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TICA
The Transient Interactive Communication Approach
TICA
by Maria Leticia Castrechini Fernandes Franieck
Meaningful communication is fundamental to social inclusion. However, significant barriers to communication are often faced by people who are vulnerable. This can be due to difficulties in recognising and expressing their feelings and thoughts, either because they are unable to identify their feelings or because they are unwilling to share them.
To address these challenges, innovative communication tools such as TICA, T-WAS and Power-Time have been developed. These tools aim to facilitate shared understanding between practitioners and vulnerable people by creating a supportive environment for open and honest dialogue.
Macdougall, 1993,pp. 116–117¹
"Communication is a vital relationship with the Other and culminate in the desire of inform someone of something. It implies a way of conveying and discharging emotions in direct manner, with the purpose of affecting and arousing reactions in the Other, hence with crucial personal symbolic functions."
Maude, 2016 pP.19:²
"Miscommunication occurs when there is a mismatch between what the speaker intend his words to mean and how the hearer interprets them."
Get to know our communication tools
It provides practitioners with the key to gaining a deeper insight into the perspectives and experiences of people facing vulnerability. It is this enhanced understanding that enables practitioners to provide more effective support and to facilitate better social inclusion.
- For adults, providing a structured framework for meaningful communication and mutual understanding.
- For children (6-13), emphasising parenting attachment experiences and processing challenging emotions in a group setting.
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For young people (14-24), a street-based project that promotes self-awareness and belonging through group reflection and exploration of personal experiences.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT TICA
‘Shared Meaning Communication’
(the capacity to understand and appreciate another person's point of view, even when it differs from one's own, facilitating meaningful and respectful dialogue)
Promoting 'shared meaning communication'
through playful object-based interactions
Cartoons with optical illusions, artistic cartoons, short films, films
Promotes awareness of multiple perspectives and encourages embracing the 'other'.
Drawing a biographical story
Autobiographical review promotes a sense of wholeness, increases awareness of coping mechanisms and resilience, and strengthens self-identity through the creation of a personal timeline.
Drawing feelings
Patients are invited to share their unique interpretation of the wheel after choosing colours to represent their feelings of joy, love, anger, sadness and fear and visually representing them on the wheel. This unstructured discussion encourages the patient to reflect on how the wheel represents their individual emotional experiences, challenges and strengths, and allows for a deeper exploration of their emotional landscape.
T-WAS
Together We Are Strong
T-WAS
(Promoting 'shared meaning communication' through group work with vulnerable children)
by Maria Leticia Castrechini Fernandes Franieck and Niko Bittner
AIMS
- Enhance resilience: Foster emotional regulation, self-esteem, and coping skills.
- Address attachment needs: Provide opportunities for novel parenting attachment experiences within a supportive group setting.
- Process challenging experiences: Help children deal with aggression, ambiguity, and diversity.
KEY FEATURES
- Early intervention: Focus on preventing the escalation of antisocial behavior.
- Child-centered: Tailored to the specific needs of children aged 6-13.
- Community-based: Adaptable for implementation in various settings (schools, childcare centers).
BENEFITS
- Cost-effective: Accessible to a wide range of communities.
- Measurable impact: Demonstrates immediate and tangible benefits for children.
- Easy to implement: Requires minimal specialized equipment and can be integrated into existing programs.
DRAWBACKS
- Requires committed group conductors: Demands dedicated and resilient group conductors.
- Potential for adaptation: May require adjustments based on specific child needs and organisational contexts.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT T-WAS
My experience with T-WAS was as follows
"I was a trainee at OMID and had the opportunity to attend the T-WAS prevention group on a regular basis. I found T-WAS very positive. I was particularly impressed by how the programme is designed not only to support children and young people individually in their development, but also to create an environment where they learn to work together and learn from each other.
On a personal level, I have learnt a lot from these groups, not only in terms of social skills, but also in terms of gaining a better understanding of group dynamics."
Letizia Fortino - April 2024
Psychology student
On a personal level, I have learnt a lot from these groups, not only in terms of social skills, but also in terms of gaining a better understanding of group dynamics."
Letizia Fortino - April 2024
Psychology student
My experience as T-WAS group conductor was as follows
"T-WAS always follows a very clear structure. The games and rituals are easy to learn, even if you don't speak the language. They allow a quick exchange. The children settle into the group within a few meetings and quickly have the opportunity to participate. Many of the structures and rules are designed so that the children can help to organise the programme, but must consider the group as a whole. For example, they can request activities and games, but these must be agreed and discussed with the group. The eclectic group conductors support these processes and act as a role model: they make their decisions together and discuss them in front of the children.
For me, this is also one of the most exciting parts of T-WAS: although each session follows the same structure, the groups develop very individually. Individual children or groups of children can shape and contribute to the group as a whole and thus make the group their own."
Jochen Greiner - Mai 2024
Social worker, Ecletic group conductor
Power-time
POWER-TIME
(Promoting 'shared meaning in communication' through street-based group work)
by Maria Leticia Castrechini Fernandes Franieck
Power-Time is an innovative ongoing group (therapy) project for hard-to-reach young people in Stuttgart (Germany) who have no access to traditional mental health services. Partnering with Mobile Youth Work Team, it provides a safe and neutral space for young people to express themselves, process emotions, and explore their experiences within a group setting.
AIMS
- Adapt group analytic therapy for vulnerable young people.
- It encourages young people to think about their experiences and grow as individuals within the group.
- Explore and integrate diverse perspectives to achieve shared meaning in communication.
SETTING FEATURES
- Meeting Time & Place: Every Thursday, 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM, at Milaneo Mailänder Platz in Stuttgart.
- Social Media: Weekly Instagram posts on Thursdays.
- Group Symbol: A doll (representing the group's transitional object).
- Refreshments: Provided to foster a familiar and welcoming environment.
- "Power-Time" Rule: All participants remain seated in a circle during this activity.
- Co- Conductors: Leticia and the Mobile Youth Work Team.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT POWER-TIME
¹ McDougall, J., 1993. Countertransference and Primitive Communication. In: A. Alexandris and G. Vaslamatzis, eds. Countertransference: Theory, Technique, Teaching. London: Karnac, 95–134.
² Maude, B. (2016/2011). Managing Cross-Cultural Communication: Principles and Practice. London: Palgrave.
Get in touch!
Phone: +49 (0)160 995 31797
Get in touch!
E-mail: tica.learn-more(at)outlook.com
© All Rights Reserved. 2025 - Leticia Franieck
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