Ambivalence and uncertainty are common sources of distress for many clients, who often look to therapists for answers, reassurance, and confirmation that they are making the “right” decision. Although psychotherapy cannot eliminate life’s ambiguities, it can help clients cultivate something even more enduring: an inner compass rooted in self-trust, personal values, and meaningful reflection.

This experiential continuing education workshop introduces clinicians to the Elder Futhark rune system as an ancient symbolic framework for facilitating deeper therapeutic reflection and meaningful dialogue. Rather than using runes for prediction or divination, participants will learn to incorporate their symbolism into psychotherapy as a client-centered tool for cultivating intuition, exploring values, constructing meaning, and strengthening clients’ capacity to navigate uncertainty. Throughout the training, runes are presented as one historical symbolic tradition that can support reflection, not as a system of universal truth or prescribed belief.

Participants will experience the same reflective exercises they may later facilitate with clients, gaining firsthand insight into the therapeutic process before integrating these interventions into clinical practice. Clinicians will learn practical strategies for incorporating rune symbolism into treatment while maintaining ethical practice, cultural humility, and respect for each client’s worldview.

Participants will leave with practical interventions they can adapt to a variety of clinical populations, along with a deeper understanding of how symbolic facilitation can foster self-discovery, meaning-making, and confidence in the face of life’s uncertainties. The foundations of Jungian psychotherapy were built with instruments like mythology, dreams, archetypal symbols, and ancient hieroglyphs. Jung regarded runes as a vital tool in “shaping one’s identity and life’s narrative,” with a unique ability to connect our unconscious with our conscious (Samuels, 1986; Stein, 2021).

Rather than helping clients search for certainty, clinicians will learn to foster greater self-trust, reflection, and confidence in navigating life’s inevitable ambiguities—empowering clients to access the wisdom they already possess. Jung highlighted the therapist’s role in psychotherapy as supporting patients in their own journey of “seeking deeper self=understanding” rather than providing simplistic yes-or-no answers.

Continuing Education Workshop Objectives

1. Describe the historical origins, cultural context, and traditional use of the Elder Futhark rune system.
2. Differentiate the therapeutic use of runes from divination practices while maintaining appropriate ethical boundaries and scope of practice.
3. Explain how rune symbolism can facilitate intuition, values exploration, meaning-making, and clients' ability to navigate uncertainty.
4. Observe therapeutic techniques for incorporating runes into psychotherapy to facilitate reflection, insight, and meaningful dialogue.
5. Apply ethical principles, cultural humility, and health equity considerations when introducing rune-based interventions.
6. Develop practical strategies for incorporating rune-based interventions into treatment while honoring client autonomy, informed consent, and individual worldviews.