When working with families, I use various psychological tools, one of which is metaphorical associative cards. What I already wrote about in my articles: “Oh, these magic cards!” and notes: “The Gambler” When dealing with problems in raising a child, couples ignore their own relationships or hush up existing difficulties. Therefore, working only with the child and not involving parents and couples gives a temporary effect. I try to involve everyone who surrounds the child, especially parents, in the work. I use different MAC decks for this, depending on the situation. Today I’ll tell you about the capabilities of the “Man and Woman: The Power of Attraction” deck. The authors of this wonderful deck are Nadezhda Ognenko and Evgenia Shchannikova, the set contains thirty-six postcards and a manual. Postcards are divided into two groups: men's and women's. Images of images are taken from famous fairy tales: “The Scarlet Flower”, “Mistress of the Copper Mountain”, “Cinderella”, “Snow Queen”, etc. The images are pleasant and recognizable, they evoke positive emotions in clients, which is important for work. Cards can be used both in individual and group work. On the reverse side there is a description of the hero/heroine and recommendations, which evokes a keen response from clients during work. The authors also describe the symbolism of each image, which can be discussed with the client. For example, “The Swan Princess” is a symbol of unlimited possibilities, ease of fulfilling desires, or “Captain Gray” is a symbol of nobility, fidelity to love and an idea. At a family meeting, I ask parents and children to openly choose the image they liked, consider it, talk about it, note which character traits you have and which you would like to acquire. Then we make up a family of characters (the first version of the family). I ask clients to answer the questions: - Are all the heroes from the same fairy tale? - How do they live in the same family? - What character traits help them understand each other, and which ones hinder them? - Are there conflicts between the characters? - What are their options for resolving conflicts? are they suitable? Then I ask you to openly choose images with which clients associate other family members and talk about them. Compare two images (chosen by a family member and another person), think about what unites the images and how they differ. Then, from the selected images, a second version of the family is compiled. Both options are compared. As a result of completing this exercise, clients: - get the opportunity to establish a dialogue through images; - look at themselves from the outside; - expand knowledge about themselves; - see two figurative versions of their family; - identify family problems and options for solving them. Sometimes I'm surprised by the rapid positive dynamics of changes in family relationships! I think that this happens due to the presence of supports in the form of images and the playful context of the meeting, minimizing the fear of self-disclosure. Thus, MACs act as a useful tool in the hands of a psychologist. Your Elena Stankevich I lead group classes dedicated to MAC therapy, in which participants perform various exercises and work through their requests. Sign up for the “Metaphorical Gatherings” group by phone: +7 924 429 61 86