ROADS: A Deck of projective cards is a psychological tool for settings of individual therapy and group therapy.
The set is a helpful resource for mental health professionals working with children, adolescents or adults, having a wide range of needs.

Examples of therapeutic application

Single Cards

Cards can be used separately as individual stimuli representing situations or periods in the client’s life.

For example, the therapist asks the client or the group members: “Choose a card that can portray the ‘career path’ lying ahead of you.” On the basis of this visual representation of the situation, the client can describe the feelings and thoughts that arise while choosing and observing the card. The client is encouraged to think about internal and external factors, as well as people in the environment that may influence the choice.

Joining Cards

Cards can be joined to one another to create a longer image of a road, representing a process in the client’s life. For example, the therapist asks the client: “Choose a card that depicts your life journey before you got sick. Put it next to a card describing the period of hospitalisation and then add a card describing the path you are taking today.” As the client builds a road composed of three different paths (cards); the process of dealing with the illness is represented visually as well as thematically. This road represents her/his life journey in the given periods and can serve as a basis for further observation, processing and interventions in future therapeutic sessions.