We are excited to announce a new Transactional Analysis Journal (TAJ) theme issue exploring the profound existential issues of parenthood, childlessness, and the perinatal, all of which can impact transactional analysts on both personal and professional levels in multiple ways.

Articles are invited from practitioners working with clients experiencing perinatal mental health difficulties and from transactional analysis (TA) professionals experiencing their own transitional journey. We encourage authors to reflect on the complexities of their experience, both personally and professionally, and how this might inform their work with clients.

In this context, the word “perinatal” encompasses maternal, paternal, parenting, childlessness, fertility, adoptive, foster, and stepparenting, as well as transgenerational parenting (grandparenting).

The intersections between the personal, professional, social, and cultural when experiencing the transition to parenthood or childlessness are multilayered and complex. Navigating these transitions can be enriching and challenging for some, and for others, painful and grief-filled. Yet little has been written about the perinatal within the TA literature, even though parenthood and childlessness impact us all, regardless of what area of TA our work is in.

Taking a systemic frame of reference into account, some possible areas to explore might include:

• TA theory to inform our work with and help us to understand the impact of these intersecting identities.
• Inhabiting the role of a professional with career obligations while deeply immersed in the vulnerability of parenting or experiencing childlessness.
• How personal parenting experiences shape professional approaches.
• The dynamic interplay, psychologically and practically, and the nuanced understanding of how personal identity and professional practice coevolve during this transformative period.
• Theories to inform workplace policies and procedures and educational practices to support individuals.
• Focusing on the importance of understanding the interrelatedness of personal, familial, cultural, and professional environments while underscoring the value in managing stress and promoting well-being.

The deadline for submission for this theme issue is Feb. 1, 2027. Please follow the submission requirements posted on the ITAA website.

If you have questions, please contact Emma Haynes at emma[at]mmahaynes.co.uk and/or Irina Filipache at irina.filipache[at]gmail.com.