford www.harfordtherapy.com
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