MAC cards in the video call
Metaphoric associative cards are a technique that needed a table and a physical deck, and many psychologists dropped them after moving online. In CognitEase, the deck sits right inside the video session. You draw a card, your client sees it on their screen that same second, and only you see the prompt for the image. You stay in contact and forward nothing.
Try it freeThe card in the center, both videos in the corners
When the deck stayed behind in the office
- You hold a card up to the camera, and your client asks, “Can you bring it closer? I can’t see it.”
- You take a photo of the card and send it to the chat while the session waits.
- Online, you gave up on cards altogether, even though with some clients they worked better than words.
- Your client joined from a computer, and your “second screen” with the card doesn’t fit in the frame.
A deck in the video session
The technique hinges on the moment when you both look at the image and you see the client’s reaction right away. Online, that moment got lost: by the time the card arrived as a photo in the chat, the conversation had moved on. Here, you and your client see the card at the same time, both videos stay on screen, and work with the image moves at the same pace as in your office.
The technique stays in your hands. Only you draw the card, and beneath it you see a description of the image to work with, while the client sees only the picture, with no prompts. The same card won’t come up twice in one session, and when you’re done with the image, the conversation carries on without cards as if nothing happened.
How the client sees the card: just the image, no description, no buttons
What changes when cards are part of the session
Both of you at once.
You drew a card in Berlin, and your client saw it in Tbilisi that same second.
The prompt is for you only.
Beneath the card is a description of the image for your work, while the client sees only the picture.
Works on the client’s computer.
In a browser, the client sees the same card as in Telegram.
Classic deck.
52 cards, each drawn once per session.
Nothing breaks the call.
Once you’re done with the cards, the session goes on and the video is full screen again.
Survives a dropped connection.
The client dropped out and came back, and the screen shows the same card and the same deck.
Why a projective technique belongs online too.
An image does what words don’t.
Metaphoric cards work where a client finds it hard to name a state directly: choosing a picture and talking about it is easier than talking about yourself. In person, the deck lies on the table and the technique needs no explanation. Online, it usually gets lost: holding a card up to the camera is awkward, and sending a photo breaks the contact. In CognitEase, cards become an ordinary session tool again, without juggling two devices.
Timing matters more than the picture.
You see the client’s reaction to the image right away, without pausing to send a file, and the video stays on screen, so the contact isn’t broken. The client isn’t distracted by descriptions and sees only the image.
What you keep.
Drawn cards are saved. There’s no separate screen with the card history for a session yet, but you write a note about which image the client chose and what they said about it right after the call.
Who it’s for.
For those who worked with MAC cards in the office and stopped after moving online. Cards are also useful if you see clients who find it hard to talk about feelings directly, or if you want to vary your online sessions without adding a third service.
Questions about the cards.
Can I upload my own deck?
Right now there’s one classic deck of 52 cards. Custom decks are planned. If there’s a deck you work with, write to us: it helps us decide what to add first.
Can the client draw a card themselves?
No. Only the specialist draws cards, and the client sees the result. That way the technique stays in your hands, just as in your office.
Is the card history for a session saved?
Drawn cards are saved, but there’s no separate history screen yet. You write a note about the image right after the session.
Do I need to turn anything on in settings?
No. MAC cards are available to every psychologist right away, directly in the video session.
Does the client see the card description?
No. The description is your prompt for working with the image, and only you can see it.