Welcome to the second of four sessions exploring using tarot as a therapeutic tool for clients. These sessions are standalone and open to everyone: you do not need to attend every session to benefit and it is fine to attend this session even if you haven’t attended the others in this series.
In this session, we will explore person-centred tarot reading. Tarot readings are often classed as ‘divination’, where the professional reader is often in the control seat, telling a client what they think is happening in their world. On the other hand, person-centred principles put the client in charge and trusts that they know what is best for their own lives. How can we bring these seemingly contradictory practices together for the benefit of those who we work with?
More about this series
Tarot cards are used all over the world for a variety of reasons: divination, self-support, journaling, creativity, and more. In recent years, their powerful, archetypal images – which depict the human condition so powerfully – have become popular as a therapeutic tool, both for self-reflection and for use in professional therapeutic work.
The Tarot is a deck of cards which was probably created in the 15th Century in Italy. Initially used as a gaming device – or perhaps for personal contemplation – these mysterious cards quickly spread all over the world and eventually became associated with occult practices and divination.
The images of the tarot are imbued with archetypal images; they depict a human journey towards enlightenment – or perhaps, from a counselling perspective, a journey towards individuation. It has an uncanny ability to reflect important insights about our lives to us – but only if we are willing and open enough to work with it.
It doesn’t matter if you see this process as a spiritual one or a psychological one: Tarot has the power to heal, and that in itself is significant. The cards can represent experiences that words sometimes fail to capture, making them a powerful tool for expressing difficult feelings and experiences. It can also offer us fresh perspectives on our lives, helping us to break old habits, as well as being a wonderful tool for meditation and creative inspiration.
During this series, counsellor, eco-therapist and tarot reader Stephen McCabe will introduce some of the many ways in which the Tarot can support wellbeing. This will include working with groups, one-to-one clients, and outdoors as an eco-therapy tool.
Learning Objective Participants Can Expect From This Event
- To learn a new and creative way of working with clients with a visual prompt.
- To learn how the Tarot can support a personal wellbeing practice.
- To learn about the history and structure of the tarot.
Who is This Workshop Appropriate For?
- The workshop is suitable for people who would like to explore Tarot as a tool for their personal wellbeing and also for those who work in therapeutic settings who would like to bring the cards into their work.
How May This Workshop Impact Your Practice?
- The workshop will introduce a visual and spiritual tool for wellbeing that can be easily used in client work.
Course Content
Presenter
Stephen McCabe is an ecotherapist, tarot reader, counsellor and ordained Zen Buddhist. His work includes tutoring for the Ten Directions ecotherapy training programme, facilitating nature groups in Scotland, Tarot Therapy work and running wellbeing groups based on myth and folklore. He is currently working on his first (nature-infused) novel.
