Therapy with Tarot

So first, I’m giving you a therapist’s perspective. An honest to God, licensed therapist, who has a Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. Which means, in short…

I’m not a witch. 

I can’t tell the future. 

I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow or next year or when you’re going to find the love of your life.

I really wish I could. I say to clients all the time, I wish I had a crystal ball I could look into or a magic wand that would just solve all the issues. 

But. I don’t. 

So why tarot cards then?

Each card, with its unique set of artwork, is infused with metaphor and stories. And since all my work in the therapy room is about the stories my clients tell themselves - who they are, what they deserve, and what to expect…

It kinda makes sense that I enjoy other story telling to foster curiosity and change? 

Right? 

I don’t use traditional tarot spreads, and I don’t start out the session with tarot cards.

Usually the client opens with what their needs are this week, and what they’re grappling with. I shuffle and shuffle as I absorb what I’m  hearing. I reflect the different patterns I see. I validate the pain and tension they’re experiencing. And then I pull a few cards. 

Some of my clients enjoy tarot as a form of self care and spiritual growth in their personal lives, and so the cards take a more center stage during session. 

Some of my clients are devoutly Christian, and find some of the Christian themes in the tarot artwork interesting and helpful, but don’t ask for the cards directly. 

Most of my clients are able to see an aspect of their experience better in the artwork of tarot than they are in telling their own story. Something about seeing their emotional experience expressed so concretely but also so differently, sparks a new idea. A revelation. An insight to help them move forward.