The Berne Institute

The Berne Institute: History and Mission Statement

The Berne Institute was founded in Nottingham in April 1993. However, we trace our history further back than that year: our activities incorporate and continue an existing training programme in psychotherapy that has operated successfully since 1984. The leaders of that training programme, Adrienne Lee and Ian Stewart, are now Co-Directors of The Berne Institute.

From 1984 until 1993, the joint training programme was essentially a co-operation between the private practices of the two course leaders, jointly operating under the business name Training Central England. In 1993 we decided to consolidate and expand our activities in a more formal manner, and formed The Berne Institute with that end in view.

For the first year of its life, the Institute operated in rented premises in Nottingham city, while we searched for a permanent centre. In mid-1994, we found and bought our ideal building - now Berne House - in the village of Kegworth, some ten miles South of Nottingham. Our training programmes have operated in Berne House since September 1994.

Mission Statement: The mission of The Berne Institute is to promote excellence in the fields of psychotherapy, counselling, training, supervision, and related research. The core model we use is transactional analysis (TA); related humanistic approaches and neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) also contribute to our work.

We are happy to register the following achievements, by which we are already furthering our mission:

• We have developed a coherent and progressive set of training courses in psychotherapy and counselling, from Foundation through to post-qualification levels, within the professional framework of external accreditation provided by the European Association for Transactional Analysis.


• We have gained University validation for our training courses, so that the existing professional qualifications in TA are accorded the academic standing they deserve. Members of our training courses can now study for the degree of Master of Science in Transactional Analysis Psychotherapy and/or a Postgraduate Clinical Diploma in Transactional Analysis Counselling. Both the MSc degree and the Postgraduate Diploma are awarded by Middlesex University. The Berne Institute is a Collaborative Partner Institution with the University.


• We have become an Organisational Member of the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy, giving us our own "voice at the table" in policy discussions around such matters as the regulation of psychotherapy in the UK.


• At the same time, we remain a Registered Training Establishment of the UK's Institute of Transactional Analysis (ITA)and are committed to the ITA's aims and organisational role.


• We have purchased and refurbished Berne House, giving our students a spacious and functional dedicated training centre. We continue to improve our premises and facilities.


• Our students have gained a continued record of successes in the external examinations set by our professional association, EATA.


• We have established programmes of weekend and midweek training workshops and free evening seminars, making TA principles and skills available to a wider professional audience.


• To further our aim of promoting research, we have commissioned a "Scoping Study", carried out by the University of Nottingham, to establish the extent and substance of evidence of the efficacy of TA in the existing literature of psychotherapy. Our Associate Director Mark Widdowson has responsibility for leading the research function in "The Berne", and is currently himself conducting and publishing studies on various aspects of TA.

We intend to build upon, extend and expand these achievements in coming years.

In pursuing our mission, we are committed to:

• Use and development of an organic model of personal learning, whereby each student is encouraged to develop her/his own knowledge and skills at whatever rate, in whatever content areas, and in whatever individual ways are most effective for him/her.


• Recognition of personal responsibility, on the part of each staff member and each student, for furthering the student's positive learning experience.


• Use of contractual method, by which that shared personal responsibility in teaching and learning is made clear and explicit so that it can be jointly agreed by teacher and student.


• Further development of The Berne Institute as a lively and growing professional community, as well as a place for learning and study.


• Continued adherence to a policy of equal opportunity in all our activities. (For full detail on our equal-opportunities policy, please see our Equal-Opportunities Statement.

We have the following aspirations:

• To continue to develop our training programmes in a manner that reflects the needs of our students and meets the ever-changing requirements of professional training and accreditation in psychotherapy and counselling within the UK and Europe.


• To continue to expand our activity in the field of research.