A Summary of Awards and Qualifications in Developmental Transactional Analysis
This page provides a summary of the range of awards and qualifications that can be obtained by people who are using developmental transactional analysis (DTA) in their lives and in their work and would like to check that they are doing so competently and ethically. Click here for a chart that summarises the options, and shows the relationships between them and to international TA qualifications and an MSc.
DTA is TA when it is being used for non-psychotherapeutic purposes. Of course, any application of TA will have a therapeutic impact because our brains and bodies are inextricably linked, but DTA refers to those times when our focus is on increasing healthy psychological functioning rather than curing pathology.
TAPAs – TA Proficiency and Personal/Professional Awards
These may be obtained by children and young people (TAPACY), by teachers and educators (TAPATE), by caregivers and parents (TAPACM), by Helpers and Assistants (TAPAHA) and by anyone else (TAPDA). Candidates are expected to produce a folder, or portfolio, that contains examples of how they applied DTA in their life. This might include, for instance, an analysis using TA ideas of their relationships at work or in the classroom or family. They need to do this for six different TA concepts (e.g. ego states, strokes, psychological games). It is then assessed by an experienced TA practitioner and the candidate receives a certificate and badge, usually at a celebratory Award Ceremony. These Awards are a value-added item for trainees/CTAs in any field, and acting as assessor is in itself a valuable learning experience. More information can be see at www.taproficiencyawards.org.
DTAMA – Manager Awards
These are designed for experienced managers, consultants, coaches etc who wish to apply DTA within their professional activities. DTAMAs equate to 40-45 university credits and are recognised by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM), by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), and by Middlesex University. Candidates attend 12 days of training workshops supplemented with self study, receive coaching tutorials (DTA supervision), and produce evidence of their application of DTA to their personal and professional development. DTAMAs are an ICDTA initiative.
DTAPA - Practitioner Awards
These are designed for those already qualified as ‘helping professionals’ in something other than TA, who want to check out how well they are incorporating DTA into their professional practice. They might be coaches, consultants, educators, mediators, HR professionals – any role where the primary focus is on helping other people, or families, teams or organisations, to develop themselves. Candidates must already hold a competence-based qualification that has involved training, supervision and practice, and are expected to have engaged in more training and supervision with internationally-accredited DTA professionals. They are required to produce evidence of DTA application and a critical reflection on how DTA fits with their own approach. DTAPAs are awarded by the ICDTA – the International Centre for DTA, which is an independent body of internationally-accredited TA trainers.
DTAPQ – DTA Professional Qualifications
These are a Certificate and Diploma in DTA, in which a specialisation is also an optional extra. They represent approximately 25% and 50% respectively of the requirements set for the international TA qualifications. They can also form the basis for the MSc Professional Development (DTA) that is described elsewhere in this leaflet. They are intended for those already in practice or about to start as helping professionals, who wish to make DTA a major element of their professional approach. Candidates are expected to attend training and supervision with internationally-accredited DTA trainer/supervisors and to produce evidence of their competent application of DTA. Candidates will be applying DTA in their work for at least 100 hours and will attend for 20 days training/supervision across a year for each level, although they can spread training and application over a longer period. The Certificate and Diploma are awarded by the ICDTA – the International Centre for DTA that comprises internationally-accredited DTA professionals.
MSc Professional Development (Developmental Transactional Analysis #)
# a specialism may be added if appropriate e.g. Coaching, Counselling, OD
Awarded by a University in association with PDF, Psychological Intelligence Ltd and the ICDTA, this qualification requires that helping professionals demonstrate their competent application of DTA, accompanied by a series of critical reflective essays. The DTA competence is developed over three years of DTA training workshops, supervision and application and is assessed via the ICDTA - the International Centre for DTA that comprises internationally-accredited DTA professionals. The critical reflective essays are then assessed in line with University requirements. Both elements must be passed. Candidates are expected to attend 20 days training/supervision across each year and to be applying DTA in their professional work. They are also expected to engage in some work-based research activity. Those who wish can opt for Postgraduate Certificate or Diploma instead of MSc.
CTA – Certified Transactional Analyst, CTA Trainer, TSTA
These are the international qualifications, run by the training bodies of the European, International and Australasian (FTAA) TA Associations in ways that ensure the standards are consistent internationally. Candidates opt for one of four fields of application: psychotherapy, educational, organisational, and counselling (which also equates to coaching). For CTA, students must attend at least 300 hours of TA training and 75 hours of supervision, complete at least 500 hours of TA application, plus other professional development and practice activities that bring the total hours to at least 2000. They produce a 24000 word written examination and attend a 4-person panel examination. On the basis of 16-20 days attendance at workshops each year, most students take 4-5 years to reach CTA status. Hours achieved for the DTAPQ and the MSc can also be credited against the CTA requirements. CTA Trainer and TSTA are further qualifications after achieving CTA and are anticipated to take another 5-7 years.
Diploma in Developmental Super-Vision
This qualification is indirectly linked to DTA but is for those who have already qualified as practitioners in TA or in other approaches, and wish to supervise others within the same professional category. Requirements are 60 hours attendance at workshops/seminars led by ICDSV – International Centre for Developmental Super-Vision - trainer/supervisors (online option available), 100 units of providing supervision to at least 5 supervisees, 20 units of supervised supervision. Candidates also make 3 theoretical presentations and 3 case presentations. Currently in process of seeking EMCC Quality Award for this programme
MSc Professional Development (TA Trainer/Supervisor)
Awarded by a University in association with the Professional Development Foundation, Psychological Intelligence Foundation CIC and the ICDTA, this qualification is designed for those who already hold CTA (any field) or an MSc in Transactional Analysis (developmental or psychotherapy) and wish to teach and supervise students who are seeking TA qualifications. Candidates attend workshops, are supervised on their teaching/training and the supervision they provide, produce portfolios of evidence and critical reflections, and engage in work-based research. Candidates are required to have provided at least 300 hours of teaching and 300 hours of supervision, and to have received at least 50 hours of supervision of each, alongside attendance at 27 days of workshops over a typical 3 year period covering teaching and training theory and practice, supervision theory and practice, advanced theoretical knowledge of TA, and of a range of non-TA theories and techniques.. A final competence-based assessment is conducted by a small panel, at which the candidate is invited to demonstrate their skills in discussion and through short recordings and live demonstrations of their practice. This qualification lines up with (optional) international accreditation as CTA Trainer/Supervisor, although candidates for this are required to specialise.
Master TA/Trainer/Supervisor
Operated by the ICDTA, this qualification is designed for those who have completed the MSc for TA Trainer/Supervisor, this qualification requires candidates to provide at least another 200 hours of supervision (of supervision and/or teaching) of those who are undertaking the MSc for TA Trainer/Supervisor or those in contract as PTSTA with EATA/ITAA/FTAA, and to receive an appropriate level of supervision of the supervision they give. A final competence-based assessment is conducted by a small panel, at which the candidate is invited to demonstrate their skills in discussion and through short recordings and live demonstrations of their practice. This qualification lines up with (optional) international accreditation as TSTA, although candidates for this are required to specialise.
This page provides a summary of the range of awards and qualifications that can be obtained by people who are using developmental transactional analysis (DTA) in their lives and in their work and would like to check that they are doing so competently and ethically. Click here for a chart that summarises the options, and shows the relationships between them and to international TA qualifications and an MSc.
DTA is TA when it is being used for non-psychotherapeutic purposes. Of course, any application of TA will have a therapeutic impact because our brains and bodies are inextricably linked, but DTA refers to those times when our focus is on increasing healthy psychological functioning rather than curing pathology.
TAPAs – TA Proficiency and Personal/Professional Awards
These may be obtained by children and young people (TAPACY), by teachers and educators (TAPATE), by caregivers and parents (TAPACM), by Helpers and Assistants (TAPAHA) and by anyone else (TAPDA). Candidates are expected to produce a folder, or portfolio, that contains examples of how they applied DTA in their life. This might include, for instance, an analysis using TA ideas of their relationships at work or in the classroom or family. They need to do this for six different TA concepts (e.g. ego states, strokes, psychological games). It is then assessed by an experienced TA practitioner and the candidate receives a certificate and badge, usually at a celebratory Award Ceremony. These Awards are a value-added item for trainees/CTAs in any field, and acting as assessor is in itself a valuable learning experience. More information can be see at www.taproficiencyawards.org.
DTAMA – Manager Awards
These are designed for experienced managers, consultants, coaches etc who wish to apply DTA within their professional activities. DTAMAs equate to 40-45 university credits and are recognised by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM), by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), and by Middlesex University. Candidates attend 12 days of training workshops supplemented with self study, receive coaching tutorials (DTA supervision), and produce evidence of their application of DTA to their personal and professional development. DTAMAs are an ICDTA initiative.
DTAPA - Practitioner Awards
These are designed for those already qualified as ‘helping professionals’ in something other than TA, who want to check out how well they are incorporating DTA into their professional practice. They might be coaches, consultants, educators, mediators, HR professionals – any role where the primary focus is on helping other people, or families, teams or organisations, to develop themselves. Candidates must already hold a competence-based qualification that has involved training, supervision and practice, and are expected to have engaged in more training and supervision with internationally-accredited DTA professionals. They are required to produce evidence of DTA application and a critical reflection on how DTA fits with their own approach. DTAPAs are awarded by the ICDTA – the International Centre for DTA, which is an independent body of internationally-accredited TA trainers.
DTAPQ – DTA Professional Qualifications
These are a Certificate and Diploma in DTA, in which a specialisation is also an optional extra. They represent approximately 25% and 50% respectively of the requirements set for the international TA qualifications. They can also form the basis for the MSc Professional Development (DTA) that is described elsewhere in this leaflet. They are intended for those already in practice or about to start as helping professionals, who wish to make DTA a major element of their professional approach. Candidates are expected to attend training and supervision with internationally-accredited DTA trainer/supervisors and to produce evidence of their competent application of DTA. Candidates will be applying DTA in their work for at least 100 hours and will attend for 20 days training/supervision across a year for each level, although they can spread training and application over a longer period. The Certificate and Diploma are awarded by the ICDTA – the International Centre for DTA that comprises internationally-accredited DTA professionals.
MSc Professional Development (Developmental Transactional Analysis #)
# a specialism may be added if appropriate e.g. Coaching, Counselling, OD
Awarded by a University in association with PDF, Psychological Intelligence Ltd and the ICDTA, this qualification requires that helping professionals demonstrate their competent application of DTA, accompanied by a series of critical reflective essays. The DTA competence is developed over three years of DTA training workshops, supervision and application and is assessed via the ICDTA - the International Centre for DTA that comprises internationally-accredited DTA professionals. The critical reflective essays are then assessed in line with University requirements. Both elements must be passed. Candidates are expected to attend 20 days training/supervision across each year and to be applying DTA in their professional work. They are also expected to engage in some work-based research activity. Those who wish can opt for Postgraduate Certificate or Diploma instead of MSc.
CTA – Certified Transactional Analyst, CTA Trainer, TSTA
These are the international qualifications, run by the training bodies of the European, International and Australasian (FTAA) TA Associations in ways that ensure the standards are consistent internationally. Candidates opt for one of four fields of application: psychotherapy, educational, organisational, and counselling (which also equates to coaching). For CTA, students must attend at least 300 hours of TA training and 75 hours of supervision, complete at least 500 hours of TA application, plus other professional development and practice activities that bring the total hours to at least 2000. They produce a 24000 word written examination and attend a 4-person panel examination. On the basis of 16-20 days attendance at workshops each year, most students take 4-5 years to reach CTA status. Hours achieved for the DTAPQ and the MSc can also be credited against the CTA requirements. CTA Trainer and TSTA are further qualifications after achieving CTA and are anticipated to take another 5-7 years.
Diploma in Developmental Super-Vision
This qualification is indirectly linked to DTA but is for those who have already qualified as practitioners in TA or in other approaches, and wish to supervise others within the same professional category. Requirements are 60 hours attendance at workshops/seminars led by ICDSV – International Centre for Developmental Super-Vision - trainer/supervisors (online option available), 100 units of providing supervision to at least 5 supervisees, 20 units of supervised supervision. Candidates also make 3 theoretical presentations and 3 case presentations. Currently in process of seeking EMCC Quality Award for this programme
MSc Professional Development (TA Trainer/Supervisor)
Awarded by a University in association with the Professional Development Foundation, Psychological Intelligence Foundation CIC and the ICDTA, this qualification is designed for those who already hold CTA (any field) or an MSc in Transactional Analysis (developmental or psychotherapy) and wish to teach and supervise students who are seeking TA qualifications. Candidates attend workshops, are supervised on their teaching/training and the supervision they provide, produce portfolios of evidence and critical reflections, and engage in work-based research. Candidates are required to have provided at least 300 hours of teaching and 300 hours of supervision, and to have received at least 50 hours of supervision of each, alongside attendance at 27 days of workshops over a typical 3 year period covering teaching and training theory and practice, supervision theory and practice, advanced theoretical knowledge of TA, and of a range of non-TA theories and techniques.. A final competence-based assessment is conducted by a small panel, at which the candidate is invited to demonstrate their skills in discussion and through short recordings and live demonstrations of their practice. This qualification lines up with (optional) international accreditation as CTA Trainer/Supervisor, although candidates for this are required to specialise.
Master TA/Trainer/Supervisor
Operated by the ICDTA, this qualification is designed for those who have completed the MSc for TA Trainer/Supervisor, this qualification requires candidates to provide at least another 200 hours of supervision (of supervision and/or teaching) of those who are undertaking the MSc for TA Trainer/Supervisor or those in contract as PTSTA with EATA/ITAA/FTAA, and to receive an appropriate level of supervision of the supervision they give. A final competence-based assessment is conducted by a small panel, at which the candidate is invited to demonstrate their skills in discussion and through short recordings and live demonstrations of their practice. This qualification lines up with (optional) international accreditation as TSTA, although candidates for this are required to specialise.
