Tarot as a therapeutic tool

I use tarot as a reflective, client-led tool to mirror the many parts of who we are, a gentle way to surface feelings, patterns, and inner wisdom so we can make clearer, more meaningful choices.

  • The use of archetypes and symbolic imagery has a long history in psychology. Carl Jung described archetypes as universal patterns and symbols that help us understand different aspects of ourselves. Later thinkers like James Hillman expanded this work, emphasizing how images, myths, and symbols can help people connect more deeply with their inner world. Many therapeutic approaches also use similar ideas. For example, Gestalt therapy invites people to dialogue with different parts of themselves, narrative therapy (White & Epston) helps clients explore the stories they carry about their lives, and Internal Family Systems (Richard Schwartz) focuses on understanding and caring for our inner parts. Tarot naturally fits within this lineage as a visual and symbolic way to reflect these inner experiences.

  • Qualitative research in psychotherapy and counseling has shown that symbolic, narrative, and image-based approaches can support insight, emotional processing, and meaning-making. This includes research from narrative therapy, expressive arts and imagery-based therapies (such as the work of Shaun McNiff), and phenomenological qualitative studies that explore how metaphor and imagery help people express feelings that are hard to put into words. Contemporary scholars like Inna Semetsky have also examined tarot specifically as a reflective and meaning-making tool, emphasizing that the most important insights come from the client’s own interpretation rather than imposed meanings.

  • Using tarot in therapy is client-led. You choose what to explore, I support your reflections in what the imagery brings up so you can find your own answers. I always center your experience and consent: the cards are a conversational tool, and you stay in the driver’s seat.

Want to see it to believe it? Check out these further sources:

Archetypes & Depth Psychology

  • Carl G. Jung — The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious
    Foundational work describing archetypes and symbolic structures of the psyche. (Collected Works)

  • James Hillman — Archetypal Psychology
    Classic post-Jungian perspective on myth, symbolism, and soul-oriented imagery. (Kosmos Institute)

Tarot & Symbolic/Semiotic Theory

  • Inna Semetsky — Re-Symbolization of the Self: Human Development and Tarot Hermeneutic (Springer)
    A sustained academic treatment of tarot images as symbolic/transformative tools. (Springer Link)

  • Inna Semetsky — The Edusemiotics of Images: Essays on the Art–Science of Tarot
    Explores tarot symbolism and semiotics as meaningful sign systems that connect conscious and unconscious content. (Springer Link)

  • Inna Semetsky — Tarot (Dis)contents: Past/Present/Future
    Discusses tarot imagery as archetypal and transformational. (tarothermeneutics.com)

  • Tarot as a projective/self-reflective tool — Spirituality and Health International
    Qualitative study that examines tarot used as a projective technique in counseling contexts. (commons.lib.jmu.edu)

  • Pilot study: Tarot interpretations and polysemy (Semetsky 1994) — describes how the same card can yield varied meaning depending on context, illustrating interpretive flexibility. (tarothermeneutics.com)

Therapeutic Models & Symbolic Work

  • Internal Family Systems (IFS) — Richard C. Schwartz (Founder)
    A parts-based therapy model that conceptualizes the psyche as a system of inner parts — useful context for talking about multiple “aspects” of self. (IFS Institute)

  • Narrative & experiential therapy traditions
    Narrative therapy (White & Epston), Gestalt dialogical techniques, and parts-work all contextualize symbolic and imaginative work in therapy (not all are linked here but are well-documented in clinical literature).

Integrative/Qualitative Work

•Integrating Tarot into Counseling & Psychotherapy — research project (1992–1994)
A qualitative clinical integration of tarot reading into therapeutic settings showing tarot can function as a projective, reflective tool. (ResearchGate)