Zurich Resource Model (ZRM)

1. Introduction

Version followed: the Zürcher Ressourcen Modell (ZRM®) as published by Maja Storch and Frank Krause (Selbstmanagement – ressourcenorientiert, 6th rev. ed., Hogrefe 2017: known here only from the publisher page and from authorised derivative texts), the original account in Storch (2000), and the individual-coaching version of the ZRM-Institut authors Meier, Weber, Eisenbart, Faude-Koivisto & Diedrichs (Ressourcenorientiertes Einzelcoaching nach ZRM®, Hogrefe 2021; publisher preview pp. 5–26). The five-phase structure (topic → motto goal → resource pool → action → transfer) is used throughout. Where only secondary summaries by ZRM-trained practitioners were available, this is tagged.

What it is. The ZRM is a resource-oriented, psychoeducational self-management training and coaching method, not a psychotherapy. It was developed from 1991 by Maja Storch with Frank Krause at the Chair of Educational Psychology (Prof. Fend), Universität Zürich, first for student teachers' psychosocial competence and burnout prevention, later opened to other groups and to one-to-one coaching [source: Storch 2000, pp. 307–309; Krause & Storch 2006; Steins summary 2020]. The authors describe it as both a theoretical model integrating motivational psychology and brain research and a practical training/coaching method [source: Krause & Storch 2006, abstract]. ZRM® is a registered mark; the institute's training materials (ZRM-Bildkartei, worksheets) are published by Hogrefe.

Core idea of change. Lasting change needs the conscious mind ("Verstand") and the unconscious emotional evaluation system to agree. The person's unconscious needs are read through positive somatic markers (Damasio) and turned, along the Rubikon process of motivation (Heckhausen & Gollwitzer, extended by Grawe), into a self-chosen, emotionally charged motto goal framed as an inner attitude. That goal is then anchored as a new neural network through a resource pool (reminders, primes, body posture, social support) and practised in increasingly difficult situations until it runs automatically. Resources are understood as neural activation patterns that support the person's intentions [source: Storch 2000, pp. 309–319; Steins summary citing Storch & Krause 2017; Meier et al. 2021, pp. 21–26].

Use by psychotherapists. Meier et al. name therapeutic settings and therapists among their target readers (p. 8), and Krause & Storch (2018) describe the picture-card manual as suited to counselling. In therapy, ZRM serves as a resource-activation and goal-motivation module inside a treatment plan. It does not replace disorder-specific treatment [synthesis].

2. Framework

Underlying process model: the Rubikon circle. The ZRM takes the motivational stages need (Bedürfnis) → motive (Motiv) → crossing the Rubikon → intention → pre-actional preparation → action. Meier et al. (2021) close it into a Rubikon-Zirkel by adding evaluation (Auswertung) and let the coach move between fields as needed, instead of following a strictly linear course [source: Meier et al. 2021, pp. 24–26; Steins summary].

The five ZRM phases [source: Steins summary of Storch & Krause 2017; Meier et al. 2021 table of contents, pp. 5–6]:

Language as a phase marker. Before the Rubikon people speak in the conditional ("I'd like to…"); after it they speak with commitment ("I'm doing that now") [source: Meier et al. 2021, p. 26].

Format and dose.

• Group training (original form): about 10 participants, across several course days, with plenary input, small-group work, solo work and flipcharts; follow-up contacts after 4–12 weeks and after 6–12 months [source: Storch 2000, pp. 317–323]. A later practitioner summary gives a follow-up exchange 2–6 months after the course [source: Steins summary]. Exact course length in the 2017 manual was not seen [uncertain].
• Individual coaching (Meier et al. 2021): full process of six sessions, about ten hours in total, with time limits agreed at contracting; shorter variants are described in their chapter 7: Meier et al. 2021, pp. 10, 18].
• Short/digital form: a "Basis-Motto-Ziel" (image → associations → attitude) can be formed in about 15 minutes of solo work online. It omits the guided reflection on needs and coach feedback loops of the full process [source: Coaching im digitalen Wandel 2020, p. 75].
• Special applications: decision coaching with the Affektbilanz; "affect-goal" coaching for avoided, unpleasant duties [source: Meier et al. 2021, ch. 6 title; Dyllick 2018 as cited].

Time horizon. Storch (2000) estimates roughly a year for new routines to consolidate, so the person is told to expect gradual automatisation rather than a quick fix [source: Storch 2000, pp. 318–319].

3. Guiding principles

The ten features of good ZRM coaching (Meier et al. 2021, pp. 13–19), plus principles from Storch (2000) and the model's theory:

• Process coaching with an approach intention. Steer toward a desired state, not away from a problem; you structure the process, the client supplies the content.
• Coach as process expert, client as content expert. Never suggest the goal, the image's meaning or the "right" reminder; offer options and let the client choose.
• Value neutrality. Do not judge which wish is worthy; the criterion is the client's own affect.
• Whole-person support. Head, feelings and body all count as data; ask about bodily reactions as well as thoughts.
• Equal footing. Work collaboratively and transparently, with no expert-led interpretation of images.
• Help for self-help. Each tool is taught so the client can use it alone (e.g. the Affektbilanz for future decisions).
• Confidentiality and transparency. Explain the method and obtain consent to the procedure before starting.
• Resource orientation, time-limited. Cultivate resources rather than diagnose problems (Storch 2000, pp. 309–310); agree a fixed number of sessions.
• Structure via the Rubikon circle. Locate where the client is "stuck" (need, motive, intention, preparation, action, evaluation) and intervene for that stage.
• Mandate-bound work. Work only on the agreed mandate; re-contract if the topic changes (for example, toward clinical material).
• Psychoeducation for sustainability. Explain the brain and motivation science so the client understands why each step is done.
• No return to the past. ZRM does not go back into biography; work from the present need forward (Meier et al. 2021, p. 22).
• Integrate conscious mind and unconscious. A goal counts only when reason and the somatic marker agree; a "half-hearted" goal is reworked, not pushed through [source: Steins summary; Storch 2000, pp. 314–315].
• Approach goals, 100 % own control, strong positive affect. These are the three core criteria for every goal [source: Storch 2000, pp. 313–315; Meier et al. 2021, ch. 3 title].
• Attitude before behaviour. Form a cross-situational inner attitude first, then derive concrete behaviour [source: Steins summary of Storch & Krause 2017].
• Neural plasticity needs practice. Repetition builds the new network, so start with situations where success is likely and only then move to harder ones (Storch 2000, p. 319).
• Client chooses the resources. The client decides which reminders and which posture to use (Steins summary).
• Exercises need trained facilitators. Storch warns against importing clinical group exercises unprepared; trust and role-play exercises need careful framing and debriefing (Storch 2000, p. 308).
• Clinical work stays clinical. When a disorder drives the problem, ZRM is an adjunct within proper treatment, not a substitute [synthesis; consistent with ICF 2018 and the Global Code of Ethics].

4. Intervention inventory

The interventions are listed in the order of the five phases. Source depth differs: the manuals were seen only as tables of contents and previews, so step detail often comes from Storch (2000) and from summaries by ZRM-trained practitioners. Each entry is tagged. Do not copy the ZRM worksheets or the Bildkartei; they are licensed Hogrefe materials and must be bought.

4.0 Contracting and orientation (ZRM-Grundprozess)

• Purpose / when: At the start of every ZRM process, to set the mandate, the time frame and consent to the method [source: Meier et al. 2021, pp. 17–18, 24].
• Steps: (1) Clarify who commissioned the work and what it is for. (2) Explain that ZRM is a structured, resource-oriented self-management method with roughly six sessions (individual form). (3) Get explicit agreement to working with pictures, bodily signals and associations. (4) State the boundary: this is coaching or self-management, not psychotherapy (or, in therapy, where it fits within the treatment plan), plus the limits of confidentiality [source: ICF 2018; Global Code of Ethics]. (5) Note candidate topics on the basic-process worksheet and help the client narrow them to one [source: Meier et al. 2021, p. 24].
• Example language (illustrative): "We'll use a five-step method that brings together what you think and what your gut says. It takes about six meetings. We'll work with pictures and with what you notice in your body. Is that OK for you?"
• Watch for: topics that are really symptoms (persistent low mood, panic, trauma intrusions). Screen against the referral signs in section 5 before going on [synthesis].

4.1 Psychoeducation: Rubikon circle and "two systems"

• Purpose / when: Phase 1 and whenever the client is confused about why a resolution failed. It explains why good intentions do not lead to action when the unconscious system does not agree [source: Meier et al. 2021, pp. 24–26 and ch. 2 "Zwei Systeme"; Steins summary].
• Steps: (1) Draw the circle: need → motive → Rubikon → intention → preparation → action → evaluation. (2) Ask the client where their topic sits now. (3) Introduce the two evaluation systems: the slow, verbal mind and the fast, body-based unconscious that signals through somatic markers. (4) Agree that a goal will count only when both systems say yes.
• Example language (illustrative): "Where are you on this circle at the moment? Still at 'it would be nice if', or already at 'I'm doing it'?"
• Watch for: relief and recognition ("so that's why my New Year resolutions never stick"). Overlong theory lectures are a sign to stop explaining [synthesis].

4.2 Somatic-marker training

• Purpose / when: Phase 1, before picture choice, so the client can notice and name positive and negative bodily signals and use them to evaluate options [source: Meier et al. 2021 ch. 2 title "Somatische-Marker-Training"; Steins summary; karrierebibel].
• Steps (as far as sources show): (1) Explain somatic markers as fast bodily signals of evaluation (warmth, lightness, tingling, tension, heaviness). (2) Have the client recall or imagine pleasant and unpleasant situations and describe where and how they feel each. (3) Practise spotting these signals in small everyday choices. The exact exercises in the manual were not seen [uncertain].
• Example language (illustrative): "When you picture that, what happens in your body? Where is it, and is it pleasant or unpleasant?"
• Watch for: clients with little interoceptive access, or whose bodily focus raises anxiety (panic, health anxiety, trauma). Slow down, keep the eyes open and use external anchors, or skip body focus [synthesis].

4.3 Bildwahl (picture choice with the ZRM-Bildkartei)

• Purpose / when: Phase 1 entry point. It gives the unconscious system a voice before the verbal mind takes over [source: Steins summary; Coaching im digitalen Wandel 2020, p. 75; Krause & Storch 2018 publisher page].
• Steps: (1) Lay out the picture cards: animals, plants, landscapes, people in pleasant scenes; the set is designed to be resource-evoking (Coaching im digitalen Wandel, p. 75). (2) Ask the client to browse without thinking much and choose the picture that triggers the strongest positive feeling. (3) Ask about the bodily reaction, and if needed rate it with the Affektbilanz (4.6). (4) Do not interpret the picture; its meaning is worked out in the next steps.
• Example language (illustrative): "Let your eyes wander, and don't think about why. Which picture pulls you in, the one that gives you a good feeling straight away?"
• Watch for: choosing by reason ("this one fits my topic"). Invite a second, gut-only choice. An authentic choice is usually quick and comes with visible relaxation or a smile [source: karrierebibel; Steins summary].

4.4 Ideenkorb (idea basket)

• Purpose / when: Phase 1 (and again in Phases 4–5). Others' associations widen the meaning of the picture and offer candidate words for the wish and motto goal [source: Steins summary; Coaching im digitalen Wandel 2020, p. 75].
• Steps (group): (1) Form a small group around the picture owner. (2) Members offer resource-oriented associations to the picture, through as many senses as possible (what it looks, sounds and feels like, what qualities it has). The owner listens and does not reply. (3) Write every association down on a sheet or flipchart. (4) The owner notices which words trigger a positive somatic marker. Steps (individual coaching): the coach supplies the associations in a structured way; in the online variant, experienced trainers prepared association lists for each picture [source: Coaching im digitalen Wandel 2020, p. 75; karrierebibel]. Detailed group rules in the manual were not seen [uncertain].
• Example language (illustrative): "I'll offer some ideas about your picture. You just listen and notice which ones give you a 'yes' in your body: steady, patient, sure-footed, takes its time…"
• Watch for: negative, problem-oriented or interpretive associations ("looks lonely"). Stop these; the basket holds resource associations only [source: Steins summary; synthesis on how to intervene].

4.5 Favourite ideas, self-reflection and the wish

• Purpose / when: End of Phase 1. It turns the associations into a consciously stated wish that the unconscious endorses [source: Steins summary; Meier et al. 2021, p. 22, ch. 2 "Thema klären mit Verstand und Unbewusstem"].
• Steps: (1) Working alone, the client marks favourite ideas: the words with the strongest positive marker. (2) Reflect with a guiding question such as why the unconscious responds so positively to these ideas, and which need they point to. (3) Write a current wish, often in metaphorical language.
• Example language (illustrative): "Look at the words you circled. What do they say about what you need right now? Put it as a wish, in whatever words come."
• Watch for: a wish that sounds like a duty ("I should be more disciplined") usually lacks a positive marker. Rate it (4.6) and return to the favourites [synthesis].

4.6 Affektbilanz (affect balance)

• Purpose / when: Used throughout: to check the picture, the wish and every draft motto goal, and to compare options in decision coaching. It makes the gut evaluation visible and comparable [source: finews/Hornig 2020; Meier et al. 2021 ch. 2 title; Storch & Krause 2017 publisher page].
• Steps: (1) Draw two separate scales, one for positive and one for negative feelings. Positive and negative are rated independently, not as one bipolar line. (2) The client marks each quickly, "from the gut". (3) Then put the feelings into words. (4) Read the result. A ZRM trainer's account gives the working target as positive at least about 70 with negative at or near zero; the scale range was not stated [source: finews/Hornig 2020; uncertain whether this matches the manual exactly]. (5) If negative affect is present, ask what would reduce it, then adjust the goal or option and rate again.
• Example language (illustrative): "Don't think. How strong is the good feeling about this sentence, and separately, is there any bad feeling?"
• Watch for: high positive together with marked negative (ambivalence). Do not proceed; explore the negative part and rework. Repeated flat ratings on every option can signal anhedonia and should prompt screening for depression [synthesis; ICF 2018 signs].

4.7 From wish to motto goal (goal types and formulation)

• Purpose / when: Phase 2, crossing the Rubikon. It forms a binding attitude goal ("Haltungsziel") as a motto, which works across situations and carries emotional energy [source: Steins summary; Meier et al. 2021 ch. 3; Storch 2009 as cited].
• Steps: (1) Explain the goal types: outcome/behaviour goals (like SMART goals) versus attitude/motto goals. ZRM forms the motto goal first and derives behaviour later. (2) Using the favourite words, draft a short sentence in the present tense, in vivid or metaphorical language, describing an inner attitude (a practitioner example: calmly going one's own way with "bear's calm") [source: Steins summary]. (3) Check the three core criteria (4.8). (4) Rate with the Affektbilanz and rework until it fits. (5) Write the final motto goal down.
• Example language (illustrative): "Let's make a motto from your words, something you could say to yourself in the moment. Present tense, and it should make you feel something."
• Watch for: a phrase that is clever but emotionally flat. Rework it until there is visible energy [source: Steins summary on "half-hearted" goals].

4.8 Three core criteria check

• Purpose / when: Every draft goal, in Phase 2 [source: Storch 2000, pp. 313–315; Steins summary; karrierebibel; Meier et al. 2021 ch. 3 title].
• Steps: (1) Approach goal: does it name a wanted state rather than avoiding something? "I am calm" rather than "I no longer get angry" (Storch 2000). It may be ambitious and needs no deadline. (2) 100 % under own control: can the client realise it regardless of others? If others' behaviour is needed, reformulate to the client's own stance. (3) Strongly positive affect: check with the Affektbilanz.
• Example language (illustrative): "Could you live this even if your boss doesn't change at all?"
• Watch for: hidden avoidance ("without…", "less…") and hidden conditions ("when they let me…").

4.9 Systemic check (systemische Optimierung)

• Purpose / when: End of Phase 2. It tests whether the goal fits the client's wider system: relationships, role, work, values [source: Storch 2000, p. 314; Meier et al. 2021 ch. 3 title "systemische Optimierung"].
• Steps (as far as sources show): (1) Imagine living the motto goal at home, at work and with key people. (2) Ask whether anything in that system would object or be harmed. (3) If so, adjust the wording and rate again. The exact procedure in the manual was not seen [uncertain].
• Example language (illustrative): "Picture your partner and your team meeting you with this motto. Does anything in you hesitate?"
• Watch for: a goal that makes sense only in one area or that would put the client at odds with obligations they care about [synthesis].

4.10 Psychoeducation: neural plasticity and the resource pool

• Purpose / when: Opening of Phase 3. It explains why the new attitude must be repeatedly activated before it becomes automatic [source: Storch 2000, pp. 318–319; Meier et al. 2021 ch. 4 titles].
• Steps: (1) Explain that the old habit is a well-worn neural path and the new goal a faint trail that only use widens. (2) Expect gradual change, with consolidation over months (Storch's rough estimate is about a year). (3) Introduce the resource pool as the client's personal collection of everything that activates the motto goal: the picture, the motto goal, reminders, posture and social support [source: Steins summary].
• Example language (illustrative): "Your motto is a new path through the woods. Each time you walk it, it gets wider. Everything we collect now helps you walk it more often."
• Watch for: expectations of instant change. Name relapses as normal in advance [synthesis].

4.11 Erinnerungshilfen: goal triggers and primes

• Purpose / when: Phase 3. Cues in the client's environment keep reactivating the goal network [source: Storch 2000, p. 319; Steins summary; Meier et al. 2021 ch. 4 "Erinnerungshilfen", "Priming"; Coaching im digitalen Wandel 2020, p. 77].
• Steps: (1) Distinguish goal triggers, which remind consciously (a note with the motto, a phone wallpaper of the picture), from primes, which work without awareness (colours, objects, music, scents linked to the goal). (2) Brainstorm candidates: colours, music, symbols, plants, places, activities, passwords. (3) Choose items that are under the client's control, are portable or fixed, and ideally are new so they carry no old associations. (4) Each candidate should itself trigger a positive somatic marker. (5) Place them in daily life and agree to check use. Study evidence suggests daily looking at a written motto goal matters for persistence (Dyllick 2018 as reported in Coaching im digitalen Wandel, p. 77).
• Example language (illustrative): "Where in your day could your bear show up: on your desk, as your screen lock, as a ring tone?"
• Watch for: reminders that stop being noticed (habituation). Swap or rotate them [synthesis].

4.12 Embodiment (goal-congruent posture)

• Purpose / when: Phase 3, and before demanding (B) situations. The body serves as a resource that evokes the attitude [source: Storch 2000, pp. 316–317; Steins summary citing Storch & Weber 2015; Meier et al. 2021 ch. 4].
• Steps: (1) Ask what the motto goal does in the body when the client says it. (2) Let the client explore movement and posture until one feels like the motto goal, then small-scale versions usable unobtrusively in public. (3) The coach may mirror and offer variations, but the client chooses. (4) Practise switching into the posture on cue. (5) Add it to the resource pool.
• Example language (illustrative): "Say your motto again and let your body show it. Bigger … now a version so small nobody in a meeting would notice."
• Watch for: self-consciousness (normalise it and offer to try with eyes closed or facing a wall), bodily pain or limitations (adapt), and trauma-related body memories (stop and ground; see section 5) [synthesis].

4.13 Iconics and social resources

• Purpose / when: Phases 3–5. Meier et al. list "Ikonik" and social resources in chapter 4; no procedural detail is drawn on [uncertain]. The social resource is described in practitioner summaries as tandems or networks, ideally with physical proximity, mutual liking and commitment, with the form left to participants [source: Steins summary].
• Steps (social resources): (1) Identify one or two people who could support the motto goal. (2) Decide whether and what to tell them. (3) Agree a light check-in rhythm. In groups, form tandems before the course ends.
• Example language (illustrative): "Who in your life would enjoy seeing you live this motto? Would you like to tell them about it?"
• Watch for: support people who undermine the client. Choose others, or keep the goal private [synthesis].

4.14 Situation types A, B and C

• Purpose / when: Opening of Phase 4. It sorts real-life situations by difficulty so practice can be graded [source: Storch 2000, pp. 315–319 (types 1–3); Steins summary; Meier et al. 2021 ch. 5 "Situationstypen-ABC"].
• Steps: (1) Type A: situations where the goal already succeeds almost automatically. Have the client notice and credit even small successes. (2) Type B: difficult but foreseeable situations, which can be prepared for (4.15). (3) Type C: surprising situations that are hard to prepare for and can derail the goal; use first-aid strategies (4.16). (4) List concrete examples of each and start practice where success is likely.
• Example language (illustrative): "Where does your motto already work without effort? Where can you see the hard moments coming? And where does it tend to catch you off guard?"
• Watch for: clients who list only C situations. Look for A and B examples first to build success [synthesis following Storch 2000, p. 319].

4.15 Preparing B situations: mental rehearsal and if-then plans

• Purpose / when: Phase 4, for each foreseeable difficult situation. Practitioners call it a "gym for the neural network" [source: Steins summary; Storch 2000, p. 317; Meier et al. 2021 ch. 5 "Wenn-Dann-Pläne"].
• Steps: (1) Describe one B situation precisely: where, when, who, the first warning sign. (2) Use an Ideenkorb (group or coach) for ways to bring the motto goal into it. (3) Choose resources from the pool: posture, a prime in the pocket, a social ally. (4) Form if-then plans that link a concrete cue to a goal-congruent response (implementation intentions, after Gollwitzer). (5) Rehearse mentally with the posture. Storch (2000) names imagery methods borrowed from hypnotherapy, behaviour therapy and psychodrama, and short role-play can be added. Rehearsal here is waking imagery, not trance [synthesis on that limit].
• Example language (illustrative): "If the meeting turns to the budget and I feel my neck tighten, then I lean back, put my feet flat and think 'bear's calm'."
• Watch for: plans that depend on others' behaviour (check 100 % control again) and plans too vague to trigger. Test them with the Affektbilanz.

4.16 C situations: first aid and early warning signs

• Purpose / when: Phase 4. It limits the damage from surprise situations and frustration after setbacks [source: Steins summary; Storch 2000, p. 319].
• Steps: (1) Identify early body or thought signals that the old pattern is starting. (2) Choose a short first-aid response (a breath plus posture, leaving the room briefly, a short version of the motto). (3) Afterwards, review without self-criticism: what helped, what was the earliest signal. (4) Convert recurring C situations into B situations with a plan.
• Example language (illustrative): "Next time it catches you off guard, the goal isn't to handle it perfectly, just to notice it sooner. What's the very first sign?"
• Watch for: prolonged self-blame after a lapse. Normalise it and return to A successes [source: Steins summary on not dwelling on failure].

4.17 Transfer: main obstacle, closing reflection and follow-up

• Purpose / when: Phase 5. It secures maintenance after the training or coaching [source: Steins summary; Storch 2000, pp. 317–318; Meier et al. 2021 ch. 5 "Evaluation"].
• Steps: (1) Each person names the most realistic main obstacle to staying with the motto goal. (2) Hold an Ideenkorb for tips on that obstacle. (3) Set up or confirm social resources. (4) Close with a reflection sheet or picture and one main insight. (5) Schedule follow-up: practitioner summaries give 2–6 months, Storch (2000) gave 4–12 weeks and 6–12 months. At follow-up, evaluate use, refresh reminders and revise the motto goal if its energy has faded.
• Example language (illustrative): "What's most likely to get in your way over the next three months? Let's collect ideas for exactly that."
• Watch for: a motto goal that has lost energy. Re-rate it and refresh it from the original favourite words rather than starting from scratch [synthesis].

4.18 Decision coaching with the Affektbilanz

• Purpose / when: When the topic is a choice between options (a special application in Meier et al. 2021 ch. 6) [source: finews/Hornig 2020].
• Steps: (1) Write each option down. (2) Make one Affektbilanz per option. (3) Compare: the option with clearly more positive and less negative affect gives the direction. (4) For the leading option, explore what would reduce the remaining negative affect, change the plan accordingly and rate again (in Hornig's case example, negative affect fell to about 10 once a concrete safeguard was added). (5) Combine with reasoned analysis; the aim is agreement between the two systems.
• Example language (illustrative): "For option A, quickly: how much good feeling, how much bad? Now the same for B."
• Watch for: both options with high negative affect. Look for a third option or a modification rather than choosing the lesser evil [synthesis].

4.19 Affect-goal coaching for avoided duties ("turning duty into joy")

• Purpose / when: For unpleasant tasks that cannot be avoided (exams, admin, chores). It changes the inner attitude toward the task rather than the task itself [source: Meier et al. 2021 ch. 6 title; Dyllick 2018 as reported in Coaching im digitalen Wandel 2020, pp. 75–77].
• Steps (short/basic form): (1) Name the unpleasant task. (2) Choose a picture with strong positive affect. (3) Collect associations (prepared lists in the online version). (4) From the favourites, form an attitude motto for approaching the task ("Basis-Motto-Ziel", about 15 minutes alone). (5) Write it on a note and look at it daily; Dyllick's field study found lasting effects only in those who did. In the full coaching form, add guided reflection on needs and coach feedback loops.
• Example language (illustrative): "You still have to do the tax return. The question is what attitude you want to do it with."
• Watch for: avoidance driven by depression, ADHD or anxiety rather than plain dislike. These need assessment and treatment of their own [synthesis].

4.20 Using the picture-card method in counselling (Krause & Storch manual)

• Purpose / when: A shorter resource-activation use of picture choice and image analysis to widen options for action in counselling, education and social work [source: Krause & Storch 2018, publisher page].
• Steps: Picture choice (4.3) → analysis of the chosen picture through associations (4.4–4.5) → deriving action strategies. The manual's detailed steps are not drawn on here [uncertain].
• Watch for: the same cautions as 4.3–4.5.

5. Handling problems

5.1 The coaching–psychotherapy boundary as published

• ZRM authors: ZRM is presented as a psychoeducational self-management training and coaching method, rooted in resource orientation and salutogenesis rather than pathology [source: Storch 2000, pp. 307–310; Krause & Storch 2006]. Meier et al. (2021) frame ZRM coaching as time-limited, mandate-bound process coaching that does not go into the past (pp. 14–22), and they also list therapeutic settings as a context of use (p. 8). The pages cited state no explicit exclusion criteria or referral rules [uncertain: the full manuals may contain them].
• ICF: Coaching focuses on goals, the present and the future and serves generally well-functioning people. Therapy addresses psychopathology, emotional healing and trauma and the past. Coaches do not diagnose or treat; they refer when needs exceed their qualifications, experience or contract, and the coaching agreement should state that coaching is not therapy [source: ICF, Hullinger & DiGirolamo 2018].
• EMCC and Association for Coaching (shared Global Code of Ethics): The Code states that coaching is not counselling, psychotherapy or medical intervention. Practitioners work within their competence, refer to a more experienced or suitably qualified practitioner where appropriate, and encourage ending the engagement if the client would be better served by a different form of professional help. Confidentiality is limited where there is illegality or risk of harm, and those limits are explained when contracting [source: Global Code of Ethics, v4 Dec 2025; AC Code of Ethics page].
• For a psychotherapist using ZRM: Decide explicitly which frame applies. Within therapy, ZRM is a resource-activation module under the existing diagnosis and treatment plan. In a coaching contract, clinical problems that emerge mean re-contracting or referral, even if you hold a clinical licence [synthesis].

5.2 Concrete signs that a participant needs clinical care (stop ZRM coaching, assess or refer)

Based on ICF (2018), adapted to ZRM-specific observations [source: ICF 2018; ZRM-specific signs are synthesis]:

• Function: the issue interferes with self-care, work, home life or leisure, with marked duration, frequency or intensity.
• Distress signs: marked mood change (irritability, anger, anxiety, sadness), falling performance at work or study, withdrawal, change in weight, appearance or hygiene, sleep disturbance. A cluster of persistent signs matters more than any single sign.
• Depression: pervasive sadness, emptiness or loss of interest for more than two weeks, worthlessness, recurrent thoughts of death. In ZRM this can show as no picture producing a positive marker, and every Affektbilanz staying flat [synthesis].
• Anxiety: excessive worry on most days for months, with tension, poor concentration and sleep problems. Body-focus exercises that trigger panic are a further sign [synthesis].
• Trauma: intrusive memories, avoidance, hypervigilance or numbing after a frightening event. In ZRM: a picture, association or posture that triggers flashbacks or dissociation [synthesis].
• Eating disorders: obsessive preoccupation with food, cutting out food groups without a medical reason, distress around eating. Avoid embodiment and body-image work until assessed [synthesis].
• Substance problems: rising tolerance, withdrawal, neglected obligations, hiding use, failed attempts to stop.
• Thought disorder or psychosis: incoherent speech, paranoia, delusions, hallucinations. Picture and metaphor work can be taken literally or woven into delusional meaning [synthesis].
• Elevated mood: grandiose, escalating motto goals with reduced sleep and pressured speech suggest hypomania or mania [synthesis].
• Suicidality: hopelessness, talk of death, giving possessions away, reckless behaviour, seeking means. Ask directly, assess risk using standard practice, contact emergency or crisis services if danger is imminent, and stay with the person. Lethal-means counselling covers safe storage or removal only [source: ICF 2018; standard practice].
• Lack of progress despite reasonable time, because of unresolved emotional issues, recurrent self-defeating patterns or effects of trauma.
• Coach's own reactions: feeling responsible for the client, pressure to fix them, dread before sessions. Take this to supervision.
• How to refer (ICF 2018): talk privately and unhurriedly, name the specific changes you have seen with care, ask how the client feels about therapy, offer resources and help to book, expect to raise it more than once, and agree whether coaching pauses, continues alongside therapy or ends.

5.3 Process difficulties and responses

• No picture appeals / all feel neutral. Lower the bar: choose the "least unpleasant" or most "interesting", or use the client's own photos or memories of pleasant places. Persistent anhedonia calls for screening (5.2) [synthesis].
• Client chooses by reason, not gut. Ask for a fast second choice with a time limit, and ask about the body reaction [source: principle in Steins summary; synthesis on method].
• Negative or problem talk in the Ideenkorb. Stop politely, restate the resource-only rule and offer an example of a resource association [source: Steins summary; synthesis].
• Half-hearted motto goal (positive under target, or negative clearly present). Do not proceed. Ask what the negative part is protecting, and include that need in a reworded goal; rate again [source: Steins summary; finews/Hornig 2020; synthesis on technique].
• Client insists on a SMART behaviour goal. Explain that ZRM sets the attitude first and the concrete steps come later in Phase 4. Behaviour goals and if-then plans are kept, just later in the sequence [source: Steins summary; Storch 2009 as cited].
• Goal depends on others ("my boss should respect me"). Return to the 100 %-control criterion and ask what stance the client wants regardless of the boss [source: Storch 2000; karrierebibel].
• Client keeps returning to the past. ZRM does not work biographically (Meier et al. 2021, p. 22). Acknowledge the history, return to the present need, and if past material dominates, re-contract for therapy or refer [synthesis].
• Non-adherence: reminders unused. Check whether the reminders still carry a positive marker, make them more visible, and rotate novel ones. Point to the finding that daily looking at the written motto goal sustained effects (Dyllick 2018 as reported) [source: Coaching im digitalen Wandel 2020, p. 77; synthesis].
• Lapses and frustration. Normalise these through the plasticity explanation, count A-situation successes, and turn repeated C situations into planned B situations [source: Storch 2000, p. 319; Steins summary].
• Stuck at a Rubikon stage. Locate the stage on the circle. A client stuck before the Rubikon needs more need-clarification (back to Phase 1); a client stuck after it needs preparation or practice (Phases 3–4) [source: Meier et al. 2021, pp. 24–26; synthesis].
• Overwhelm or dissociation during picture or body work [synthesis]. Stop the exercise and orient the client to the present: eyes open, name objects in the room, feet on the floor, slow breathing. Remove the picture, and offer neutral options for that client later. Do not explore the triggered content within a coaching contract. Afterwards, assess for trauma and refer or switch to a trauma-informed therapeutic frame.
• Group difficulties (dominant members, unwanted disclosure, ridicule of pictures) [synthesis, informed by Storch 2000, p. 308]. Set ground rules on confidentiality and on resource-only feedback. Keep exercises voluntary, and debrief any group exercise.
• Rupture (client feels the coach imposed meanings or associations). Acknowledge it, return the client to content-expert position, and invite them to discard anything that does not resonate [source: Meier et al. 2021, pp. 14–17 on roles; synthesis].
• Embodiment discomfort (shame, pain, cultural or religious reservations). Offer micro-postures, imagined postures or a verbal-only version; the client chooses [synthesis].
• Organisational mandate conflicts (employer-paid coaching where the client's motto goal diverges from the employer's aim). Clarify the triangular contract and confidentiality at the start (Meier et al. 2021, mandate-bound work; Global Code of Ethics on contracting) [synthesis].
• Trademark and training. Use the licensed Bildkartei and worksheets, and get ZRM training through the institute's courses before offering "ZRM®" by name. Certification details were not verified [uncertain].

Sources

Sources

• Storch, M. (2000). Das Zürcher Ressourcen Modell ZRM. Beiträge zur Lehrerinnen- und Lehrerbildung 18(3), 307–323 (peDOCS)
• Meier, Weber, Eisenbart, Faude-Koivisto & Diedrichs (2021). Ressourcenorientiertes Einzelcoaching nach ZRM®, Hogrefe: publisher reading sample pp. 5–26
• Krause, F. & Storch, M. (2006). Ressourcenorientiert coachen mit dem Zürcher Ressourcen Modell – ZRM. Psychologie in Österreich 1/2006 (BÖP; first pages only)
• Hogrefe: Storch & Krause, Selbstmanagement – ressourcenorientiert, 6th ed. 2017 (publisher page)
• Hogrefe: Krause & Storch, Ressourcen aktivieren mit dem Unbewussten, 2nd ed. 2018 (publisher page)
• Wegener et al. (Hrsg.) (2020). Coaching im digitalen Wandel, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, open access, p. 75 and p. 77
• ZRM summary, coaching-training paper, InKonstellation Köln (2020) (secondary)
• Hornig, G. (2020). Wie sich ein Bauchgefühl vermessen lässt. finews.ch (ZRM trainer; secondary)
• Karrierebibel: Zürcher Ressourcen Modell – die 5 Phasen (secondary)
• Hullinger, A. M. & DiGirolamo, J. A. (2018). Referring a Client to Therapy: A Set of Guidelines. International Coaching Federation
• Global Code of Ethics for Coaches, Mentors and Supervisors, v4 (Dec 2025) (EMCC)
• Association for Coaching: Global Code of Ethics page

Further reading (not drawn on)

• Storch, M. & Krause, F. (2017). Selbstmanagement – ressourcenorientiert. Grundlagen und Trainingsmanual für die Arbeit mit dem Zürcher Ressourcen Modell (ZRM®) (6th ed.). Hogrefe.
• Krause, F. & Storch, M. (2018). Ressourcen aktivieren mit dem Unbewussten. Manual und ZRM-Bildkartei (2nd ed.). Hogrefe.
• Meier, R., Weber, J., Eisenbart, U., Faude-Koivisto, T. & Diedrichs, A. (2021). Ressourcenorientiertes Einzelcoaching nach ZRM®. Hogrefe.
• Storch, M. (2009). Motto-Ziele, S.M.A.R.T.-Ziele und Motivation. In B. Birgmeier (Hrsg.), Coachingwissen. VS Verlag.
• Storch, M. & Weber, J. (2015). Embodiment und seine Bedeutung für das Coaching. In S. Greif et al. (Hrsg.), Handbuch Schlüsselkonzepte im Coaching. Springer.
• Dyllick, T. (2018). Turning duty into joy! Organisationsberatung, Supervision, Coaching, 2/2018.
• Heckhausen, H. & Gollwitzer, P. M. (Rubikon model); Damasio, A. (1994/1996), Descartes' Irrtum; Grawe, K. (1998), Psychologische Therapie. Hogrefe.