European Association for Transactional Analysis
EATA Training and Examinations Handbook

Section 5 – Ethical Code, Professional Practice Guidelines and Ethics Committee

Contents

5.1 Deontological Guidelines

These deontological guidelines have been drawn up on the basis of the EATA’s and ITAA’s codes of ethics and other relevant declarations and they inform members of affiliated associations about the ethical criteria expected of them when practicing their profession.

These guidelines also inform the public about the ethical behaviour that is expected of EATA members. The complete EATA code of ethics is available on the EATA website https://eatanews.org/eata-ethics/

Membership or the member’s training contract can be suspended by the affiliated association if his/her/their behaviour does not correspond to the basic principles laid down in the guidelines and/or if he/she/they are not willing to change this behaviour after confrontation by colleagues or the affiliated association.

An EATA member is also a member of an EATA-affiliated organization. Primarily all EATA members have agreed to an ethical code and professional practices framework of their affiliated organization. All affiliated organizations are required to have such codes and practices that must be in line with EATA’s codes and practices. In addition, all affiliated organizations are required to have a complaints procedure to manage possible infringements of either ethical codes or professional practice guidelines. Each country has its own national guidelines on matters such as the use of titles (for example, psychotherapist or counsellor and each affiliated organization will be bound by its own country’s formal requirements and will make this known to any candidate.

EATA Deontological Guidelines

1. An EATA member acknowledges the dignity of all human beings. Members of EATA are expected to conduct themselves in such a way that they neither promote nor passively agree with any form of discrimination or oppressive behaviour.

2. EATA members shall in their public statements, refrain from derogatory statements or innuendoes that disparage the standing, qualifications, or character of other members, bearing in mind their responsibility as representatives of EATA and transactional analysis. On the other hand, direct objective criticism is welcome.

3. It is the primary protective responsibility of EATA members to provide their best possible services to the client and to act in such a way as to cause no harm intentionally or by negligence.

4. EATA members should strive to develop in their clients an awareness of and functioning from a position of dignity, autonomy, and personal responsibility.

5. The ethical practice of transactional analysis involves entering an informed contractual relationship with the client, which the client, as well as the EATA member should have the competence and intent to fulfil. When a client is unable or unwilling to act responsibly within this contractual relationship, the EATA member must resolve this relationship in such a way as to bring no harm to the client.

6. An EATA member will not exploit professional relationships in any matter, including, but not limited to, financial and sexual matters. Sexual relationships between EATA members and their clients, supervisees or trainees are prohibited.

7. EATA members will not enter or maintain a professional contract where other activities or relationships between EATA members and clients might jeopardize the professional contract.

8. The professional relationship between an EATA member and the client is defined by the contract. This professional relationship ends with the termination of the contract.

However, certain professional responsibilities continue beyond the termination of the contract. They include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Maintenance of agreed-upon confidentiality.
  • Avoidance of any exploitation of the former relationship
  • Provision for any needed follow-up care.

9. EATA members will operate and conduct services to clients and/or trainees with full responsibility to, and knowledge of, existing laws of the state and/or country in which they work.

10. In establishing a professional relationship, EATA members assume responsibility for providing a suitable environment for the client, including such things as specifying the nature of confidentiality observed, providing for physical safety appropriate to the form of activity involved and obtaining informed consent for possible high-risk procedures.

11. If EATA members become aware of the fact that personal conflicts or medical problems might interfere with their ability to carry out a contractual relationship, they must either terminate the contract in a professionally responsible manner or ensure that the client has the full information needed to decide about remaining in the contractual relationship.

12. EATA members accept responsibility to confront a colleague whom they have reasonable cause to believe is acting in an unethical manner, and, failing resolution, to report that colleague to the appropriate professional body.

13. EATA members who apply transactional analysis in their professions will demonstrate a commitment to keep up to date in their fields of application through activities such as conferences and seminars, professional writing and reading, as well as to be constantly informed about the TA associations’ interests.

5.2 Professional Practice Guidelines

The following guidelines have been approved by EATA and ITAA.

5.2.1 Titles

1. Certified Transactional Analysts can bear the following titles:

  • Certified Transactional Analyst (Counselling)
  • Certified Transactional Analyst (Educational)
  • Certified Transactional Analyst (Organizational)
  • Certified Transactional Analyst (Psychotherapy)

2. Certified transactional analysts who are qualified to instruct and/or supervise in TA, or are in training for such qualification, may hold the following titles respectively:

  • Teaching and/or Supervising Transactional Analyst (TSTA)
  • CTA Trainer and Supervisor of Practitioners (CTA TS)
  • Provisional Teaching and/or Supervising Transactional Analyst (PTSTA)
  • Provisional CTA Trainer and Supervisor of Practitioners (PCTA TS)

The field of application will also be specified.

5.2.2 Basic principles of advertising

1. Those who are in advanced training can use the following terms: “In TA training as a transactional analyst”) (Counselling / Educational / Organizational / Psychotherapy. These terms may also be used on printed material. Other terms may not be used.

2. The words “Transactional Analysis group”, “Transactional Analysis Treatment / Counselling / Psychotherapy” and other words of similar meaning shall not be used unless the provider of services is a Certified Transactional Analyst.

3. Membership status and levels of certification on printed material (brochures, etc.) are to be written out rather than abbreviated with initials which are hardly understandable to people who are not familiar with membership categories. Examples of recommended usage are: “Trainee Member (of the respective national organization)” or “Certified Transactional Analyst” or “Provisional Teaching and Supervising Transactional Analyst”.

4. The terms “Transactional Analyst (Counselling / Educational / Organizational/ Psychotherapy)” “Teaching and/or Supervising Transactional Analyst “Provisional Teaching and/or Supervising Transactional Analyst”, “CTA Trainer and Supervisor” and (Counselling / Education / Organizations/ Psychotherapy)” may only be used by members who have qualified and thus have acquired the corresponding status.

5. Only Certified Teaching and/or Supervising Transactional Analysts, Provisional Teaching and/or Supervising Transactional Analysts, CTA Trainers and Supervisors of Practitioners can offer TA training leading up to recognition as a Transactional Analyst within the national organization, EATA or ITAA.

6. Statements implying endorsement or approval by a particular trainer shall not be made; the use of a trainer’s name to enhance one’s status is not considered professional behaviour.

7. Association with someone in another membership category may not be used (e.g. on printed material) to imply one’s own certification in that category. To ensure adherence to the guidelines, trainees having a contract must check their advertising with their principal supervisors.

8. Members shall not produce advertisements that make claims such as “TA will change your life” as this is an exaggerated promise.

9. The associations (EATA, ITAA, national organizations) endorse individuals, not products. Therefore, announcements regarding products (e.g. books, tapes, T‑ shirts, etc.) should be kept separate from announcements concerning teaching and training and statements about one’s membership status.

10. The words, “transactional analysis”, may not be used in a way that suggests that one of the associations has granted an individual or organization a special privilege or exclusive application of transactional analysis.

5.2.3 Trademark policy and guidelines for use of the TA logo

5.2.3.1 The TA logo – the three stacked circles – is the trademark of the Inter affiliated Transactional Analysis Association. The logo indicates certified membership of the ITAA, EATA, or other organization within the inter affiliated framework of mutual recognition. Only certified members may use the logo on stationery, business cards, brochures, etc.

5.2.3.2 All three circles are to be of the same diameter and vertically stacked.

5.2.3.3 When the circles include print, they shall contain only the capital letters P, A, C (reading from top to bottom) or the words Parent, Adult, Child (reading from top to bottom). It is allowed to translate these letters and words in national languages.

5.2.3.4 No other words starting with P, A, C shall be shown as extending from the circles.

5.2.3.5 The TA logo may not be combined with other symbols that have a religious, political, philosophical or other meaning.

5.2.4 Recommendations on Professional Etiquette

5.2.4.1 Trainers are not to accept training contracts with trainees who are under contract with another trainer without going through a proper process of negotiation and contract transfer.

5.2.4.2 Members are not to solicit trainees or clients from other members.

5.2.4.3 Members are to maintain clear, above-board contracts with their clients and fellow members.

5.2.4.4 Titles should be in the form specified in the EATA Professional Practices Guidelines. This refers to all advertisements or letterheads, or other advertising used by a TSTA, CTA TS, PTSTA, PCTA TS or CTA. Other titles should not be used; any combination of titles should not be used. If a principal supervisor has a training candidate in a category other than the one in which they have been certified, this should be mentioned separately, and any exception which was granted by ITAA or EATA should be mentioned separately from their official title.

5.3 The EATA Ethics Advisor Role

EATA has an ethical advisor, his/her/their role is to offer advice and assistance on ethical issues to all EATA members. This may include assistance to affiliated organizations in the implementation of their own complaints procedures. In addition, the ethical advisor will take a developmental and educational role towards affiliated organizations in their development of good enough ethical and professional practices matters. He/she/they can be contacted by email, see https://eatanews.org/ethics-advisor/ for details.

All ethical and professional practice matters are managed directly by the affiliated organizations that the EATA member belongs to. EATA is the umbrella organization of the affiliated organizations, and individuals are members through their affiliated organizations. EATA affiliated organizations have their own ethics committees, codes and procedures. Affiliated organizations have the responsibility for resolving their own breaches of ethics and professional practice.

EATA’s own complaints and professional practices procedures relate directly to members where the complaint directly relates to an EATA function that is the focus of attention. All ethical matters directly concerning EATA or affiliated organizations will defer to the finding of the civil court and – if necessary – formulate sanctions (like dispense, exclusion e.g.)

Copies of the EATA protocols for managing complaints and professional practice issues can be found on the EATA website.

5.4 Procedures for Managing Ethical and Professional Practices Complaints

All affiliated organizations will have their own procedures for managing complaints. These will involve advice, mediation, arbitration, and hearing boards. EATA members in training need to be aware of their own affiliated organization’s procedures.

If an EATA member considers that an affiliated organization’s procedures, when investigating and acting on a complaint, are considered unfit for practice and/or that that organization failed to follow its own procedures, then an EATA member can request an Ethical Review Panel (ERP) to investigate this. An ERP has the authority to require affiliated organizations to redo a complaint procedure and/or to develop good enough procedures.

The EATA protocols for complaints provide information on how an EATA member may request a ERP and may be accessed through the EATA website https://eatanews.org/eata-ethics/#erp.