SAGE celebrated the 20th Anniversary of the Counselling in Action in November 2008. Praise for the First Edition: 'Ian Stewart has made the difficult link between theory and practice clear without being patronizing. This is valuable for everyone interested in TA since many concepts can only be fully assimilated when linked to actual examples. Even if you are not in clinical practice, this book would be a useful addition to your library and, for anyone in training or beginning practice, this is required reading' - "Group Relations"."Transactional Analysis Counselling in Action, Third Edition" meets a demand for a clearly-written step-by-step account of the process and practice of using transactional analysis to promote personal change. This book retains the successful overall structure and organisation of the popular earlier editions, but has been fully revised. Key features of this new edition include: 'concise', 'hands-on' descriptions of current techniques and concepts in transactional analysis, presented in an accessible style that is immediately useful to the practitioner; a sequence of chapters that are ordered to reflect successive stages in the typical process of therapeutic change using transactional analysis (this assists in building understanding and application of transactional analysis step by step, in the order that is likely to arise during actual psychotherapy or counselling); and, expanded discussion of the protective procedure known as 'closing the escape hatches' (no-suicide, no-homicide, no-go-crazy decision). It also includes possible contra-indications; a single extended case history that runs through the book to illustrate practice and theory; 'Key Ideas' panels which provide summaries of the main ideas that are described in each section or chapter; and, 'Self-supervision sequences' that offers suggested checklists of questions that readers can use in appraising their own work with clients. In this revised Third Edition of his bestselling guide, Ian Stewart offers trainee and practising psychotherapists and counsellors an introduction to the core concepts and basic techniques of transactional analysis. Ian Stewart is Co-Director of The Berne Institute, Nottingham. He is accredited by the ITAA and the EATA as a Teaching and Supervising Transactional Analyst.