Highlights of USATAA Council Spring-Summer 07

by USATAA Communications | Sep 16, 2007 | Membership News | 0 comments

Report to Membership Distributed at Membership Meeting August 2007

Governance, Committees, and Initiatives

USATAA Council Highlights

Spring and Summer 2007

Background on Council Elections

Article V, Section 5 ”When a vacancy occurs on the Council, the Council members may select a designee to serve as a full Council member pending a vote of the general members in an election at the next business meeting.”

We agreed that when a person resigns before the end of their term, the replacement will fill out the remaining time in the term, so the rotation is maintained. Lucy provided a chart showing that the Pacific (Anna Long), and Rocky Mountain (Abe Wagner) terms go through 2007, the Midwest (Ken Taber) and Southwest (Chuck Holland) terms go through 2008, and the Northeast (Marian Weisberg) and Southwest (Vacant) terms go through 2009.

Voting Members of Council; Inclusion of Committee Chairs

Two Standing Rules were proposed and accepted as clarification of the Bylaws.

“The voting members of the Council consist of the five members-at-large, the Regional Representatives, and the Immediate Past General Coordinator.”

“The Council can invite persons who are performing designated functions on behalf of the organization, including, but not limited to, Committee Chairs, Heads of Task Forces, and the NET Editor, and can authorize the reimbursements of their expenses for attending Council meetings when so invited to attend.”

Structure of Education Committees and Education Project

Three separate committees under the Coordinator of Education: Vision and Strategy Committee, for which we will need to recruit a chair and members. CEU Committee, headed by Bobbie Barry, and one will be a TA Practitioner Committee, headed by Val Chang. The Education Project will be moved to under the Coordinator of Programs and is currently chaired by Denton Roberts, who plans to transition it to a new committee now that the model programs have been designed and are being run in Dallas and Boise.

Social Justice Committee

We agreed to form a Standing Committee for Social Action, and accept Ken’s offer to be the point person and explore options for actions. Some possibilities are:

1) how can USATAA take on Social Action in general

2) how can we explore our own internal process to conform to our values

3) how might we (eventually?) support/fund social action projects of members

Since then, we have settled on the name Social Justice Committee.

Membership Recruitment

Our goal is the further expansion of TA in the US. Based on a market analysis, we have decided to focus on people in the counseling field first. If we do a few things well first, we can then build on a resurgence. We can then think about how to provide CEU’s or credentials for people in Education, Coaching, and Organizational Development.

There are about 4-500 ITAA members in the US, and  about 125 USATAA members.Staying in touch, NET, Website, Blog

We agreed that the Council has an ongoing commitment to be transparent and welcome input from members.

The next NET will be the post-conference issue. Please write! Contact TA_neteditor@comcast.net.

After the conference, the current conference blog site can be used to update members on Council activities and regional events.

Education Project – Working with Local TA People

We discussed that the Education Project represents a paradigm shift in providing TA training in the US. Previously, individuals provided 101’s and advanced training independently. Training will now be available through the Project, and we also want to consider how individuals who provide training independently can do it in harmony with the modules, so that students can work toward our TA Practitioner status. Fanita has suggested another model, of a group of people in a local area (maybe people who got interested in TA at the conference), forming a study group to learn TA and invite trainers.

2008 Jamaica Gathering

Frenchman’s Cove, Port Antonio, Jamaica – a supporter of this conference – will again be the site, Feb. 1-8, 2008. An incredible week at an incredible price for a week-long stay for $750 per person.

Requests for Help

Southeast Regional Representative nominations.

Writing: Articles for NET and for the usataa.org site

Donations to USATAA Social Justice Fund

Recruitment of ITAA members and people new to TA to join USATAA

Volunteer to train or to host Education project modules

Join a committee: education, membership, program, finance, communications, social justice, website management

Run for next year’s council vacancies

Minutes of USATAA General Business Meeting

by USATAA Communications | Aug 23, 2007 | Membership News | 0 comments

USATAA held a general membership meeting at the International TA Conference on August 9, 2007.  Here are the minutes submitted by Bobbie Barry, coordinator of communications.

Present: Over 40 members (the quorum is 10% of the membership, or 13 members)

The meeting was called to order at 5:05

Introduction of Council Members – General Coordinator Lucy Freedman greeted the participants and reported that the Council has restored staggered terms for members.

Lucy then introduced the Council members and asked them to check in.

Present were Members At Large Lucy Freedman, Bobbie Barry, Vern Masse, Toppie Lincicome, and Suzanne Wilson, Past General Coordinator Dianne Maki, Regional Representatives Marian Weisberg, Abe Wagner, Suzanne Wilson, Chuck Holland, Phyllis Jenkins and Ad Hoc Members Val Chang, Angela Berquist, Felipe Garcia, and Fanita English.

Ad Hoc Member Denton Roberts was unable to attend.

Marian (NE Rep) reported that she is also president of the Eastern Regional TA Association, which many of us might be familiar with from the conferences they have run every few years. She said they are appreciative of what USATAA is doing and are considering a cooperative or merger relationship with us in the future.

Chuck (SW Rep) announced that there will be a Gathering sponsored by the USATAA Southwest Region on April 11-13, 2008, to which everyone is invited.

Following these introductions, the election of the five At Large Members was approved by acclamation.

The minutes from the Membership Meeting in Nashville, TN on October 29, 2005, were also approved by acclamation.

Lucy reminded us that four of the people who were present at the first meeting proposing the formation of USATAA were present at today’s meeting—herself, Fanita English, Muriel James, and Felipe Garcia.

Finance Report – Vern Masse, Coordinator of Finance, gave a summary financial report. As of the end of 2006, we had over $50,000 in income and 24,000 in expenses. giving us net assets of about $26,000. Part of those assets were from the grant from ITAA to support our educational activities. As of June 30, 2007, our assets were $167,916.27. This number is large because it includes the income from the conference but not most of the expenses. He does expect that we will have positive net earnings at the end of this year.

Overview of Council Structure – Felipe Garcia provided historical background that USATAA’s aim from the beginning was to have a flat organizational structure, run from the regions, rather than a hierarchy of officers. We envisioned not a lack of structure, but a different type of structure, governed by consensus and cooperation. Lucy pointed out that this is now a preferred structure in organizations.

Lucy Freedman expressed the Council’s thanks to former Ad Hoc Council member Bill Krieger, for helping us do strategic thinking and to define ourselves as “The US organization of professionals who use Transactional Analysis in their practices.”

In the following discussion, she clarified that this definition is not meant to exclude anyone but simply represents the need for any organization to prioritize in its efforts to build membership. We decided that the most rapid way to spread TA in the US was to focus on counseling and psychotherapy, for which we could offer the benefit of Continuing Education credits for attending educational events. Due to the work of Mary Westphal, we can also offer college credits for conference attendance. Later we can expand by providing CEUs or other benefits for organizational or educational members.

Communications Report – Bobbie Barry reported that her duties include creating minutes and handling correspondence. In the interest of providing transparency to the membership, the Council has agreed that the Coordinator of Communication should also post a summary of Council actions (and, as Felipe reminded us, actions under consideration) on the USATAA website. Because of the press of conference-related business that Bobbie has also been involved in as Chair of the CEU Committee, she has been unable to do so yet, but intends to start after the conference. The Highlights of Council Business that Lucy prepared as a handout for this meeting are a summary of Council business so far this year. (see previous post in membership news)

The website committee and the NET newsletter committee also fall under the purview of the Coordinator of Communication, and are handled by Lucy Freedman (website) and Angela Berquist (NET). Angela reported that the next edition of the NET will have a theme of articles about the conference, and the deadline for submissions for the Fall NET is September 15. She has been soliciting contributions from non-US as well as US attendees at the conference. Everyone is also encouraged to submit any other news items, including workshops they have conducted. She requested that people submit articles as soon as possible, and not worry about the writing. Angela is available to help with rewriting, especially if she gets the material early. Her aim has been to choose topics that will be of interest to both us and the general community. The theme for the Winter 2008 NET is Nurturing and Parenting, and the deadline for submissions in January 10, 2008.

Education Committee Report – We reviewed the structure of Education activities. Toppie Lincicome is Coordinator of Education. Val Chang is Chair of the TA Certificate/Practitioner Committee and Bobbie is Chair of the CEU Committee.

We also have a proposed Vision and Strategies Committee, for which a Chair and members are needed. The Education Project has been headed by Denton Roberts. It was under the Coordinator of Education and is now under the Coordinator of Programs, Suzanne Wilson. As the Project moves out of the pilot stage Denton would like to turn over the ongoing administration to someone else.

Education Project Report – Since Denton was unable to be present, Chuck Holland reported on the events so far. Chuck stated that one of the goals of the Project is to make it easier for people to begin a TA credentialing process without having to invest $2,000 to 5,000 right away. He said that the current structure is to have a mini 101 followed by four modules of 16 hours each. In Dallas, Jim Allen and Barbara Little Horse did the introduction, Denton and Chuck did the first module, Jon and Laurie Weiss will do the second module, and Val Chang will do the third module. Claude Steiner will do the introductory 101 in Boise at the end of September. Suzanne reported that we have received the first two portions of money from ITAA and decided not to ask for the third this year. Our original proposal had been to hold training sequences in all six regions of the US. We now need hosts for the remaining regions. Hosts do not need to act as presenters. In this initial stage, trainers have agreed to present with expenses paid but no fee, so that we can keep prices low for attendees.

M & M  Award – Lucy introduced the giving of the “M & M” Award. This award was named after Muriel James and Mary Goulding. Among their many contributions to the well being of USATAA, at the very beginning they put on a conference and donated the proceeds to USATAA. Dianne Maki introduced this year’s recipient, Jonathon Wagner. Jon has had a long career of contributions to ITAA and USATAA, putting tremendous energy into both organizations at great cost. He is past General Coordinator of USATAA and continues to work for ITAA . Jon was given an engraved silver bowl and a bag of M & Ms, which he put in the bowl and passed around for everybody to share!

TA Practitioner Certificate Report – Val Chang reported on progress in specifying the requirements for receiving a certificate for a “Transactional Analysis Practitioner Certificate: Foundational Level”.

A draft of the requirements and learning objectives for each module was circulated to those attending the meeting. We will need people to provide training and to be on all the Education committees. Several people announced TA training programs they are starting. Jo Lewis will start a training program in Oct./Nov. in Atlanta. GA. Fanita will start a twice monthly consultation group in San Mateo, CA, on September 15. It will meet 2 – 5 on Saturday afternoons. Felipe is also starting a group in San Antonio, TX, on how to cooperate. Jo requested information on how to coordinate with the Education Project/Practitioner’s Certificate program.

Fund Raising Progress Report – Steve Karpman announced that he had already made $375 from a half day of sales of his artwork on display at the conference. He will donate the total proceeds to USATAA.

Social Justice Report – Ken circulated a draft for the charter of a Social Justice Fund and asked for responses. He said our goal is to take action, not just raise awareness. We need to be institutionally, as a group, willing to create social justice by our actions. People can donate to the Fund for designated projects or make a general donation. The Council has also agreed to align ourselves with the United Nations Millennium goals (which can be found on their website) and to donate a small percentage of general donations to the Fund to the UN to forward those goals. We still need to set up guidelines for evaluating proposals and administering grants. Phyllis Jenkins and Vi Callahan agreed to join Ken in creating those guidelines. We are about making a difference, which we have already done by supporting part of the travel expenses of Jamaicans who have taken our module courses to attend the conference.

Regional Representatives – Lucy read the list of states included in each region. She announced that Abe Wagner has recruited Dan Cauble to run for the Rocky Mountain vacancy when Abe’s term expires at the end of the year. Lucy has also talked with Parvin Bonab about taking on the vacant Southeast Representative position, either by herself or jointly if someone else is willing to share the position.

Blog – Felipe brought up the question of how we can get input from members before the Council makes decisions. Lucy said that after the conference, the conference blog will be available for member communication with the Council.

Membership – Lucy reported that the ITAA has decided that, because of the attachment of individual members to ITAA, it will have only individual members, rather than also having organizational members with joint membership dues. It will facilitate cooperation among national or regional organizations as part of its role. Lucy reiterated ITAA President Gianpiero Petriglieri’s statement that we need our local TA home for roots, and our global TA home for reach. She reminded us that USATAA dues are included in the price for those attending our yearly Jamaica winter Gathering.

Conference – Lucy announced that 9 of our 10 scheduled preconference Institutes took place, with additional people signing up on site.
She said that USATAA had videotaped the TA 101 Theory and Practice of Transactional Analysis workshop. We will need to raise extra money to edit it. One way we can support that is to preorder the CD, at a 20% discounted price of $85.

We may also use some of USATAA’s money to edit the recording, to spread knowledge of TA and with the expectation that we will eventually receive income from the sale of the tape.

Lucy expressed thanks to Jo Lewis for facilitating the process for attendees at the 101, as more people attended than originally planned and the room had to be rearranged. She also said that Taibi Kahler has agreed to record a segment on miniscripts in his own studio, which can be added to the final version. The tape will not be distributed until there is a final edited version.

Steve Karpman also arranged for his two workshops, Game Free Communication for Couples, and Drama Triangle 2007, to be videotaped. They will be available from his website, www.KarpmanDramaTriangle.com.

The meeting was adjourned at 6:20 PM

Respectfully Submitted,
Roberta (Bobbie) Barry, Coordinator of Communication
August 23, 2007

Fanita English Workshop in NJ March 10 2007

by USATAA Communications | Feb 26, 2007 | Membership News | 0 comments

Special Workshop Offered by Eastern Regional TA Assn. – See below for details! ìIt Takes a Lifetime to Develop a Scriptî with Fanita English ERTAA ñ The Eastern Regional Transactional Analysis Association Invites you to an Advanced ëSeminar with Processí Saturday & Sunday, March 10 & 11, 2007, Marriott Courtyard, in Mahwah, NJ. Description by Fanita: My unorthodox views on Scripts were first described in the chapter, ìWhat Shall I do Tomorrow?î in the book, ìTA after Eric Berne,î edited by Graham Barnes and published in l977. There I also spelled out my concepts about differing Child ego states in the same individual and suggested a ìScript exerciseî. These concepts have been tested, refined and expanded considerably over the past 30 years, especially since many professional participants of my workshops have themselves been teaching them in most countries in Europe. This workshop will be interactive and experiential and based on the particular interests of participants. However, we might discuss: Existential positions and character development Survival conclusions, as differentiated from scripts Shame and guilt, Emotions, feelings, and racketeering Different, squabbling, ìinnerî children Script development Scripts and Integrated roles Cultural scripts Distinction between Scripts and Episcripts Unconscious Motivators And, last not least: How to help clients have an enjoyable well balanced approach to life! Who should attend? Professional persons and advanced students in all the helping professions: Psychologists, social workers, marriage & family therapists, counselors, religious leaders of all faiths, teachers, human resource personnel, doctors and nurses. Questions? Email fredclark@cox.netMake room reservations at the 100% smoke-free Marriott Courtyard Mahwah, 40 Route 17 South, Mahwah, NJ, 08540 Phone: 1-201-529-5200 or Fax: 1-201-529-1991 Mention ERTAA – The rate is $94.00 per room, plus tax, if reserved by February 21, 2007. This seminar costs $75.00. It begins with (and includes) breakfast at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday morning. Formal sessions will begin at 9:30 a.m. with a lunch break at 1:00 p.m. The process portion of the weekend will include Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. ERTAA will meet briefly on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. Contact: Fred Clark, 261 Spring Street, Cheshire, CT 06410, fax 1-203-271-3733 Register by March 1, 2007

USATAA in Online Directory of Professional Associations

by USATAA Communications | Nov 15, 2006 | Membership News | 0 comments

USATAA is now listed in the International Directory of Professional Associations. Click here for our listing!