Transactional Analysis (TA) psychotherapy is an intervention that is built to “do no harm.” Much literature has been devoted to programs that target a damaged Child ego state; this is TA psychology. In TA notation, the Child, Adult, and Parent are capitalized to distinguish the meaning of the ego-state from actual people. TA will often focus on the damaged Child[46] ego state, which is alive, living below our conscious awareness. The Child ego state needs positive messages to overcome and mature from any developmental delay from the past. People become delayed when developmental obstacles are not overcome. Not coming to terms with normal human sexuality is a developmental delay. This is often a trauma-induced delay, but lack of development can be a result of a disability as well. Understanding what good mental health looks like in a family is key.

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For starters, in the diagram of ego-states in the PAC model, Parent (P), Adult (A), and Child (C) are parts of each individual’s personality. People can use this TA model to monitor their own behavior and change their ego-states accordingly. The Adult is advised by the Parent ego-state of rules. The child ego-state is the emotional part of the mind advising the self how they feel about things below the surface. Transactional Analysis (TA) is psychotherapy for the layman. There is no fee to learn this, and you can do it when you are ready. The intention is always to use 5-year-old language so that parents, grandparents, and children can use the language of development together. When words make sense, it’s helpful.