Theme-centred interaction

1. Introduction

Version followed: Ruth C. Cohn's Theme-Centred Interaction (TCI; German Themenzentrierte Interaktion, TZI; earlier English name "Theme-Centered Interactional Method") as currently taught by the Ruth Cohn Institute for TCI-international (RCI, Basel): three axioms, two postulates (the debated third "responsibility" postulate noted as a variant), the four-factor model I–We–It–Globe, and the auxiliary rules in the nine-rule form given in German reference works. Cohn's own books (1975, 1984) are not drawn on directly; this guide relies on the RCI's own materials, a 1992 interview with Cohn, and German TCI textbooks and reference articles. Where only a heading or name was available, the entry is marked [uncertain]. [source: RCI "What is TCI"; socialnet; Wikipedia TCI; Cohn interview 1992]

What it is. TCI is not a psychotherapy in the usual sense. It is a model, an attitude and a method for leading groups (learning, working, supervision, team and therapy groups) and for leading oneself. Its authors call it at once a stance, a model, a method and an action concept, and say it is "primarily not a psychotherapeutic method". It is an open system: it can be combined with other methods (including your usual group or individual therapy) provided they do not contradict the axioms. A therapist uses it mainly to plan and lead groups, workshops, supervision and team meetings, and as a frame for their own stance. [source: Rainer 2018; Löhmer & Standhardt 2015 sample]

Origins. Cohn (1912–2010), a Berlin-born psychoanalyst trained in Zürich, emigrated to New York in 1941. TCI grew from a countertransference workshop she ran for analytic candidates, where, instead of staying neutral as supervisor, she presented one of her own cases, which shifted her towards a partnership role. Rainer dates this workshop to 1955; Cohn herself in 1992 placed it about ten years before her 1961 first contact with the American Academy of Psychotherapists [uncertain: date 1951 vs 1955]. With Norman Liberman and others she founded the Workshop Institute for Living-Learning (WILL) in New York in 1966; WILL-Europa followed in 1972; the umbrella body has been the RCI since 2002. [source: Rainer 2018; Cohn interview 1992; socialnet]

How change happens. People learn and change when attention is kept in dynamic balance between the individual (I), the group's relationships (We), the shared task or theme (It) and the surrounding context (Globe), in the here and now ("living learning": thinking, feeling and acting together). Two postulates drive the process: each person takes charge of themselves as their own "chairperson", and disturbances (anything that blocks working on the theme) get priority, because if ignored they bind energy and block the work. The theme makes the leader's aims transparent, so participants can accept or oppose them. The emphasis is on present possibilities rather than on working through individual pathology: "Was ist jetzt?" and "Wozu ist jetzt?" (what is happening now, and what is it for) rather than "why". [source: RCI "What is TCI"; Löhmer & Standhardt 2015 sample; Rainer 2018]

2. Framework

TCI has no fixed phase sequence or session count of the kind a treatment manual gives. The sources describe instead (a) a planning cycle around a theme, (b) a working cycle inside each session, and (c) group-development phases (opening to closing) that the leader keeps in view. The structure below assembles these; the ordering is partly [synthesis]. [source: Handbook TOC (unidentified TZI handbook); Langmaack 2017 sample; socialnet]

Formats. Typical formats are residential multi-day courses (the RCI's introductory and method courses), long training groups (Löhmer and Standhardt ran 20-day TZI groups for students and teachers), recurring teaching or team sessions, supervision groups, and therapy or counselling groups. RCI training runs Basic Training (certificate; about 6.5 weeks of course time spread over years), Advanced/Diploma Training (about ten weeks plus supervision and peer groups) and Graduation (teaching qualification). [source: RCI homepage; Löhmer & Standhardt 2015 sample; Wikipedia TCI] Note: socialnet states that a theme is not always needed; therapy groups, compulsory groups and some ongoing courses may work without one. [source: socialnet]

Phase A: Planning (before the group).

Goal: clarify what each factor brings: who the participants are (I), what the group is and how it relates (We), the task/content (It), and the institutional, temporal, spatial, social and political conditions (Globe). Link these into an analysis of the session's aims.
Steps: theme finding, theme setting, theme formulation, theme introduction (four steps named by socialnet; Langmaack's chapter on themes also names four steps). Choose structures and social forms; keep the plan flexible.
Move on when: you have a formulated theme you can introduce in a few sentences, a provisional sequence of structures, and a hypothesis about which factor is likely to be neglected. [synthesis] [source: Scharer 2001; socialnet; Beltz methods excerpt; Langmaack 2017 sample]

Phase B: Beginning (group start and getting acquainted).

Goal: build enough trust for work; let individuals arrive (I), begin the We, and connect both to the theme. The beginning, like the end, "needs time".
Move on when: participants can speak for themselves, the frame (time, rules, aims) is known, and the theme has been introduced. [synthesis] [source: Handbook TOC (chapters on opening phase and group beginnings); Beltz methods excerpt]

Phase C: Theme work (the main body of each session and of the course).

Goal: work on the theme while keeping I, We, It and Globe in dynamic balance; alternate social forms (individual work, pairs or triads, small groups, plenary); attend to disturbances as they arise.
Within a session the leader repeatedly cycles: introduce or re-focus the theme, structure the work, watch the process, intervene for balance or disturbance, return to the theme. Cohn summarised her own practice as always directing the group "back to the theme - I, We and It".
Move between sub-steps when: a structure has done its job (energy drops, the question is exhausted) or a disturbance demands a level change. [source: RCI "What is TCI"; Cohn interview 1992; Beltz methods excerpt] [synthesis for the cue list]

Phase D: Closing and transfer.

Goal: answer open questions, support transfer to daily life, give and receive feedback, mark the ending.
Move to closing when: the planned time is ending; leave enough time for it rather than closing mid-process. [source: Beltz methods excerpt; Handbook TOC]

Structure–process–trust. Across all phases the leader balances structure against process: too much structure stops the process unfolding, too little keeps it from reaching a conclusion; trust is the outcome of a good balance, and when it breaks anxiety rises. Interrupting a process mid-flow can itself create mistrust. Use this triangle as the main criterion for when to add or loosen structure. [source: Schmidt (CPE supervision); Löhmer & Standhardt 2015 sample]

3. Guiding principles

Axioms [source: socialnet; RCI "What is TCI"; Rainer 2018]

Existential-anthropological axiom: autonomy and interdependence. A person is a psycho-biological unit and part of the universe; autonomy grows with awareness of interdependence. Practice: help clients see both their own agency and how they depend on others; do not frame independence as cutting ties.
Ethical axiom: reverence for the living. "Ehrfurcht gebührt allem Lebendigen und seinem Wachstum" (reverence is due to all living things and their growth); "Reifen und Vergehen" (ripening and decline) were added later to avoid a growth ideology. Practice: values are made explicit, not hidden behind neutrality; accept decline and limits as part of life, not only growth.
Pragmatic-political axiom: freedom within limits. Free decisions happen within inner and outer limits, and those limits can be widened. Practice: help the group identify the actual limits of a situation, then look for room to extend them.

Postulates

Be your own chairperson (Chairperson-Postulat). Become aware of your inner state and your surroundings and treat each situation as an occasion for your own decision; even obeying is a choice. Practice: invite participants to decide what they say, when, and how much, and to own it. Not a licence for self-realisation at others' expense; it is tied to interdependence and shared responsibility. [source: socialnet; RCI "What is TCI"]
Disturbances take precedence (Störungspostulat; often also "and passionate involvements"). Disturbances de facto take priority; ignored, they move to the foreground and block work. Practice: notice and name them; deal with them now or consciously agree to park them. Rainer cites the maxim "Never analyze in a burning house" for situations where not every disturbance can be worked on at once. [source: socialnet; Rainer 2018; Schmidt (CPE supervision); Wikipedia TCI]
Variant: responsibility postulate. Some authors list a third postulate ("be responsible for what you do and do not do, personally and socially") from Cohn's 1994 open letter to Günter Hoppe. Practice: include social and political responsibility in reflection. [uncertain: not accepted as a formal postulate in all sources] [source: Wikipedia TCI]

Model and leadership principles

Four factors in dynamic balance. I, We, It and Globe are equally important; no factor should dominate for long. Practice: at any moment ask which factor is neglected and bring it forward. [source: socialnet; RCI "What is TCI"; uibk ECM page]
Respect the Globe. "Wer den Globe nicht kennt, den frisst er!" (whoever does not know the Globe gets eaten by it). Practice: name institutional, time, room and social constraints openly; do not let the group behave as if they did not exist. Horstmann (2021) criticised a "wellness TZI" that neglects the Globe. [source: Rainer 2018; socialnet]
Participating leadership. The leader is first a participant and only second a leader; the job is to keep the balance. Cohn's image is the first violinist in an orchestra without a conductor, who plays along. The leader balances theme, personal and process orientations. Practice: be present as a person, but do not give up the leadership function. Leadership is learnable, not a status symbol. [source: socialnet; Rainer 2018; RCI "What is TCI"]
Guided, not laissez-faire. Sessions are led, not left to spontaneous group dynamics; laissez-faire and ingratiating styles are rejected. As participants mature they take over more self-direction. Practice: hold structure early, hand over leadership functions progressively. [source: RCI "What is TCI"; Scharer 2001]
Selective authenticity (selektive Authentizität). Everything said should be genuine, but not everything genuine needs to be said; "Takt und Timing" (tact and timing) belong to good communication. Practice: before disclosing, ask whether it helps the group's work now. [source: Rainer 2018; RCI "What is TCI"]
The theme as focus and transparency. The theme is the focus of learning; it should be formulated so participants can make it their own, and it makes the leader's aims visible so they can be accepted or contested. Practice: state your aim in the theme, not in hidden agendas. [source: socialnet; RCI "What is TCI"]
Method and attitude are inseparable. "Methode und Haltung gehören in der TZI untrennbar zusammen"; method without the humanist attitude becomes a "didaktische Trickkiste" (bag of teaching tricks). Practice: do not use structures as manipulation. [source: Löhmer & Standhardt 2015 sample]
Rules are aids, not laws. The auxiliary rules must never be used against the spirit of TCI; Cohn grew sceptical of them and criticised mechanical use. Apply them diplomatically. Practice: model and invite, do not police. [source: socialnet; Rainer 2018; Wikipedia TCI]
Values are not neutral. Cohn called the idea that one cannot stay neutral about values "a revolutionary idea" relative to psychoanalysis. Practice: you may name your values; do not impose them. [source: Cohn interview 1992]
Here and now, potentials over deficits; help towards self-help. Focus on present possibilities and prevention rather than processing individual problems. Practice: in a TCI group, steer away from turning one member into a patient; keep the theme. [source: Löhmer & Standhardt 2015 sample; Rainer 2018]
Both levels count. Content level and relationship level are equally important; group work should build cognitive and emotional-social capacities. [source: Löhmer & Standhardt 2015 sample]
Expertise still needed. TCI does not replace subject expertise: lead a clinical theme only if you know the clinical content. [source: Löhmer & Standhardt 2015 sample]
"Every person counts." Cohn's credo, reported by Langmaack: knowing that each person counts. Practice: make sure quiet members are reached. [source: Langmaack 2017 sample]

4. Intervention inventory

TCI's "interventions" are leadership acts: planning, theme work, structuring, communication aids, disturbance handling and level changes. Sources consulted give names and principles; step-by-step sequences are mostly assembled here from those principles and marked [synthesis]. Example language is illustrative throughout. Grouped as A. Planning and theme, B. Structures and social forms, C. Communication aids (auxiliary rules), D. Process interventions, E. Beginnings, endings and special formats.

A1. Four-factor planning analysis

Purpose / when: Before every session or course; also when re-planning after a session that went badly. Links I, We, It and Globe into an analysis of aims. [source: Scharer 2001; Handbook TOC (reflection questions on the four-factor model; worked planning examples)]
Steps: (1) I: who will come, what competence, concerns, feelings and histories they bring, and what you bring as leader. (2) We: group size, history, relationships, likely alliances and tensions. (3) It: the task or content and what must be achieved. (4) Globe: institution, mandate, time, room, money, current events, power relations. (5) Write a one-line aim for the session. (6) Predict which factor is most likely to be neglected and plan a structure that brings it in. (7) Keep a plan B; treat the plan as flexible. [synthesis, built on the four-factor definitions in RCI "What is TCI" and the flexibility rule in Beltz methods excerpt]
Example language (illustrative, to yourself or a co-leader): "The It is clear, but the Globe is that this team was told to come. If we ignore that, it will come back as a disturbance."
Watch for: plans that consider only the It (the commonest imbalance, per RCI); plans so tight there is no room for process. Working sign: in session you are rarely surprised by which factor demands attention. [source: RCI "What is TCI"; Schmidt (CPE supervision)]

A2. Theme finding and theme setting

Purpose / when: First two of the four theme steps (finding, setting, formulating, introducing). Finding: identify the real concern behind the task; setting: decide which aspect will be worked on in this unit. [source: socialnet; Langmaack 2017 sample (names four steps) [uncertain on Langmaack's exact steps]]
Steps: (1) Gather what participants, the institution and you want (pre-meeting contact, intake, last session's ending). (2) Identify where personal involvement and task meet. (3) Choose one aspect that fits the time available. (4) Check it against the Globe (is it allowed, safe, relevant here?). [synthesis]
Example language (illustrative): "Last week several of you said the hardest part is the first minute with a new patient. I'd like to make that this session's theme."
Watch for: themes chosen only by the leader's interest, or only by the institution's agenda; socialnet notes theme work is time-consuming but effective, and that some groups (therapy, compulsory) may not need a theme at all.

A3. Theme formulation

Purpose / when: Turn the chosen aspect into a sentence that invites personal involvement and the work. Formulation is also described as a way to address resistance (Scharer citing Kröger). [source: socialnet; Scharer 2001; RCI "What is TCI"]
Steps: Draft, then check against the criteria listed by socialnet: (1) short, clear, memorable; (2) fits participants' language and knowledge; (3) inclusive, not hurtful; (4) neither too narrow nor too broad; (5) inviting, with emotional appeal; (6) open to new perspectives, not manipulative; (7) consistent with TCI values and human rights; (8) supportive of the group process; (9) mindful of verbal ability, with nonverbal options. The RCI adds: it should include individuals, cover both factual and human levels, and invite openness and exchange. Then (10) rewrite until a participant could adopt it as their own. [source: socialnet; RCI "What is TCI"]
Example language (illustrative themes): Instead of "Countertransference": "What my patients stir in me and what I do with it." Instead of "Team communication": "How I want to be heard in this team, and how I listen."
Watch for: abstract nouns only (the I is missing); themes that presuppose an answer (manipulative); themes that expose people. Working sign: participants start speaking in the first person about the content quickly.

A4. Theme introduction

Purpose / when: At the start of each theme unit. The leader's open planning process should be perceptible during the introduction, and the theme should make the leader's aims visible. [source: Scharer 2001; RCI "What is TCI"]
Steps: (1) State the theme, written visibly if possible. (2) Say briefly why you chose it and what it means to you (selective authenticity). (3) Give any needed content input, short. (4) Describe the structure (who works with whom, for how long, what comes back to plenary). (5) Invite participants to connect it to themselves, often first in silence or individually (see B2). (6) Invite open reactions, including disagreement with the theme. [synthesis; Handbook TOC has a chapter on leading through theme formulation and introduction [uncertain]]
Example language (illustrative): "Our theme today is 'What my patients stir in me and what I do with it.' I chose it because I keep meeting this in my own work. First take a few quiet minutes; then we'll talk in threes, then together. If the theme doesn't fit you today, say so."
Watch for: long lectures (the It swamps the I); participants silently rejecting the theme (shows later as disturbance). Working sign: a lively first round where people link it to their own experience.

B1. Choosing social forms (structuring)

Purpose / when: Structuring is itself a leadership act. Alternate individual work, pairs/triads/fours, small groups, project groups and plenary to give each factor room. [source: RCI "What is TCI"; Handbook TOC (structuring as leadership; social forms: plenary, individual, 2-, 3-, 4-person groups); Beltz methods excerpt]
Steps: (1) Ask which factor the next step must serve: individual work and silence favour I; pairs and small groups favour We and give quieter members airtime; plenary serves the whole We and shared It. (2) Fit size to safety: smaller for more personal material. (3) Form groups by interest areas when content differs. (4) Give a clear task, time and what returns to plenary (e.g. visualise and present). (5) Debrief in plenary. [source: Beltz methods excerpt (interest groups, visualise and present; small groups then plenary)] [synthesis for factor mapping]
Example language (illustrative): "Find two people you haven't worked with yet. Twenty minutes. Bring back one question, not a summary."
Watch for: staying in plenary too long (few voices dominate); too many changes (process cut off, trust drops). Working sign: energy and participation rise after each switch. [source: Schmidt (CPE supervision)]

B2. Silence / individual reflection (Schweigen, Einzelarbeit)

Purpose / when: Let each person find their own relation to the theme before group exchange; strengthens chairpersonship. Listed as a TCI-specific structure; the RCI lists individual work as a social form; the Beltz excerpt uses individual reflection with a worksheet. [source: Handbook TOC; RCI "What is TCI"; Beltz methods excerpt] [uncertain: Cohn's own instructions for silent periods]
Steps: (1) Announce length (a few minutes). (2) Give one or two guiding questions linked to the theme. (3) Allow writing or simply sitting. (4) Close gently; invite but do not require sharing. [synthesis]
Example language (illustrative): "Take five minutes alone with the question: when did a patient last stir something in me I didn't expect? Note it if you like. You decide later what you share."
Watch for: silence experienced as pressure or as a test; people with trauma histories who dissociate in unstructured silence [synthesis]. Working sign: richer, more personal first contributions.

B3. Buzz groups (Summ- bzw. Murmelgruppen)

Purpose / when: Very short exchanges with neighbours, in place, without regrouping; listed as a TCI-specific structure. Useful after an input, or when the plenary has gone quiet. [source: Handbook TOC] [uncertain: steps are synthesis]
Steps: (1) Pose one question. (2) Ask people to turn to one or two neighbours for a few minutes. (3) Return to plenary with what struck them.
Example language (illustrative): "Turn to your neighbour for three minutes: what in that input fits your experience, and what doesn't?"
Watch for: pairs drifting off-theme; use only briefly. Working sign: noise level rises quickly and plenary contributions increase.

B4. Flash round (Blitzlicht)

Purpose / when: Listed among I-focused structures. A quick round in which each person says briefly how they are or where they stand, without discussion. Use at the start, at transitions, when you sense hidden disturbances, or at the close. [source: Handbook TOC] [uncertain: the format described is the standard German group-work usage]
Steps: (1) Ask one short question. (2) Each person answers in a sentence or two. (3) No comments or discussion during the round. (4) Afterwards decide (with the group) whether anything needs attention now.
Example language (illustrative): "A quick flash: one sentence on how you're here right now. No replies yet; we'll see afterwards what we need."
Watch for: pressure to perform feelings; allow "pass". Working sign: disturbances surface early and briefly.

B5. Other named structures: metaphor meditation, brainstorming, gallery walk (Rundgang), fishbowl, short talk (Vortrag)

Purpose / when: Named in the handbook contents as ICH-, WIR- or ES-focused structures (brainstorming, metaphor meditation) and as TCI-specific structures (gallery walk, fishbowl, talk). Use metaphor work to reach the I nonverbally; brainstorming for It-generation; gallery walk to view small-group products; fishbowl to let an inner circle work while the outer circle observes and later reflects; short talk for necessary content. The RCI also lists nonverbal exercises, presentations and interactive games as custom structures. [source: Handbook TOC; RCI "What is TCI"] [uncertain: procedural details for each are not drawn on; the descriptions are the generic forms of these structures]
Steps (fishbowl, illustrative of the type): (1) Inner circle of 4–6 works on the theme. (2) Outer circle observes with an observation task (e.g. which factor is neglected). (3) Swap or open an empty chair. (4) Plenary reflection on content and process. [synthesis]
Example language (illustrative): "Outer circle, watch the We: who speaks to whom, who gets lost?"
Watch for: observers judging the inner circle; keep feedback in the first person (see C-rules). Working sign: the observation adds process awareness the inner circle lacked.

C0. Introducing the auxiliary rules (Hilfsregeln)

Purpose / when: Cohn's communication aids support self-leadership and clarity. They are hints, not group laws; Cohn later became sceptical of them and criticised mechanical use. Three ways to introduce them: state them explicitly, use them implicitly by modelling, or let participants develop their own rules. [source: Beltz methods excerpt; socialnet; Rainer 2018]
Steps: (1) Choose the mode: explicit for short or task groups that need a quick frame; implicit modelling for groups sensitive to control; participant-developed for longer groups. (2) If explicit, present a few rules at a time, say they are aids, and invite objections. (3) Model them yourself consistently. (4) Refer to them when they help, never as reprimand. [synthesis on choice of mode]
Example language (illustrative): "These are offers that tend to make talking easier, not rules you'll be judged by. Try them and tell me if one gets in your way."
Watch for: rule-policing among participants ("you said 'we'!"), which socialnet warns against: rules must not be used against the spirit of TCI. Working sign: participants use them spontaneously without prompting.

The auxiliary rules below follow the nine-rule list in socialnet, with the body-language rule found in the Wikipedia list. Each can be used as an in-session intervention. [source: socialnet; Wikipedia TCI; uibk ECM page]

C1. Speak for yourself: "I" rather than "we" or "one"

Purpose / when: Take responsibility for what you say; use when someone hides behind "we", "one" or "everybody". [source: socialnet; Rainer 2018]
Steps: (1) Notice the generalised subject. (2) Invite a restatement in the first person, lightly. (3) Acknowledge the difference if it emerges.
Example language (illustrative): "You said 'one gets tired of these patients.' Would you try that as 'I'? … Does it feel different?"
Watch for: shame at being corrected; offer, don't insist. Working sign: statements become more specific and more owned.

C2. When you ask a question, say why you ask and what it means to you

Purpose / when: Questions can hide statements or interrogations; use when questions start to feel like cross-examination. [source: socialnet; Langmaack 2017 sample (chapter title "question rule")]
Steps: (1) Pause the question. (2) Ask the questioner what lies behind it. (3) Let them state their own position, then ask, if still needed.
Example language (illustrative): "Before Anna answers, can you say what's behind your question for you?"
Watch for: the rule used to block genuine curiosity. Working sign: fewer defensive answers.

C3. Be authentic and selective in what you communicate

Purpose / when: The participant-level form of selective authenticity: say what is genuine, choose what to say. Use when someone over-discloses or when the group pressures for disclosure. [source: socialnet; Rainer 2018]
Steps: (1) Remind people they choose what to share (chairperson). (2) If someone is disclosing beyond what seems safe, gently ask whether they want to go on here. (3) Protect the right not to speak. [synthesis]
Example language (illustrative): "Everything you say here should be true for you; not everything true has to be said here. You decide."
Watch for: confusing this with permission to be insincere. Working sign: people disclose at a pace they can integrate.

C4. Hold back interpretations of others; share your own reactions instead

Purpose / when: Interpretations made by peers are often projections and provoke defence. Use when a participant explains another's motives. [source: socialnet; Wikipedia TCI; Langmaack 2017 sample (chapter on interpretations)]
Steps: (1) Stop the interpretation. (2) Ask what the speaker felt or noticed in themselves. (3) Let the addressee respond to that.
Example language (illustrative): "Instead of why Peter does that, can you say what happens in you when he does it?"
Watch for: the leader's own interpretations; the uibk list phrases this as "timely interpretation", suggesting interpretations may be offered when timely [uncertain: wording varies between lists]. Working sign: less defensiveness, more direct contact.

C5. Be cautious with generalisations

Purpose / when: Generalisations leave the here and now and avoid personal involvement. Wikipedia's list adds that a generalisation can be useful to close one topic and open another. [source: socialnet; Wikipedia TCI]
Steps: (1) Notice "always", "all", "people like that". (2) Ask for a concrete example from the speaker's own experience. (3) Allow a generalisation as a deliberate summary at a transition.
Example language (illustrative): "'Teams never listen' – can you tell us one moment when you felt not listened to?"
Watch for: debates about abstractions replacing the theme. Working sign: talk becomes concrete.

C6. When you say something about another participant, also say what it means to you

Purpose / when: Turns judgement into personal feedback; use in feedback rounds and conflicts. [source: socialnet; Wikipedia TCI]
Steps: (1) Speaker describes the observed behaviour. (2) Adds how it affects them. (3) The addressee responds.
Example language (illustrative): "You've told Maria she's very quiet. What does her quietness mean for you?"
Watch for: evaluations dressed as feedback. Working sign: the addressee can hear it without retaliating.

C7. Side conversations take precedence

Purpose / when: Side conversations usually signal something important (a disturbance, a confusion, an unspoken objection). Bring them into the group rather than suppressing them. [source: socialnet; Beltz methods excerpt]
Steps: (1) Notice the side conversation. (2) Interrupt without reproach. (3) Ask whether it is something for the group. (4) If yes, give it room; if private, let them decide.
Example language (illustrative): "I see you two talking. Is it something that would matter for all of us?"
Watch for: sounding like a schoolteacher; the rule is about priority, not discipline. Working sign: hidden objections become usable material.

C8. Only one person speaks at a time

Purpose / when: Basic condition for listening; use when talk overlaps. [source: socialnet]
Steps: (1) Halt overlapping talk. (2) Let one speaker finish. (3) Note who else is waiting.
Example language (illustrative): "Three of you started at once. Let's take Jonas first, then Lea, then Ahmed."
Watch for: the same people always winning the floor. Working sign: people visibly listen.

C9. If several want to speak, agree briefly on what each wants to say

Purpose / when: Several people want the floor; each names their topic in a few keywords, and the group decides the order. [source: socialnet; Wikipedia TCI]
Steps: (1) Ask each would-be speaker for their topic in a few words. (2) Order them (by urgency, relation to theme, or disturbance first). (3) Proceed.
Example language (illustrative): "Each of you, just headlines. … It sounds like Ahmed's point is a disturbance, so let's take it first."
Watch for: keyword round becoming a debate. Working sign: smooth turn-taking, nothing lost.

C10. Attend to body language, yours and others'

Purpose / when: Listed in Wikipedia's version of the rules and as a Langmaack chapter. Use when words and posture diverge. [source: Wikipedia TCI; Langmaack 2017 sample] [uncertain: not in socialnet's nine-rule list]
Steps: (1) Notice your own signals. (2) Notice others' signals. (3) If useful, name an observation tentatively and invite the person to say what is happening, never interpreting for them (C4).
Example language (illustrative): "I notice I'm sitting back with my arms crossed; I think I'm tired. Something similar seems to be in the room – is that so?"
Watch for: diagnostic reading of bodies. Working sign: nonverbal disturbances become speakable.

D1. Inviting chairpersonship

Purpose / when: Put the chairperson postulate into practice: each person becomes aware of inner and outer reality, decides and owns the decision. Use at the start of a group, when people wait to be told, or when someone participates against their own limits. [source: RCI "What is TCI"; socialnet]
Steps: (1) State the postulate in plain words early on. (2) Build choice points into structures ("decide what you share", "pass is allowed"). (3) When someone complies resentfully, reflect that compliance is also a choice. (4) Hand over leadership functions (timekeeping, choosing structures) as the group matures. [synthesis; step 3 from RCI's note that obeying is also a choice; step 4 from Scharer 2001]
Example language (illustrative): "You're your own chair here: notice what you need, and decide what you do with it, including staying quiet."
Watch for: misuse as "do whatever you like"; socialnet stresses linkage with interdependence and shared responsibility. Working sign: participants announce their own limits and needs unprompted.

D2. Working with disturbances (Störungspostulat in action)

Purpose / when: Disturbances (anything that blocks work on the plan, aim or theme: tiredness, anger, grief, a conflict, noise, a news event) and passionate involvements get priority, because ignored they absorb energy and hidden agendas block the here and now. [source: socialnet; RCI "What is TCI"; Schmidt (CPE supervision)]
Steps: (1) Notice signs (side talk, silence, restlessness, a person withdrawing, your own irritation). (2) Name it tentatively or invite participants to report disturbances (they are asked to do so as chairpersons). (3) Clarify its source: I, We, It or Globe. (4) Decide with the group: give it space now, remedy it if possible, or consciously agree to park it with a time to return. (5) Return to the theme, perhaps reformulated. (6) If a disturbance cannot be handled now (crisis, "burning house"), act practically first and reflect later. [source: Schmidt (parking); Rainer 2018 (burning house); uibk ECM (disturbances from I, We, Theme or Globe)] [synthesis for sequencing]
Example language (illustrative): "Something seems to be in the way since the break. Is there something we need to deal with before we go on? … OK, we'll take ten minutes for it now, then return to the theme." / "Can we agree to put this aside until 4 pm and come back to it then?"
Watch for: the group turning every disturbance into the main topic (the It disappears); a leader who suppresses disturbances to stay on plan. The handbook contents include prevention of disturbances and when and how to introduce the postulate [uncertain]. Working sign: after the intervention energy returns to the theme.

D3. Rebalancing the four factors

Purpose / when: Restore dynamic balance when one factor dominates: e.g. task-only focus, individuals talking past each other, the group absorbed in relationships, or conditions ignored. Bring forward the factor receiving least attention. [source: RCI "What is TCI"; uibk ECM page; Scharer 2001; Cohn interview 1992]
Steps: (1) Diagnose silently: which factor is neglected? (2) Choose a move: to I ("what does this mean for you?", individual reflection); to We ("how are we working together right now?", pair work); to It (restate the theme, ask for content); to Globe (name the time, institution, outside events). (3) Make the move briefly. (4) Return to the theme. Cohn described directing the group "back to the theme - I, We and It". [synthesis for move list]
Example language (illustrative): "We've been exchanging facts for half an hour. Let's pause: where are each of you personally in this?" / "We haven't mentioned that the clinic is closing this ward. Does that affect how we're talking?"
Watch for: over-correcting into constant switching. Working sign: participation broadens and the theme deepens.

D4. Level change and metacommunication

Purpose / when: In critical situations (the group cannot work, persistent tension), the leader deliberately shifts from the content level to the psychosocial level. This interrupts the content work, creates a pause and restores the group's ability to work. Before intervening, know your hypothesis: why change level, and what should differ afterwards. [source: Beltz methods excerpt]
Steps: (1) Form a hypothesis. (2) Announce the level change. (3) Use one of the methods below. (4) Agree what changes. (5) Return to content. Methods named in the source:
- Metacommunication: ask about satisfaction with the work so far.
- Sociometric arrangement: participants position themselves in the room, e.g. on a line for current ability to work or closeness to the theme.
- Mutual assumptions between subgroups: subgroups write what they assume about each other, then compare.
- New contract: draft new working agreements or rules together.
- Movement: e.g. a solo reflection walk with a central question.
- Images and metaphors: draw the situation or write a story about it.
- Systemic and circular questions: e.g. what would have to happen overnight for this group to take on the topics with energy.
- Mirroring: feed the group's situation back and ask what they would do in the leader's place.
Example language (illustrative): "I'm going to stop the content for a moment. On a scale of 1 to 10, how satisfied are you with how we've worked today? Stand on the line where you'd put yourselves."
Watch for: level change as escape from difficult content; interrupting a productive process (Schmidt: mistrust). Working sign: the group names what was blocking and resumes with energy.

D5. The leader's selective self-disclosure (participating leadership)

Purpose / when: The leader chooses "selectively authentically" how much of their own sensations, feelings and thoughts to share and which ideas help or hinder the group. Use to model the rules, to name your own disturbance, or to make your aims transparent. [source: RCI "What is TCI"; socialnet; Rainer 2018]
Steps: (1) Notice your own state. (2) Ask: does saying this serve the group's work now? (3) If yes, say it briefly in the first person, without making the group responsible for it. (4) Return to the group's process.
Example language (illustrative): "I notice I'm getting impatient and I'd like to understand it rather than push on. Is the pace too fast for some of you?"
Watch for: the leader becoming the main participant; disclosure that burdens the group. Working sign: participants become more open themselves.

D6. Conflict analysis with the four-factor model

Purpose / when: Analyse a conflict by asking where it sits (I, We, It, Globe) and work towards consensus solutions. Named in the handbook contents; the uibk peace-studies page uses TCI's balance similarly in elicitive conflict work, and the leader is to sort conversation threads and see that the most important are processed. [source: Handbook TOC; uibk ECM page] [uncertain: the handbook's step sequence is not drawn on; steps below are synthesis]
Steps: (1) Let each party state their position in the first person (C1, C6). (2) Map with the group what belongs to whom: personal needs, relationship history, the task, the conditions. (3) Separate threads and decide which to process first. (4) Look for solutions that serve all four factors. (5) Agree and review.
Example language (illustrative): "Let's sort this: how much of it is about the two of you, how much about the task, and how much about the staffing rota nobody here chose?"
Watch for: harmony-seeking that buries the conflict (a known criticism of TCI). Working sign: the parties can name their own part and the Globe's part.

E1. Group beginnings and getting acquainted

Purpose / when: Opening phase; give enough time. [source: Handbook TOC (opening phase; beginnings and getting acquainted); Beltz methods excerpt] [uncertain: specific opening exercises]
Steps: (1) Welcome and frame (time, Globe, mandate). (2) A first-person introduction round linked to the theme. (3) Present working style and aids (C0), and the two postulates in plain words. (4) Introduce the first theme (A4). [synthesis]
Example language (illustrative): "Say your name, your work, and one thing you'd like to take away from these two days."
Watch for: rushing into content. Working sign: everyone has spoken once early.

E2. Closing and transfer

Purpose / when: End of a session or course. [source: Beltz methods excerpt]
Steps: (1) Leave enough time for open questions. (2) Support transfer: small groups discuss what each will apply, or an individual transfer worksheet. (3) Participants keep the sheet, or seal it in a self-addressed envelope that the leader posts weeks later. (4) Plenary summary that doubles as feedback to the leader. (5) Reflection questions on what was learned, what helped or hindered, and how the group worked together.
Example language (illustrative): "Write down one thing you will do differently in your next session. Put it in the envelope; I'll send it to you in six weeks."
Watch for: ending on unfinished disturbances; ending abruptly. Working sign: concrete, personal transfer statements.

E3. Teaching the TCI model to a group experientially

Purpose / when: When the group should use TCI itself (teams, trainees). The Beltz excerpt describes a sequence. [source: Beltz methods excerpt]
Steps: (1) Shared experiential task as common reference. (2) Introduce the iceberg model (content and relationship levels), visualised. (3) Small groups compare observations; add them to the iceberg in plenary. (4) Introduce the triangle with Globe briefly. (5) Four small groups each take one factor (I, We, It, Globe) for about 30 minutes on a guiding question about good collaboration. (6) Groups visualise and present; clarifying questions.
Example language (illustrative): "Your group takes the Globe: what around us makes collaboration easier or harder?"
Watch for: turning it into a lecture. Working sign: the group starts using the factors to describe its own process.

E4. Theme-centred clinicians' workshop (the countertransference format)

Purpose / when: TCI's origin: a workshop for analytic candidates on countertransference in which Cohn, as supervisor, presented her own case rather than remaining neutral. Adaptable for peer supervision and case groups. [source: Rainer 2018; Cohn interview 1992] [uncertain: Cohn's detailed format; steps are synthesis]
Steps: (1) Formulate a personal theme (e.g. reactions patients evoke in me). (2) Leader opens with a brief, selectively authentic example of their own. (3) Individual reflection, then small groups, then plenary. (4) Apply the aids (C1, C4, C6) so participants speak about their own reactions rather than diagnosing each other. (5) Close with what each will take into practice.
Example language (illustrative): "I'll start with a patient who still unsettles me, and what I think that's about. Then it's your turn, as far as you want."
Watch for: sliding into group therapy of a participant; maintain the theme and the professional frame. Working sign: participants report recognising their reactions sooner in practice.

5. Handling problems

The sources give principles (disturbances first, dynamic balance, structure–process–trust, level change) more than troubleshooting recipes. Responses are tagged accordingly.

Stuck or low-energy group. Treat it as a disturbance, not laziness. Check balance: often only the It has had attention. Use a flash round (B4) or a level change: ask about satisfaction, a sociometric line, or a circular question about what would need to happen for the group to take the topics on with energy (D4). Then reformulate the theme so it includes the I. [source: RCI "What is TCI"; Beltz methods excerpt] [synthesis for sequence]
Resistance to the theme. The theme makes your aims visible so participants can accept or oppose them; opposition is legitimate information. Invite it openly, explore what does not fit (I, We or Globe), and reformulate together. Theme formulation is itself described as a way to work with resistance. [source: RCI "What is TCI"; Scharer 2001] [synthesis for steps]
Disturbances take over the session. Disturbances have priority, but the theme should not vanish. Agree a time-box, or consciously park the issue with a time to return (Schmidt), and say explicitly when you return to the theme. In acute crises act first and reflect later ("burning house"). [source: Schmidt (CPE supervision); Rainer 2018]
Harmonising and conflict avoidance. Critics (Ermann 1977; Raguse 1987, 1992) warned that an over-accepting TCI leader may avoid conflict and slip into harmonistic thinking; Bittner criticised "embellished" emotions. Response: name differences explicitly, use the disturbance postulate to bring tension into the open (socialnet: taking disturbances seriously prevents forced harmony), and use conflict analysis (D6). [source: socialnet]
Dominant participants and silent ones. Use C8 and C9 for turn-taking, smaller social forms to give quieter members airtime, and a round so everyone has spoken. Speak to the dominant person privately or with selective authenticity about your own wish to hear others. [synthesis, drawing on Cohn's credo that every person counts (Langmaack 2017 sample)]
Rule-policing or rule-refusal (non-adherence). Rules must not be used against the spirit of TCI; Cohn grew sceptical of them. If participants correct each other mechanically, stop it and restate rules as offers. If participants refuse them, explore what the rule costs them, or let the group develop its own rules (C0). [source: socialnet; Rainer 2018; Beltz methods excerpt]
Overwhelm or over-disclosure in a non-therapy group. Invoke selective authenticity and chairpersonship: people choose what to share. Slow down, offer the right to stop, and if needed arrange individual follow-up outside the group. TCI aims at help towards self-help and prevention rather than processing individual problems. [source: Löhmer & Standhardt 2015 sample; Rainer 2018] [synthesis for the follow-up step]
Rupture with the leader (authority conflict, anger at the leader). Treat it as a We-disturbance with priority. Use selective self-disclosure (D5): acknowledge your part in the first person, ask what participants need, and if needed renegotiate the contract (D4). Avoid both defensiveness and abdicating leadership; TCI rejects laissez-faire. [synthesis; principles from RCI "What is TCI" and Scharer 2001]
Compulsory or institution-mandated groups (Globe pressure). Name the mandate openly ("Wer den Globe nicht kennt, den frisst er"). Explore limits and the room for choice inside them (third axiom). socialnet notes compulsory groups may not need a formal theme. [source: Rainer 2018; socialnet] [synthesis for steps]
Using TCI with therapy groups. TCI's authors say it is not primarily psychotherapy; therapy groups may not need a theme. Use the four factors, postulates and aids as a leadership frame within your own therapy model, and keep clinical judgement (risk, diagnosis, treatment plan) under your primary model. [source: Rainer 2018; socialnet; Löhmer & Standhardt 2015 sample (TCI as open system)] [synthesis]
Risk in a group (suicidality, acute crisis). The disturbance postulate means a safety concern overrides the theme. Interrupt, attend to the person's safety following your service's standard risk-assessment procedure (individually, not in plenary), arrange follow-up, then decide with the group how to resume and what to say. [synthesis; TCI sources do not cover clinical risk procedures]
Over-structuring or under-structuring. Too much structure stops the process; too little leaves it without conclusion; either breaks trust and raises anxiety. If participants are anxious and scattered, add structure; if bored or compliant, loosen it. [source: Schmidt (CPE supervision)] [synthesis for cues]
"Wellness TCI" and depoliticisation. Horstmann (2021) criticised TCI practice that neglects the Globe. Keep social and institutional realities in the work; Cohn intended TCI to carry political responsibility. [source: socialnet; Cohn interview 1992; Wikipedia TCI]
TCI used as a trick bag. Using structures to steer people without the attitude turns TCI into a "didaktische Trickkiste". Check that your structures are transparent and serve the participants' chairpersonship. [source: Löhmer & Standhardt 2015 sample]
Co-leader disagreement. Discuss in planning using the four factors; in session, use selective authenticity to make a difference visible if it is affecting the group, and agree a time to resolve it. [synthesis]
Online groups. Not addressed in the sources. Make the Globe explicit (technology, privacy, home settings), use breakout rooms as small groups, and use flash rounds more often because nonverbal cues are reduced. [synthesis]

Sources

Sources: