By Kate Meredith
In the early 1980’s the International Transactional Analysis Association (ITAA), to meet the requirements of the National Health Department in the USA, needed to increase its training standards. This led to the birth of EATA and WPATA: the European Association of Transactional Analysis and the Western Pacific Association of Transactional Analysis. At the 1984 TA Conference in Switzerland, representatives from England, France, Germany and other European nations, as well as members of the Western Pacific region, Australia and many Asian countries, discussed the implications of the changes in ITAA’s required hours of training. It was decided by many non-US countries that it was not necessary for them to adopt the raised hours required by ITAA. Furthermore, from this discussion, it was decided to be separate from ITAA. Jeff and Margaret White, along with ten founding members, started a training and examining body for the Western Pacific region of the world. This body, the Western Pacific Association of Transactional Analysis, formed in 1985, encompasses all of Australia, Asia and New Zealand.
The organisation continued to develop and in November 1996, as WPATA, it was granted National Accreditation for its courses. Growth continued and in early 2000 WPATA became the sole organization representing TA training and examining for all of Australia. It continued to form close links with other countries and had Jessica Leong from Singapore on its board. In 2002 a mutual recognition agreement was signed between ITAA and EATA which means WPATA had gained Mutual Recognition within the International Training and Certification Body for Transactional Analysis and European Training Association.