Transactional analysis in the education of art therapists: “The Book of My Life”
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Abstract
The study explored the integration of Transactional Analysis (TA) and art therapy in postgraduate studies of art therapy. Participants were 52 students who completed the Ego State Questionnaire (Egogram) before and after a five-hour workshop entitled „The Book of My Life.” During the workshop, students created art books representing the Parent, Adult and Child ego states and wrote short reflections. Quantitative analyses showed a significant increase in the Creative Child scale (p < .001, SMD = 0.264) and a trend toward growth in the Spontaneous Child scale (p = .065). Other scales remained stable. Qualitative analysis indicated that self-awareness was the most frequently reported theme. Reflections on childhood were significantly associated with negative emotions (Fisher p = .04, OR = 5.44), while ambivalence was less common when self-awareness was explicitly mentioned (trend p = .08). These findings suggest that combining TA with art therapy promotes personal reflection, activates creativity and spontaneity, and strengthens readiness for professional practice. Limitations include a convenience sample and the absence of long-term follow-up.
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Due to the confidential nature of participants’ reflections, the data are not publicly available.
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