In this episode of the Transactional Analysis Podcast, hosts John Fleming and Matt Taylor are joined by Dr. Valerie Batts, Ph.D., Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Founding Director, Interim Board Chair, VISIONS and a Teaching and Supervising Transactional Analyst (TSTA-P) who has spent over fifty years applying TA as a lens on power, culture, and social change.

Valerie traces her path into TA from a young student activist in 1973, where she helped incarcerated young men learn “I’m OK, You’re OK,” ego states and games as a way of interrupting the negative messages they carried about themselves and about the system.

That experience set the course for a rich career spent applying a cultural lens and a power analysis to the work of clinicians, clients, educators, and organisations.

In this episode, Valerie draws on these experiences which make for a rich, powerful exploration of power, oppression and social justice.

You’ll hear them explore:

• How Valerie first encountered TA in 1973, teaching “I’m OK, You’re OK” to incarcerated young men and what it revealed about power and equity
• Valerie’s thoughts around TA through a political and social activism lens
• The VISIONS model and its four interlocking levels: personal, interpersonal, institutional (systemic), and cultural
• “Modern oppression” read through TA: child-Adult contamination, early decisions and the dance of privilege and lack of privilege
• Why the discounting of TA may mirror a wider discounting of mental health.
• How pathologising a person’s script can itself be a form of oppression 
• Righteous anger as an alternative to violence and culture as the water a fish cannot see
• What TA still offers in challenging, polarised times and how to keep the work alive and relevant 

Link to VISIONs Website: https://www.visions-inc.org

Thank You To Our Partners

This podcast is brought to you in partnership with the United Kingdom Association for Transactional Analysis. We’re proud to have the UK Association for Transactional Analysis (UKATA as our Patronage Partner. UKATA is a vibrant professional body committed to supporting the growth and ethical practice of Transactional Analysis in the UK and beyond.

They support practitioners, trainees, and the public through professional standards, events, and access to TA education. Learn more at www.uka4ta.co.uk

We are also supported by the European Association for Transactional Analysis, and our wonderful Patreon supporters.