INTERESTING FOLLOW-UP - Janice Dowson gets an award

 The previous entry to this one tells how the TA101 is now available both FREE and ONLINE. This initiative is largely the work of Janice Dowson, and as the article below shows, she had been officially recognized for all her hard work!

Janice Dowson Honored With James Award 

We are delighted to announce that Janice Dowson has been granted the 2021 Muriel James Living Principles Award in recognition of her significant contributions to transactional analysis, the ITAA, and the worldwide TA community. 

In their nominations statement, the three lead nominators— Lucy Freedman, Charlotte Daellenbach, and Bill Cornell, supported by Inger Acking. Tom Burton, Leonard Campos, Richard Erskine, Felipe Garcia, Thorsten Geck, Robert Hempel, Gloria Noriega, and Reiko True— described how in her efforts for the TA community, as well as in her personal life, “Janice has consistently lived the principles of TA, including demonstrating

• clear Adult thinking, 
• joyful creativity, 
• compassionate ethics, and
•  a lack of gaminess in transactions. 

She models egalitarian relationships and promotes an ‘I’m OK, You’re OK’ atmosphere in both professional and personal arenas. 

Although Janice’s many contributions would qualify her for other ITAA awards, this one is particularly meaningful because of Janice’s warm personal relationship with Muriel, including staying in touch and visiting her during Muriel’s later years.” 

Among the specific contributions for which Janice is being recognized are: 

• providing support and TA materials to individuals before the TAJ and Script were available online;
•  serving as one of the moderators of the online TA Forum discussion group and 
• encouraging an open, welcoming culture while also suggesting stimulating topics; 
• serving as a long-time and highly respected member of the TAJ editorial board; 
• cochairing the ITAA Professional Standards Committee and
•  updating the Training and Certification Manual;
•  updating the ITAA Code of Ethical Conduct; 
• cochairing the scientific program committee for the 2019 ITAA/USATAA/SEI conference on “Promoting Equality and Okness”; and
• leading the effort to raise funds and organize the social-justiceoriented TA 101 presented at the 2019 Raleigh Conference 
• as well as spearheading the recording/ production of the video from that event, which is now available free online along with study materials.

 In his nomination letter, Bill Cornell wrote,

 “Janice is one of those ITAA/ USATAA members who has worked more often than not out of the limelight, away from attention and acknowledgment, but who is, in fact, a driving force for the recognition and values of transactional analysis in the United States and Canada. . . . Were Muriel alive, I am sure she would be a co-nominator herself.”

 Janice, on hearing of her award, said, “I am deeply grateful to the ITAA, my nominators, and the committee for this honor. It is a welcome, unexpected gift that celebrates the joy and compassion I have found in the creative, ethical collaborations of which I have been a part. 

Over the past 45 years I have been blessed with brilliant colleagues, gracious friends, and courageous mentors who have embodied these living principles by generously giving me their time, patience, and wisdom. This award is also especially meaningful to me because I was fortunate in Muriel’s later years to discover that we shared an enduring desire to learn, endless curiosity, and a profound respect for people’s capacity to change and grow.”

This article was published in The Script, March 1 2021.