Manchester Transactional Analysis Conference 2025, Workshop Information
Keynote Speaker: Emma Haynes
This Years theme is Hope.
We are really fortunate to have Emma Haynes as our keynote speaker.
Emma is the author of "A Transactional Analysis of Motherhood and Disturbances in the Maternal: from pre-conception to human being".
Just click here to find more information on Emma's book.
The views and opinions expressed by the conference presenters are solely those of the original presenters and other contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of the MANTAC committee, UKATA, members of those bodies and/or any/all contributors to this conference.
Jane Scott ( ITAA, EATA, UKCP, SCottish Transactional Analysis Association)
Who am I meant to be? Reclaiming my true self. Fear and hope in the therapeutic relationship.
How can we as therapists guide our clients to explore their ''Fear of Hope'' and build
Faith? This is especially challenging for individuals who have experienced significant
trauma sometimes intensified by disappointment. So how can we hold hope in the face
of despair and to understand how we can be challenged by the clients unreadiness for
the reparative relationship we wish to offer. We may find ourselves unwittingly replaying
for the client the old conflict. We will discuss some research into how Childhood trauma
impacts the brain and play with fairy tales and fantasy films to journey from fear
through challenge to hope. As in many stories I aim to help participants to travel with
their clients to discover their identity. Hope plays an important role in healing and
finding their true self.
Jane is a Certified Transactional Analyst in Transactional Analysis. She is working
towards her TEW in November 2025. Jane has developed a successful private practice
since 2012 in a rural area of the West Highlands of Scotland. She has a varied cultural
diversity of clients.
Jane's philosophy in working with her clients is to pay careful attention to their growth
and to the development of their therapeutic relationship. Jane is hoping to bring the
qualities of respect and love to her workshop at the Manchester conference.
Aims and Objectives:
To consider how Childhood trauma impacts and shapes the Brain.
To demonstrate the usefulness of ''Narrative'' as a therapeutic tool.
Participants find balance between Fear, hope and Healing.
Theory to be Covered:
Main focus: Psychotherapy,
TA Knowledge Required: 101.
Style of Presentation: Experiential; Discussion.
Nea Clark ( MSc, PTSTA, ITAA, EATA, UKATA, UKCP)
Hope and Neurodiversity.
There is hope for neurodivergent individuals living with ADHD to create a life which suits them. Together, we will explore the main areas that can cause problems for neurodivergent individuals. First, we learn how to recognise the kind of issues our clients face in their daily lives. We will take on a practical approach to learning to create hands-on plans for clients. We focus on managing ADHD. We want to bring hope to our clients, self-awareness, self-understanding, emotional management and liberation from shame.
Nea is a PTSTA psychotherapist, author, supervisor, and NLP practitioner. She practices in Leeds, United Kingdom, where she regularly holds supervision groups face-to-face or online, as well as webinars and seminars. She specialises in Neurodiversity, mainly working with clients and supervisees with ADHD and Dyslexia. She supports Neurodivergent supervisees and trainees. Nea rolled out her training program to support practitioners managing ADHD clients in private practice, organisations, and educational settings.
Aims and Objectives: The aim of the workshop is to support the practitioner in working with neurodivergent individuals diagnosed with ADHD or showing signs of ADHD. By the end of the workshop, the participants will have an idea of what to look for in a session to recognise the signs of ADHD and support the client in managing their own neurodiversity.
Theory to be Covered:
Main focus: Psychotherapy, Counselling, Educational, Orgnisational
TA Knowledge Required: None.
Style of Presentation: Didactic; Discussion.
Louise Ralston (CTA)
From withdrawal to connection; An exploration of hope in the Schizoid experience
Schizoid experience is characterised by withdrawal and detachment from the
world, coupled with self-reliance (Little 2001). Hope is defined as the expectation of
something desired (Oxford dictionary 2025). This workshop will explore how we as
practitioners can work with the Schizoid experience to increase hope; developing a desire
to find and own their place in the world and increase expectation and trust that others can
meet their needs.
Louise is from Liverpool and has been in private practice since 2018. Prior to becoming a
psychotherapist she worked in education.
Aims and Objectives:
Theory to be Covered:
Main focus: Psychotherapy, Counselling
TA Knowledge Required: 101.
Style of Presentation: Experiential, Didactic and Discussion.
Suna Guven and Sam Carbon (UKCP)
Hope - The Light in Times of Darkness
Typing the word 'hope' in TAJ search bar revealed two articles which had 'hope' in their titles. There were also 1489 relevant articles. We (Suna&Sam) started a conversation about hope:
As our conversations deepened, we noticed the boundaries of our scripts. In moments of misunderstandings, we shrank with fear and felt disconnected. When we hit 'yeah, but what's the point', we had to acknowledge how we discounted our capacity to think and repair, and needed to challenge our frames of reference.
Aims and Objectives:
We have to develop ways to communicate through our differences keeping in mind that we share humanity. We are offering this workshop to further our understanding of hope and using it as a base to remain in the (hard) conversations to stay connected.
Theory to be covered:
We explore the following hope-evoking concepts :
We believe without hope we may continue to exist in isolation while yearning for togetherness.
Main focus: Psychotherapy, Educational, Counselling
TA Knowledge Required: Basic
Number of Participants: unlimited.
Suna (MSc, CTA (P), PTSTA, UKCP Reg., BACP (Accred.)) has provided counselling and psychotherapy since 2000. She worked with Kurdish and Turkish immigrants for 10 years. Currently, she has a private practice in London and is teaching TA at The Link Centre. In an ever-migrating world Suna has always had a firm interest in diversity and cross-cultural work.
Sam (MSc Psych, PTSTA (P), CTA (P), UKCP, MBACP) is a UKCP registered psychotherapist, clinical supervisor, author, and educator.
She has experience across diverse clinical settings such as an addiction rehabilitation centre, low-cost counselling services and GPs. Her compassionate approach is deeply rooted in helping clients break free from limiting beliefs, while also embracing their individuality and unique life experiences. Sam brings a grounded and empathetic approach to addressing issues related to identity and discrimination.
Beren Aldridge TSTA(P)
Finding Hope Amidst Confusion; Within, Without and Between
Confusion and mystification are essential requirements in the oppression of others. In our work as transactional analysts we are often faced with confusion within us, within the people we work with, and in the cultures that we meet within.
This workshop will look at how we hold hope while experiencing confusion, and how finding the confusions of wider society withi ourselves can be a hopeful and hope provoking act.
Beren is a transactional analyst psychotherapist, supervisor and trainer, and independent academic.
He is interested in the incorporation of context and social justice matters into practice. He chairs UKATA Training Accreditation and Standards Committee and is a member of the TAJ editorial board.
Aims and Objectives:
Theory to be Covered:
Main focus: Psychotherapy, Counselling, Educational, Orgnisational
TA Knowledge Required: Basic/101
Style of Presentation: Experiential; Didactic; Discussion.
Behnam Abdevand (Level 7 Diploma in Transactional Analysis Psychotherapist, BACP, member of UKCP)
Unlocking Intuition in Psychotherapy: Integrating Transactional Analysis
This workshop explores the integration of intuition within the framework of Transactional Analysis (TA) to enhance psychotherapeutic practice. Participants will discover practical techniques to harness intuition, understand its neurological basis, and apply it effectively in client interactions. The session will include experiential exercises, discussions, and case studies, providing attendees with tools to integrate intuitive insights with TA principles.
Benham finished his training in 2021 and is working toward becoming a Certified Transactional Analysis Psychotherapist by next spring. He has a deep interest in the intersection of intuition and psychotherapy. He has conducted workshops and seminars
aimed at enhancing therapeutic practices through the integration of intuitive insights. He is dedicated to fostering deeper client connections and promoting systematic and holistic healing approaches
Aims and Objectives:
- To understand the role of intuition in psychotherapy and its neurological underpinnings
- To explore how TA principles can be enriched with intuitive insights
- To provide practical techniques for integrating intuition into TA-based therapeutic practice
- To enhance participants ability to recognize and trust their intuitive responses in clinical settings
- To foster a deeper connection with clients through intuitive and TA-informed interventions
Theory to be Covered:
Main focus: Psychotherapy, Counselling.
TA Knowledge Required: Basic to Advanced
Style of Presentation: Experiential and discussion (Handouts will be provided)
No of participants: max 30
