2) Being aware of what contributes to successful communication. The ego states of the agent and the respondent need to “match” e.g. if the communication is from a Parent to Child, the response needs to be Child to Parent. A crossed interaction e.g. Parent to Parent will lead to a highly unstable interaction which will not be beneficial for effective communication.

3) It is important to be self-aware of your trigger points as well as of your own ego state especially in situations that might evoke heightened emotions. This is important so that we can maintain in the Adult state and not switch to the Parent or Child state which might cause ineffective communication.

- Learnt feelings or behaviours often replace the authentic feeling in order to achieve certain results but not effective in problem-solving.

- Sometimes what is observed may be a racket feeling that is scripted, so we should not engage or blindly push forward our agenda.

1. For effective communication, ego states of the agent and respondent must match.

2. The main goal of TA is to strengthen the adult state. 

3. Personally, I realised the importance of being aware of my own ego state in order to respond appropriately and in the most effective way to my students or even stakeholders.

Putting all these together, I realised that with teachers or other personnel in school, when we are challenged or questioned, we may sometimes feel offended and being aware would mean realising that these are thoughts coming from the child state of feeling small. Hence, I would need to remember my goal to work for the student’s interest and think about how I can move to the adult state.

As a SEN Officer, Transactional Analysis can help me with my interactions with students, colleagues, and parents by improving communication. Using the ego states, I can alter my approach by using the nurturing Parent to support students and the Adult to solve problems logically. This too can help me identify and address negative interactions or communication that may hinder collaboration, allowing me to build trust and create a more inclusive and supportive environment.

1. Parent: Values/Behaviours and Attitude learned from authority figures. Formed by external events.

2. Adult: Grounded, logical, problem solving.

3. Child: Internal feelings to external events.

Key Takeaway of Transactional Analysis

1. Understanding that there is 3 ego states allows me to recognise the different dynamics that may possibly occur between conversation.

2. Learn to promote adult-adult communication. For example in school context, it is important as an educator to approach the parents with facts, evidence and observation and allow objective and logical decisions to be possibly made. Learn to be conscious about parent-child communication to avoid it. (Preventing Crossed Transactions)

3. To be very aware of my own Life Scripts. As Life scripts are beliefs that are formed sinced young, I have to be aware of them in order to not impose my belief system onto the other party and to remember to withhold judgement.

1. To understand and adapt communication styles

Everyone communicates from different mindsets or roles, like being a parent, child, or logical adult. As a SEN officer, I need to:

• Stay calm, empathetic, and logical (Adult mindset) when guiding teachers, parents, or students.

• Recognize when someone is acting emotionally (Child) or being overly strict (Critical Parent) and adjust my approach accordingly to keep the conversation positive and productive.

2. Celebrate successes (big or small)

Based on TA, people thrive on recognition and validation (positive strokes). Whether it is a student achieving a small milestone, a teacher trying a new strategy, or a parent making an effort, I should give positive feedback. This builds motivation and reinforces good behaviours.

3. Break unhelpful patterns

Sometimes people get stuck in unproductive cycles (life scripts), like blaming self/others, guilt, or avoiding problems (Child or Parent). My role as a SEN officer (Adult) is to notice these patterns and help shift the focus to solutions. This creates a healthier, forward-thinking environment.

Transactional Analysis (TA) is a great tool to promote self-awareness, improve communication, develop and maintain healthy relationships.

Everyone has 3 ego states (parent, adult, child) that are activated all the time.

TA is about recognising the ego states that are present in our conversations, allowing us to become more aware of our thoughts, emotions, and actions leading to improved transactions with others.

Communication breakdowns often happen because we are communicating from different 'ego states' or crossed transaction.

Thus, TA therapy's goal is to strengthen the adult state that is to think, feel, and behave in response to the present.

This exchange /can be complementary (i.e where communications flows smoothly ) or crossed (e.g both parties may try to outtalk each other) depending on the person’s ego state. For communication to be deem as effective the ego state between the two parties must be complementary. 

2)The key concepts of transactional analysis states that everyone has 3 different ego states.

-Parents : one’s behavioural can be taught and affected by prior positive or negative experience from an authoritative figure . The behaviour that has been taught can affect one’s behaviour either being controlling or nurturing to the same situation.

-Adult  one behaviour can be determine by their ability to think and determine action for ourselves based on their logical thought process of the situation

-Child : one’s behaviour can be instantaneous and can be affected based on feelings. 

3) TA is an effective tool to improve on communication so that it helps to develop self-awareness and foster healthy relationships with others where each and everyone is being heard and supported.

The interrelationship of the parent and child state and the adult state that can balance it out is a useful knowledge to have for me to be aware of the behaviour of students and parents as a SENO. Also another interesting thing is the racket system, it seems to have a strong co-relation with the parent state.

On a personal level, I can actually use this model to keep myself in check as well and stay at the adult state as much as possible.

The key takeaway is when we focus on self-awareness, we are able to respond systematically instead of reacting on impulse and get things done wrongly which might cause more trouble.

This is especially important when communicating with parents and getting the correct information across to them.

1. Parent: This parent ego state is like an internalized voice of authority and can be nurturing or critical. Examples include giving advice, being judgmental, or offering protection.

2. Adult: The Adult ego state helps individuals respond to situations based on what is happening in the present moment, rather than being influenced by past experiences, basically from a logical perspective

3. Child (C): The Child ego state reflects the feelings, impulses, and behaviors of younger children who are playful, fun-loving.

Therefore as an educator, It's important to know which ego state we are in for any situations and then analyze to see which ego states our students are in as well. This can help to prevent any conflicts or argument if we know how to shift the ego states whenever necessary. Most importantly we must NOT use any background information or judgement of a person we are communicating with to unknowingly shift our ego states, but instead approach the situation with an open-mind to allow good interactions.

1. We all have different ways of thinking and behaving that is influenced by our past. These different ways of being are often called "ego states."

   
   

2. How we communicate with others depends on which of these "ego states" we are using at that moment.

   
   

3. By understanding this, we can communicate more effectively with all stakeholders by aligning our communication with their expected responses and minimizing the likelihood of conflicts arising from miscommunication with the complimentary states.

   
   

Transactional Analysis focus on understanding and improving human relationships by analysing communications between individuals and that our personalities are shaped by 3 distinct "ego states", namely Parent, Adult and Child.

1. The Ego States (Parent, Adult and Child) - All of us have these three distinct ego states that shaped our behavior and interactions with others. In understanding these three ego states, it will help us to recognise how to respond to others during "transactions" and help to improve self awareness and communication.

2. A healthy communication or "transaction" occurs when people communicate from Complimentary ego states (eg. Adult to Adult, Parent to Parent). Miscommunication or conflicts usually arise from Crossed transactions (eg. Adult to Child, Child to Adult) whereby the transactions are often mismatch and causing frictions.

3. People more often than not engage in psychological games whereby the patterns of behavior unconsciously lead to negative outcomes. Individuals may follow their life scripts or racket feelings that was picked up during their childhood. Recognising these patterns, individuals can break free from these unhealthy cycles by working on rewriting their life scripts with a new process.

(1) This is a good theory for me to understand how my interactions with people around me can produce different reaction.

(2) It is not permanent and our reaction can be changed through therapy/ intentional awareness.

(3) I think it would be good to help students understand themselves better.

Overall, it is interesting concept and it has let me to reflect more on how I can improve myself in my response.

1. The ego state that we see in others during interactions may be more about them than just about the conversation or interaction that is happening at that moment. It is important to be empathetic and respectful when interacting with stakeholders.

2. There is a lot that we can learn from tone of voice and body language therefore we should have face to face conversations whether in person or online if possible to avoid misunderstanding or fail transactions.

3. With this model in mind, it would be useful to tell which ego state the other party is in during interactions and how to respond effectively. It would be useful to help de-escalate conflict or fail transactions.

Transactional Analysis states that people communicate from three states: Parent (acting like an authority figure, either caring or strict), Adult (thinking logically and based on facts), and Child (acting like they did in childhood, either playful or rebellious).

My key takeaway would be by recognizing communication patterns, we can avoid misunderstandings, reduce conflicts, and build healthier relationships in both personal and professional settings.

1. Everyone has 3 ego states. When we communicate and respond to others, we do so from one of these states. How we feel will determine which ego state we use. Hence, it is important for us to be aware of our own feelings when communicating with others.

2. In order for successful communication to happen, the ego states of the agent and the respondent must complement and not cross. This means that we need to be aware of our own ego state and the ego state of the respondent we are interacting with, to ensure that the ego states are complemented and not crossed, in order not to have a breakdown in communication.

3. 60% of our communication are communicated through facial expressions, gestures and body postures. Hence, it is important of us to be see and feel what the respondent may be communicating through these non-verbal behaviours, as words are only used partially to analyze a transaction.

Good communication happens when we match our ego state with the other person's. When we don't match, misunderstandings can occur.

Using Transactional Analysis can help us improve relationships, grow as individuals and solve problems better. By being more aware of our ego states, we can choose how to respond to situations.

Many students with needs struggle with emotional regulation and social interactions. Using TA, I can help students understand their emotional responses (Child state) and guide them in shifting to more logical, problem-solving Adult behavior when facing challenges. This helps build emotional intelligence and self-regulation skills.

2.      The three ego states—Parent, Adult, and Child—influence how people think, feel, and behave. Recognizing which ego states we are in while communicating is important.

3.      The goal of Transactional Analysis (TA) is to help individuals strengthen their Adult state, enabling them to engage in rational and effective interactions.

Whichever ego state we are in, it is important to remember that words are only part of the story. Only 10% of meaning comes from the words spoken, 30% from tone, and 60% from facial expressions, gestures, and postures.

2. This is especially important in my role as a SENO, to be present during conversations with the different stakeholders (e.g., student, teacher, parent) and the ego states which I should adopt, to ensure that the other party feels seen and heard.

3. In cases of crossed transaction, I would have to examine and reflect on which ego state I am currently activating, and how I am alter my own initiations/responses in order to engage in a constructive conversation with the other party. For example, “Are there any patterns? Is one ego state being constantly activated? When/why?”

The three parts to each transaction are (1) what we say; (2) the response we expect to 'receive'; and (3) the response we actually receive.

According to transactional analysis, all communication breakdowns occur because of a crossed transaction and the only way to get it back to a constructive place is for one, or both parties, to shift ego states.

Ego States: TA identifies three main states:

Parent: The learned behaviors and attitudes from authority figures.

Adult: Rational and fact-based responses to situations.

Child: Emotional reactions based on past experiences.

Improved Communication: By recognizing ego states, people can adjust their communication to foster healthier and more productive relationships.

Self-Awareness: TA helps individuals understand and address negative patterns, leading to personal growth and better decision-making.

TA identifies three ego states—Parent, Adult, and Child—which shape our behaviour. Understanding these states helps us communicate effectively and respond consciously, rather than react automatically.

2. Improving Communication through Transactions

Complementary transactions (aligned ego states) foster healthy communication, while crossed transactions (misaligned ego states) cause misunderstandings. Recognising and adjusting crossed transactions leads to more positive interactions.

3. Life Positions and Self-Awareness

The healthiest life position is "I’m OK, You’re OK", which supports mutual respect. Being aware of our life position helps challenge negative beliefs and encourages more balanced, self-aware behaviours.

TA encourage us to understand the state of ego that we are at to help improve our interaction and communication with other people. This is an important skill to have as a SENO when dealing with students, parents and co-workers.

This self-awareness will allow us to be more rational and grounded to assess the situation that we are in, make informed decisions during the interaction to defuse or avoid further escalations.

2.       Always maintain an adult-to-adult ego state when conversing with parents and other stalk holders.

3.       Be adaptive and not give up if first communication did not go as planned. At least, it lets you know the ego state of the child so that you can be adaptive for future sessions.

1.      Ego state is the different styles of thinking, feeling and behaviour. The 3 ego states are Parent, Child and Adult. We shift between 3 ego states all the time in response to thoughts, events and people.  As a SENO, we need to first analyse what ego state do we usually go into before analysing the ego state of the person whom we are communicating with to have a win win situation or productive interaction.

2.      Racket feelings are emotions that have already been learnt and encouraged since childhood which we retain and replay as we grow up. One example is express anger  to get attention of parents during childhood days. Some people tend to use or display such feelings or behaviour to achieve the desired outcome especially when things did not go his way.

3.      TA Therapy’s goal is often to strengthen the adult state as adults have wider awareness , sense of equality and fairness, choose the most context appropriate strategy and adopt objective appraisal for any given situation. Complementary interactions produce a stable dynamic which leads to effective communications.

On the other hand, crossed interactions are highly unstable. Hence, there need to be a shift in the ego state in one of the parties to form a new stable dynamic else the transaction will stop.

1. Transactional Analysis (TA) focuses on the concept that individuals operate from three ego states: Parent, Adult, and Child, and understanding these states helps us as SENOs to respond effectively to students' emotional and developmental needs.

2. Transactions are the interactions between individuals and can involve exchanges between different ego states. There are 3 main types of transactions: Complementary, Crossed, & Ulterior Transactions. By recognizing transactional patterns, we as educators can adjust communication to avoid misunderstandings and improve interactions.

3. Overall, by incorporating TA principles into our teaching, we can create a more supportive and understanding environment that helps our SEN students develop stronger communication skills and emotional resilience.

• It was interesting to learn about rackets in Transactional Analysis (TA) and how emotional responses that individuals use to justify their behaviour often stem from learned negative patterns in childhood. The goal is to recognise these rackets and break free from them to promote personal growth

• The three Ego States (Parent, Adult, Child) help shape effective communication by providing insight into the patterns of how people think, feel, and behave in different states. For example, if a child complains about a boring lesson, responding from the Adult ego state allows me to validate the child’s feelings, explain the task rationally, and redirect their focus to a positive future activity.

• All in all, I believe that TA is a good framework to use so as to foster growth, understanding and promote change in individuals as they navigate communication more effectively to foster meaningful interactions with others.

For example, when an angry parent complains that I am not "doing enough" for their child, I should recognize that they are likely to be in the controlling parent state. I should begin by responding from the child ego state "I'm sorry you feel that way" before gradually responding from the adult state. When responding as an adult, I should remain calm, use neutal language, and validate their concerns. I should say, "I see how much you care about your child. Let’s discuss what specific areas we could improve."

In contrast, if a parent appears disengaged and says "Nothing will work for my child", I should recognize they might be in the child's ego state and support them by providing a nurturing parent response. I should say something like "I understand this has been challenging, and it’s okay to feel frustrated. Let’s explore an intervention plan that might feel more manageable."

The presence of three ego states in everyone and how they influence our actions:

Parent- act based on how our authority figures acted

Adult- act based on a realistic approach

Child- act just like how we did as a child

We constantly shift our ego states based on our preconceived judgments and thoughts. Hence, people may act or respond differently to the same situations based on their different ego states.

Complementary Transactions that are stable allow smooth communications between two parties as the two ego states complement each other (Eg: Parent-Child)

Fostering complementary transactions allows healthy communication and interactions.

2.     Complementary transactions (e.g. P <-> C) are stable and can go on indefinitely, unlike Cross transactions (e.g. P <-> P) that are highly unstable. Transaction will stop or there will be a shift of ego state of one of the parties

3.     TA’s goal is to strength the Adult State as it is the most ideal state to be in as they see self and others as “equal”, they are responsible for themselves and feel comfortable saying “no” and use context-appropriate strategies

Was wondering:

How can Egan's structured approach be adapted for students or families who are resistent to reflection or goal setting?

Would these models work equally well for students with SEN who have communication or behavioural issues?

As Senos, we must observe our own ego states. Importantly, identify our students' ego states, behaviours and their triggers enable us to respond to them appropriately and implement effective interventions. We are empower to influence students, hence, be more self-aware of our ego-state. When students are in childlike ego state, it is essential to make them feel safe and heard through empathy when communicating with them.

In difficult and challenging conversations with stakeholders, reflect in action as to which ego state I am in (parent, adult or child) and redirect to Adult ego state through analyzing the current situation and moving towards problem solutions with others.