TA101: Transactional Analysis from a Neurodivergent Perspective
An introduction to Transactional Analysis through a neurodivergent lens
Transactional Analysis gives us a practical way of thinking about personality, communication, relationships and the patterns we develop over time. But what happens when some of those patterns are viewed through a neurodivergent perspective?
Online. November 2026 over 3 dates:
7, 14 and 21 November. 1pm - 5.30pm UK time (GMT)
Course Information
Course content
This online TA101 covers the core concepts of Transactional Analysis while also asking what changes when we take account of differences in sensory processing, executive function, communication, attention, regulation and the experience of living in environments that may not always fit the person.
Rather than assuming that behaviour tells us something straightforward about personality or motivation, we will be curious about context too.
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Is someone withdrawing from a relationship – or recovering from sensory overload?
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Is a crossed transaction evidence of conflict – or two people processing communication differently?
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Is a familiar pattern driven by script – or has someone spent years developing strategies to manage expectations that were never designed around the way their brain works?
The course offers an introduction to TA that holds onto the usefulness of its theories while applying them thoughtfully to neurodivergent experience.
Online over 3 sessions during November 2026
What is the TA101?
The TA101 is the internationally recognised introductory course in Transactional Analysis.
Transactional Analysis, usually known as TA, is a psychological framework developed by Eric Berne for understanding how people develop, communicate, relate and make sense of themselves and others.
The TA101 introduces its major concepts in an accessible and practical way. You don't need any previous knowledge of TA, counselling or psychotherapy to attend. Some people come because they are interested in their own development. Others use the TA101 as professional CPD, while for some it is the first step towards further training in Transactional Analysis.
This course follows the recognised TA101 syllabus, while bringing a neurodivergent perspective into the way we explore and question the theory.
Looking at familiar TA concepts differently
TA gives us some remarkably useful maps for understanding human behaviour. But, like any psychological theory, how we apply those maps matters.
Neurodivergent people have often had their behaviour interpreted through ideas about motivation, character or personality when sensory load, processing differences, executive function or nervous system regulation may also have been involved.
During this TA101 we will explore the established TA concepts and consider what else we might need to notice.
Ego states
TA's Parent, Adult and Child model gives us a way of understanding different aspects of personality and behaviour.
Alongside the traditional theory, though, we might ask:
What looks like regression, and what might actually be overload?
What happens to Adult functioning when someone is dealing with sensory strain, fatigue, emotional flooding or working-memory overload?
And what happens to someone's internal Parent when much of their early experience involved being corrected, rushed or told that the way they naturally functioned was wrong?
Transactions
Transactions help us understand what happens when people communicate with one another. But communication differences can complicate the picture. Sometimes two people are simply communicating or processing information differently.
Strokes and recognition
TA describes our need for recognition through the concept of strokes.
We'll think about what makes recognition believable, how masking and shame can affect our experience of strokes, and why the quality and timing of recognition matter.
Structuring time
TA describes different ways we structure our contact with other people, including withdrawal, rituals, activity and intimacy.
A neurodivergent perspective invites us to become curious about what those different forms of contact are doing for the person.
Withdrawal, for example, may be restorative rather than avoidant. Ritual and routine may provide essential regulation. Someone may deeply want intimacy while also finding prolonged social interaction exhausting.
The question becomes not simply how does this person structure their time? but also what helps them feel safe, regulated and able to function?
Life positions and OKness
One of the underlying principles of TA is the idea of I'm OK – You're OK.
We'll think about what genuine OKness means when neurological difference is part of the picture – and about the difference between supporting someone to flourish and asking them to become better at appearing neurotypical.
A different way of looking at the theory
Transactional Analysis gives us language for understanding some remarkably complicated human experiences.
This TA101 isn't about replacing those ideas. It is about becoming more thoughtful about how we use them.
By bringing neurodivergent experience into the conversation, we can ask whether a theory describes what is actually happening for someone - rather than simply fitting their behaviour into the nearest available explanation.
And that makes for a richer introduction to TA, whether you are meeting the theory for the first time or looking at it again with different eyes.
Life script
TA describes life script as the beliefs and expectations about ourselves, other people and the world that develop through our early experience.
For neurodivergent people, those experiences may include not only family relationships but repeated encounters with schools, workplaces, peer groups and wider systems that do not fit the way they function.
Beliefs such as:
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I always get it wrong.
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I am too much.
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I can't trust myself.
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My needs are a problem.
may make much more sense when we understand the experiences from which they developed.
We'll consider how we distinguish script beliefs from neurological realities, while recognising that neurodivergence and relational or developmental trauma may also sit alongside one another.
Drivers, injunctions and permissions
Many people find TA ideas such as Be Perfect, Please Others, Try Hard, Hurry Up and Be Strong immediately recognisable.This course will explore how those patterns might also function as adaptations to neurodivergent experience.
What looks like Be Perfect may have developed after repeated experiences of making mistakes and being criticised for them.
Please Others may become part of masking and social survival. Be Strong may grow from years of coping with overwhelm that nobody else could see.
And alongside familiar TA permissions, we can begin to think about the importance of messages such as:
You can need support.
You can work differently.
You can pause.
You can protect your energy.
You can communicate directly.
Games and recurring relational patterns
TA's theory of psychological games helps us recognise repetitive interpersonal patterns. It is also an area where we need to remain curious.
Before deciding what psychological game might be taking place, it can be useful to ask another question:
What else might be happening here?
Feelings, regulation and autonomy
TA encourages us to think about familiar emotional patterns and about autonomy - traditionally described through awareness, spontaneity and intimacy.
A neurodivergent perspective adds further questions.
Is a recurring emotional experience a substitute feeling, or is it a genuine nervous-system response to overload, unpredictability or exclusion?
Does spontaneity always equal freedom, or might predictability and preparation enable some people to function more autonomously?
And what might autonomy look like if it includes understanding your own sensory needs, energy, limits, rhythms and way of processing the world?
Perhaps autonomy is less about becoming more "normal" and more about becoming more aware of yourself, trusting what you notice and finding ways of living that work for you.
Who is this TA101 for?
The course is open to anyone interested in Transactional Analysis and neurodivergence.
It may be particularly relevant for:
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counsellors and psychotherapists
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counselling and psychotherapy trainees
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coaches and supervisors
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people working in education, health, social care or organisations
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people who already use TA and are interested in revisiting familiar theory from a neurodivergent perspective
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neurodivergent people interested in psychological models and personal development
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anyone considering further training in Transactional Analysis
You do not need a diagnosis, professional background or previous knowledge of Transactional Analysis to take part.
What will I learn?
By the end of the course you will have been introduced to the core theory included within the TA101. Throughout the course we will consider how these theories can be applied from a neurodivergent perspective.
You will have opportunities to reflect on the theory, discuss ideas with others and begin applying the models to everyday life, relationships and professional practice.
Learning online
This TA101 takes place online across three sessions during November 2026; on 7 November, 14 November and 21 November at the same time on each of the 3 dates (12 hours in total). Please check on the time for your location relative to London time. For example, the workshop times will be:
1pm - 5.30pm UK time (Greenwich Mean Time)
8am - 12.30pm EDT (Eastern Daylight Time)
2pm - 6.30pm CET (Central European Time)
There will be regular breaks, discussion, reflective exercises and opportunities to work with the ideas in smaller groups, creating space to process the material rather than simply taking in information.
The link to access the sessions will be emailed out to ticket holders before the first session.
Entry requirements
There are no entry requirements.
The TA101 was designed as an introduction to Transactional Analysis and you do not need an academic or therapeutic background to understand the theory.
If you already work as a counsellor, psychotherapist, coach or other practitioner, the course can also provide a new framework through which to think about your existing work.
What do I receive?
On successful completion of the required TA101 teaching hours you will receive the internationally recognised TA101 Certificate.
The TA101 is also the recognised introductory requirement for anyone who later decides to undertake formal professional training in Transactional Analysis. You don't need to have plans for further training, however. Many people attend simply because they want to understand TA and find the ideas useful in their existing work or personal life.
About the trainer
Nea Clark PTSTA(P)
Nea Clark is a PTSTA (Provisional Teaching and Supervising Transactional Analyst) in the field of psychotherapy. She has an MSc in TA psychotherapy.
Nea is the founder of ADHD Universe and offers ADHD coaching for founders and professionals. She is based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, and is also a psychotherapist and supervisor in private practice. Nea leads supervision and therapy groups and presents on a range of topics.
"Wonderful session, useful for both my business and future personal relationships. Thank you." RB
“I would highly recommend this course, in terms of both personal and professional development. One of the most beneficial courses I have attended.” LE