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TICA
by Maria Leticia Castrechini Fernandes Franieck
The first step for one’s integration in society is being able to communicate and be understood. However, when it comes to deprived individuals, communication often fails. This is in large part due to their difficulties in expressing their emotions and thoughts – be it because they are unable to pinpoint what they feel or because they are unwilling to share it. Therefore, tools that help practitioners facilitate communication with such individuals is underscored. With this aim TICA and T-WAS were developed.
More specifically, TICA is a means of communication for adults, while T-WAS is for children between the ages of 6 and 13.
"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."
that allows the expression of emotional experiences
through the use of external objects
T-WAS
(a variation of TICA)
by Maria Leticia Castrechini Fernandes Franieck and Niko Bittner
Together We Are Strong or T-WAS – is a variation of TICA, an alternative form of a preventive group work with 6-13 year old deprived children against the increase of antisocial behavioural tendencies and focused on strengthening resilience and free from any kind of previous diagnosis.
As an approach, T-WAS emphasises both corrective attachment experiences and the processing of ongoing experiences of aggression, paradoxical situations, ambiguities and diversities experienced within the group.
In the summer of 2019, T-WAS was presented as a community work project at the 51st Congress of the International Psychoanalytic Association in London, UK; under the title "Mama! Papa! Where are you? Are you still there? What's wrong with you?"
In the summer 2023, T-WAS was presented as a work on promotion and prevention in community context at 18th World Congress for the World Association for Infant Mental Health in Dublin, Ireland under the title “'Together We Are Strong' to avoid an increase of antisocial behavioural tendencies in deprived children”.
Benefits and drawbacks of T-WAS
Benefits: T-WAS is an inexpensive and preventive group activity that provides immediate and easy benefits for children in their local area. It can therefore be implemented in schools, childcare facilities, etc.
Drawbacks: It requires tenacious resilience on the part of the eclectic group leaders over the two-year period. To meet the guidelines of some organisations, some games may have to be adapted.
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
"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
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.
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