TA Therapy Ain't Just White

Time Structuring: How Are You Spending Your Time?

We all have 24 hours in a day, but have you ever stopped to think about how you structure that time when you are with other people?

In this episode of TA Therapy Ain’t Just White, Mike, Wendy, Craig and Robyn explore Eric Berne’s concept of Time Structuring — six different ways we organise our time and relationships: Withdrawal, Rituals, Pastimes, Activities, Games and Intimacy.

But, as always, we don’t just leave the theory on the page.

What happens when we look at Time Structuring through a cultural and intersectional lens? Who taught us the “right” way to interact with others? How might culture, race, gender, faith, family and social expectations influence whether we withdraw, follow familiar rituals, keep conversations safely on the surface or risk allowing ourselves to be genuinely seen?

We explore how each way of structuring time can meet our need for strokes — recognition and acknowledgement from others — while carrying different levels of psychological risk. We also reflect on what happens when the ways we learned to stay safe, belong or gain recognition earlier in life continue shaping how we relate as adults.

And eventually, the conversation brings us to intimacy — not simply closeness, but the possibility of showing up authentically in relationship without hiding behind roles, scripts or old survival patterns.

So perhaps the question isn’t simply, “How do you spend your time?”

Maybe it is: What does the way you structure your time reveal about how you have learned to be in relationship with others?

Join us as four trainee psychotherapists continue trying to understand TA, culture and ourselves — in real time.

🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and YouTube.

🔗 linktr.ee/TATAJW 📩 [email protected]

💬 We'd love to hear from you! What does working through an intersectional lens mean to you? Share your thoughts in the comments.

#TATherapyAintJustWhite #TATAJW #TheIntersectionalLens #VictoriaBaskerville #TransactionalAnalysis #Intersectionality #Psychotherapy #RelationalTherapy #IdentityAndBelonging #InclusiveTherapy #PsychotherapyTraining #TraineeTherapists #RepresentationMatters #TherapyAndCulture

Credits 

Music sourced from: Freemusicarchive.org 

• “The Road” by Ketsa Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) 

• “Feelings” by 1000 Handz Beatz under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) 

Intro and Outro Voice: - Robert, Birmingham 

Post-production, editing and transcription: – Candice Nolan, Johannesburg

EPISODE 11: THE INTERSECTIONAL LENS | Featuring Victoria Baskerville

New academic year, new conversations and fresh perspectives! 🍂✨

We're back with another episode of TA Therapy Ain't Just White, and what a way to kick off the new season!

This episode, Mike, Craig, Wendy and Robyn are joined by the wonderful Victoria Baskerville for an engaging and thought-provoking conversation exploring intersectionality and what it means for us as therapists, trainees and, most importantly, human beings.

Together, we explore how race, gender, power, identity and lived experiences intersect, shaping not only how we see ourselves and others, but also how we show up within the therapeutic relationship.

What happens when we begin to look beyond our own lens and recognise the different experiences that shape the people sitting opposite us? And how can Transactional Analysis help us move beyond simply understanding difference towards genuinely embracing it in our practice?

Victoria brings her perspective to a conversation that invites us to reflect, challenge our assumptions and remain curious about the complexities of being human.

Whether you're returning to training, working in clinical practice or simply passionate about conversations around identity, belonging and human relationships, this is an episode you won't want to miss! 🎧

So grab a cuppa, get comfortable and join us as we kick off the new academic year with a conversation worth having.

🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and YouTube.

🔗 linktr.ee/TATAJW 📩 [email protected]

💬 We'd love to hear from you! What does working through an intersectional lens mean to you? Share your thoughts in the comments.

#TATherapyAintJustWhite #TATAJW #TheIntersectionalLens #VictoriaBaskerville #TransactionalAnalysis #Intersectionality #Psychotherapy #RelationalTherapy #IdentityAndBelonging #InclusiveTherapy #PsychotherapyTraining #TraineeTherapists #RepresentationMatters #TherapyAndCulture

Episode 0: Live Launch

Welcome to a very special episode of TA Therapy Ain't Just White.

Before we began having conversations around culture, identity, psychotherapy and lived experience, there was a story that brought us here. Every podcast has a beginning, and this is ours.

Episode 0 isn't just another episode—it's an invitation to step back in time and join us on the very evening TA Therapy Ain't Just White officially came to life. This is the moment we gathered with friends, family, colleagues and loved ones to celebrate the launch of something that had been months in the making. A vision that started with conversations between four trainee psychotherapists had finally become a reality.

As you listen, you'll be right there in the room with us. You'll hear the excitement, the nerves, the laughter, and the heart behind why this podcast exists. We share the story of how we found one another, the experiences that shaped our vision, and the journey from a simple conversation to a growing community committed to making Transactional Analysis more accessible, more representative, and more reflective of the world we live in.

You'll also get an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the planning, the purpose, and the passion that laid the foundation for everything that follows, along with a preview of the first episodes and what you can expect as you journey with us.

Whether you've been with us since day one or you're only just discovering TA Therapy Ain't Just White, we're so glad you're here.

Come and take the ride with us.

Come and experience the moment this podcast was born.

Welcome to where it all began.

CreditsMusic sourced from: Freemusicarchive.org

"The Road" by Ketsa

Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0)

"Feelings" by 1000 Handz Beatz

Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0)

Intro and Outro Voice: Robert, Birmingham

Post-production, editing and transcription: Candice Nolan, Johannesburg

What if the beliefs that shape your life were never really your choice?

In this episode of TA Therapy Ain’t Just White, Robyn, Wendy, Mike and Craig unpack one of Transactional Analysis’ most influential concepts: Script—the unconscious life plan formed in childhood that continues to shape how we think, feel and relate to others.

But this conversation goes beyond classical TA theory. Together, the team explores how culture, migration, race, class, family systems and social institutions all contribute to the messages we inherit and the survival strategies we develop. Through honest personal stories and thoughtful discussion, they ask challenging questions about belonging, identity, authority, assimilation and the cultural narratives that quietly influence our lives.

From Zimbabwe to South Africa, the Caribbean to Jewish heritage, and working-class Britain, each host reflects on how their own experiences have shaped the scripts they carry—and how awareness creates the possibility for change.

This episode is a reminder that scripts are not signs that something is wrong with us; they are intelligent adaptations that once helped us survive. The real work is discovering whether those patterns still serve the life we want to live today.

Join us as we explore the intersection of Transactional Analysis, culture and identity, and discover how greater awareness can lead to greater freedom, connection and choice.

Resources:

• Life Scripts: A Transactional Analysis of Unconscious Relational Patterns – Richard Erskine
  

• Radical Relational Perspectives in Transactional Analysis Psychotherapy – Karen Minikin
  

• Working Within Diversity: A Reflective Guide to Anti-Oppressive Practice in Counselling and Therapy – Myra Khan
  

• The TA Podcast (Series 10, Episode 1)
  

• MIP TV YouTube: Introduction to Script Theory

Real conversations. Real culture. Real therapy.

Hosted by Robyn Klein, Wendy Thomas, Mike Brown and Craig Maisiri.

Follow us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and YouTube, and connect with us on Facebook and Instagram.

If today's conversation resonated with you, we'd love to hear your reflections at [email protected]

Credits 

Music sourced from: Freemusicarchive.org 

• “The Road” by Ketsa Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) 

• “Feelings” by 1000 Handz Beatz under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) 

Intro and Outro Voice: - Robert, Birmingham 

Post-production, editing and transcription: – Candice Nolan, Johannesburg

TA Therapy Ain't Just White – Episode: Minding the Gap with Raj Rai

What happens when you enter a profession and rarely see yourself reflected within it?

In this episode of TA Therapy Ain't Just White, Wendy and Robyn are joined by guest psychotherapist Raj, a British Indian integrative relational psychotherapist, for an honest and thought-provoking conversation about culture, identity, representation and belonging within psychotherapy training and practice.

Together they explore what it means to be a racialised therapist in predominantly white therapeutic spaces, the challenges of navigating cultural invisibility, and the importance of finding community when your experiences are not reflected in the curriculum. Raj shares his journey into psychotherapy, his experiences as a British South Asian male therapist, and the ways he learned to bring his whole self into training spaces that often struggled to engage meaningfully with culture, race and difference.

The conversation moves through themes of intersectionality, representation, whiteness as culture, cultural and racial identity, and the impact these have on both therapists and clients. Raj also reflects on the value of Transactional Analysis concepts, the accessibility of TA theory, and how ideas such as scripts, ego states and injunctions continue to influence his work as an integrative relational psychotherapist.

This episode is a powerful reflection on what it means to mind the gap between theory and lived experience, between inclusion and belonging, and between the cultures we inherit and the professionals we are becoming.

Whether you are a trainee therapist, qualified practitioner, or simply curious about the intersection of culture and psychotherapy, this episode offers an honest conversation about visibility, identity, community and the courage to bring your whole self into the room.

Credits

Music sourced from: Freemusicarchive.org

"The Road" by KetsaLicensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0)

"Feelings" by 1000 Handz BeatzLicensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0)

Intro and Outro Voice: Robert, Birmingham

Post-production, editing and transcription: Candice Nolan, Johannesburg

Part 2 Show Blurb

Following on from Part 1, the hosts of TA Therapy Ain’t Just White continue the conversation by exploring another side of psychotherapy training that often stays beneath the surface — the cost of becoming.

In this second part, Mike, Wendy and Craig move beyond first-year reflections and unpack the hidden realities of Transactional Analysis training: the emotional cost, the financial pressures, the impact on relationships, time, identity and the people around you. Together they explore what happens when therapy training begins to shape not only the therapist you are becoming, but the person you are outside the training room too.

From navigating marriages, friendships and family dynamics, to balancing supervision, placements, work, finances and personal therapy, the conversation explores the sacrifices, tensions and unexpected moments of growth that come with committing to this journey. The team also speak candidly about accessibility within psychotherapy training, representation within TA spaces, and the barriers many people from marginalised communities can face when considering whether this path is even possible.

With honesty, humour and lived experience, the discussion opens up bigger questions: Who gets to become a therapist? Who sees themselves reflected in training spaces? And what changes when people begin showing up authentically and taking up space?

The conversation also begins looking ahead. As TA Therapy Ain’t Just White moves into future episodes and into reflections on Year Two training, the podcast will be opening its doors to guests from different backgrounds and experiences. Together, the team will explore deeper conversations around placement work, supervision, culture, clinical practice, identity, growth and the realities of becoming a therapist while navigating life at the same time.

Whether you're thinking about starting psychotherapy training, are already somewhere on the journey, or are simply curious about therapy through a more inclusive and honest lens, this episode offers reassurance that growth is rarely neat, change often comes with challenge, and none of us were meant to do it alone.

A real conversation about cost, change, identity and becoming.

Credits
Music sourced from: Freemusicarchive.org
“The Road” by Ketsa — Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0)
“Feelings” by 1000 Handz Beatz — Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0)

Intro and Outro Voice: Robert, Birmingham
Post-production, editing and transcription: Candice Nolan, Johannesburg

Episode 6: SURVIVING YEAR 1: GROWTH, DOUBT AND BREEAKTHROUGH

In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, the hosts of TA Therapy Ain’t Just White reflect honestly on the highs and lows of their first year of Transactional Analysis training — the parts no one fully prepares you for.

From personal therapy and group process to placement experiences, identity shifts, vulnerability, and self-discovery, this episode explores what it means to keep showing up when the training starts working on you as much as the theory itself. The team share moments of doubt, growth, connection, and challenge, alongside the unexpected ways TA language begins to make sense of real-life experience and the work they were already doing before training.

They also speak openly about race, belonging, safety in training spaces, and what it can feel like to find — or sometimes question — your place within the therapeutic community while learning to become a therapist.

Whether you’re thinking about starting therapy training, already in your first year, or somewhere further along the journey and recognising parts of your own experience in this conversation, this episode offers reassurance that the discomfort, questions, and breakthroughs are all part of becoming.

If you're curious about Transactional Analysis and want to explore training or resources further, you can learn more through organisations such as the UK Association for Transactional Analysis, the European Association for Transactional Analysis, the International Transactional Analysis Association, and the UK Council for Psychotherapy.

A real conversation about growth, uncertainty, identity, and becoming.

Credits 

Music sourced from: Freemusicarchive.org 

• “The Road” by Ketsa Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) 

• “Feelings” by 1000 Handz Beatz under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) 

Intro and Outro Voice: - Robert, Birmingham 

Post-production, editing and transcription: – Candice Nolan, Johannesburg

Episode 5: A Story of Identity, Resilience & Reinvention

What happens when your whole identity is built on performance… and then, in a moment, everything changes?

In this episode, we sit down with Jordan — a qualified psychotherapist with a story that stops you in your tracks.

From a childhood filled with sport to competing at an elite level, Jordan’s life was built on speed, discipline, and pushing limits. Selected for a world-class Olympic programme, she was on track for the Winter Games — racing headfirst down ice tracks at extreme speeds, chasing excellence at the highest level.

And then, without warning… everything changed.

At just 23, Jor'dan suffered a brain haemorrhage.

What follows is not just a story of recovery — but of identity being completely stripped back. From elite athlete to relearning how to walk, hold objects, and rebuild from the ground up… physically, emotionally, and mentally.

But this isn’t where the story ends.

It’s where something new begins.

In this powerful and honest conversation, we explore:

• The hidden impact of losing your identity overnight

• What resilience really looks like when everything falls apart

• How sport shapes mental strength — and how that carries into therapy

• The journey from survival… to purpose

• And how Jor'dan found her way into psychotherapy — not by accident, but through something deeper

We also step into her work as a therapist, exploring how integrative approaches, attachment, and early experiences shape the way we see ourselves — and how awareness creates choice.

This episode is raw, reflective, and deeply human.

Because sometimes the life you thought you were building…
is only the beginning of who you’re meant to become.

🎧 Listen now — and you might start to see your own story differently.

CreditsMusic sourced from: Freemusicarchive.org“The Road” by Ketsa — Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0)“Feelings” by 1000 Handz Beatz — Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0)

Intro and Outro Voice: Robert, Birmingham
Post-production, editing and transcription: Candice Nolan, Johannesburg

Culture & The Functional Ego State - Meet Your Inner Crew

What if the way you think, react, and relate… isn’t just you?

What if it’s shaped by generations before you — by culture, by survival, by voices you didn’t even realise you inherited?

In this episode, we explore the Functional Ego State in Transactional Analysis — not just what it is, but how it lives in you.

From the nurturing voice that comforts you…To the critical voice that holds you back…From the part of you that learned to adapt just to belong…To the version of you that still longs to be free.

But this isn’t just theory.

Through honest and reflective conversation, we unpack how culture shapes the way we show up — especially within the context of navigating the our cultural backgrounds to the culture we are in today, where unspoken rules, expectations, and hierarchy quietly influence how we think, behave, and express ourselves.

We explore the tension many people carry:Between “fit in, follow the rules, trust authority”…And the quieter pull toward individuality, expression, and thinking for yourself.

Along the way, we begin to notice:

• How cultural messages become internal voices

• How adaptation can protect us… but also silence us

• Why the “Free” part of you might not feel so free

• And how the Adult ego state helps you pause, reflect, and choose differently

And we sit with one powerful question:

💭 How much of your voice is truly yours… and how much has been inherited?

This episode isn’t just about understanding ego states —
It’s an invitation to notice them in real time.

👉 Who shows up when you’re under pressure?
👉 What part of you is leading your decisions?
👉 Are you responding from awareness… or from adaptation?

Stay grounded. Stay curious. Stay you.

Credit

Music sourced from: Freemusicarchive.org“The Road” by Ketsa (CC BY 4.0)“Feelings” by 1000 Handz Beatz (CC BY 4.0)

Intro and Outro Voice: Robert, Birmingham
Post-production, editing and transcription: Candice Nolan, Johannesburg

Resources:

• TA Today — Stewart & Joines

  
  

• https://counsellingtutor.com/counselling-approaches/transactional-analysis/what-are-ego-states/

  
  

• https://www.navgati.in/the-blue-beneath-the-red-how-my-anger-substituted-my-fear-and-sadness/

  
  

• https://youtu.be/oPJtRDul0do

TA Therapy Ain’t Just White – Episode 3The Three Philosophical Principles: Power to Think, Feel and Change

Welcome back to TA Therapy Ain’t Just White, the podcast where psychotherapy meets real conversation, cultural awareness, and the beautifully complex experience of being human.

In this episode, we explore the three philosophical principles that underpin Transactional Analysis (TA):

People are OK
Everyone has the capacity to think
People decide their own destiny — and those decisions can be changed

But rather than simply accepting these ideas as theory, we begin to ask a deeper question:

What happens when these principles meet the realities of culture, race, history and lived experience?

This isn’t a textbook breakdown of TA. This is TA theory meeting real life.

Together, Wendy, Mike and Robyn unpack these foundational ideas through the lens of identity, history and global context. The conversation moves through themes such as apartheid, the significance of Nelson Mandela becoming South Africa’s first Black president, the legacy of intelligence testing within education systems, Black Lives Matter, and the experience of growing up within cultures shaped by inequality and “othering”.

Robyn reflects on growing up under apartheid and how societal messaging can shape a person’s sense of worth and belonging. Mike explores intergenerational experiences of being “on alert” within Caribbean and Jewish heritage, asking how much anxiety is personal and how much may be culturally inherited. Wendy challenges the language of equality through the lens of systemic injustice and contemporary movements for social change.

As the conversation unfolds, the team also reflects on a world where more than fifty active conflicts continue to dehumanise entire communities. This raises an important question: are the philosophical principles of TA universal truths, or hopeful ideals that must evolve to remain meaningful across cultures?

The discussion also moves beyond individualism and explores ideas of interconnectedness. Concepts such as homonomy — the movement from autonomy into relationship — and Ubuntu, the belief that “I am because we are,” invite a more collective and relational understanding of what it means to be human.

Although Craig is unable to join this episode as he recovers, his voice and perspective remain present in the ongoing dialogue as the team continues to wrestle with a central question:

How do we hold onto the belief that “people are OK” in a world shaped by trauma, inequality and systemic harm?

This episode goes beyond theory. It is a conversation about dignity, culture, identity and the possibility of change — not only within individuals, but within the systems that shape our lives.

TA Therapy Ain’t Just White is a podcast created by four Transactional Analysis trainees from marginalised backgrounds, widening the lens of psychotherapy and making space for voices not always centred in therapy spaces.

If something in this episode made you pause, reflect or feel seen, please share the conversation.

Stay grounded.Stay curious.Stay you.

🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music
📩 Contact: [email protected]

TA Resources:

ITAA – https://www.itaaworld.org
UKATA – https://www.uktransactionalanalysis.co.uk
EATA – https://www.eatanews.org

Music:
“The Road” – Ketsa
“Feelings” – 1000 Handz Beatz
Source: Freemusicarchive.org

Intro & Outro Voice: Robert, Birmingham
Post-production & transcription: Candice, Johannesburg

#TATherapyAintJustWhite #TATAJW#TransactionalAnalysis #PsychotherapyPodcast#TherapyTrainees #CulturalAwareness#DiversityInTherapy #IAmBecauseWeAre