Thesis is a conversation card game for 2–6 players. For a group, it’s a conversation format: a word, a die, and a turn for each person. We make no clinical claims about it. The facilitator decides whether it fits the group and how to use it.
The setting
A group room with chairs in a circle and a low table in the middle. One deck per circle of 2–6. The facilitator holds the deck before the session starts.
How a session looks
The facilitator explains the rules and the pass rule, then the group starts. A player draws a card and chooses a side: the idea or the thing. Card 31, for example, has Gratitude on one side and Fence on the other. The player rolls and looks at the word from that side, and says as much or as little as feels right. The others ask what they’re curious about, gently, without judging.
The facilitator sets the length. In the last round, each player names one thing they discovered about someone in the group today.
What to watch for
- Passing. Guides for trauma-informed meetings recommend giving everyone the right to pass (CTIPP). The rules start with the same step: “Before you start, agree together how passing works.” The facilitator can set the rule for the group.
- The second side. Every card has an idea on one side and an everyday thing on the other. A player can choose the thing side.
- Which cards. A few words are heavy, such as Death and Betrayal. The facilitator can take cards out of the deck before a session.
- Pace. “A short answer is a full answer.”
- Confidentiality. The rule card says: “What is said at the table stays at the table.” The group’s own agreement comes first.
[OWNER: facilitator guide PDF, planned. Link here once it exists.]
Words to start with
Try it, then order
Play a round online · Order the box · Group therapy icebreakers for adults · More on the blog