SATAA awards Honorary Lifetime Membership

SATAA awards Honorary Lifetime Membership to Joanna Beazley Richards, Richard Erskine and Trudi Newton for the generous contributions to the development of Transactional Analysis in South Africa

Joanna Beazley Richards founded Wealden Psychology Institute in the South East of England, in 1986.

Joanna has been a Teaching and Supervising Transactional Analyst since 1995. She is a Clinical Psychologist, and also has a Masters degree in Forensic Psychology. She is a qualified teacher, and has a specialist Diploma in teaching people with learning disabilities.

Joanna has been a trauma specialist for many years, having been trained by Babette Rothschild in the 1980s and 90s. Joanna is an Accredited EMDR Consultant. She has taught TA and Trauma Therapy in Turkey, Spain, Germany, Austria, Holland, USA and France, presented TA workshops in India, Japan, and of course her beloved South Africa. Joanna is assisted and supported by her husband John Baxendale, who is a Provisional Teaching Supervising Transactional Analyst.

Joanna relaxes by competing with her carriage driving horses, or on her farm, where she treats traumatised children and adults using animals as her co-therapists.

Joanna says about working in South Africa:

“Teaching TA in South Africa is such a joy, because although the land and wild life are themselves such a treat and a
thrill; the greatest and most enjoyable aspect is the wonderful South African people. Everyone is so enthusiastic about all they do; whether it is the wonderful training groups and volunteers in Johannesburg, facilitated by the warm hearted and generous Sharon Kalinko, supported by her partner Glenn Goldschmitt, or the dedicated and courageous groups of pioneers in the Cape Town area, facilitated by Diane Salters supported by her partner Peter Willis. Everyone I meet is selfless and totally committed, yet warm, human and a lot of fun.

Being involved in South Africa’s recovery and growth is inspiring and a huge learning me; I come home humbled and enriched and I intend to keep on being involved. Thank you Rainbow Nation.”

Trudi Newton is a Educational TSTA, based in the UK, with a passion for radical approaches to learning and community development.

For years I provided training in educational TA in the UK and Russia, and contributed to training programmes in several countries including South Africa. Now I only occasionally take part in TA training programmes (for instance with Karen Pratt in Cape Town). I do run workshops and courses for coach supervisors (including in SA), and I spend much of my time writing. Currently I am co-editing a book on educational TA, with contributors from 13 countries, and am also on the editorial team for another general book on TA.

I first came to SA in 1997, and immediately decided I wanted to come back. That opportunity came in 2003 when Colin Brett asked me to do some training for his TA group. Since then I have made maybe a dozen visits, short or long, and still feel a real connection. It’s hard to say what is most important and appealing to me about being in SA: the amazingly beautiful scenery and wildlife of course; the feel of being in Africa with its ancient human history; but more than these, the people I meet – always interested, open to change, engaged, energetic; and the heroes – Mandela, Tutu, Slovo, and – more personal – folk like Brigalia Bam (who we knew at WCC many years ago). It feels like a place where there is always something happening, where people don’t give up. That’s why I want to keep coming back.

Richard G. Erskine, PhD, has served since 1976 as the Training Director at the Institute for Integrative Psychotherapy in New York City.

He is a certified Transactional Analyst, a licensed Psychoanalyst , group psychotherapist and an internationally recognized Gestalt Therapist who trained with both Fritz and Laura Perls. He has twice received the prestigious Eric Berne Award for his contribution to the development of both a relational and integrative perspective in Transactional Analysis theory and methods. He has published over 50 articles in the Transactional Analysis Journal as well as five books on the theory and methods of a relationally focused integrative psychotherapy.

Richard introduced Transactional Analysis to South Africa in 1978 when he conducted a series of psychotherapy training workshops in Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, and Port Elizabeth when no one else was willing to come to South Africa to do training.

From 1979 to 1990 Richard conducted a Transactional Analysis psychotherapy training program in Johannesburg where he trained, supervised, and sponsored many of the early South African Transactional Analysts for their clinical certification which enabled TA to get a foothold in South Africa which led to the establishment of the SATAA .