Workshop Description

This innovative 18-hour continuing education program invites psychotherapists into a rich and rigorous exploration of tarot as a clinical tool—one that bridges history, psychology, metaphor, and meaning-making. You will discover how tarot card imagery functions as a dynamic visual and symbolic language, uniquely suited to therapeutic conversations. From its historical roots and cultural controversies to its contemporary relevance in the therapy room, this course provides a comprehensive introduction to the clinical applications of tarot.

Tarot is a particularly powerful tool in psychotherapy because it engages both intuition and structured exploration. Its archetypal and narrative richness make tarot an ideal companion for therapists working at the intersection of the unconscious and creative expression. Tarot cards can externalize internal experiences, evoke epiphany, and stimulate insight, allowing clients to access feelings and ideas that may be difficult to articulate in more traditional ways. Whether used for parts work or accessing suppressed emotions, tarot meets clients where they are, supporting both depth and flexibility in the therapeutic process.

In becoming a “tarot-friendly therapist,” you will discover that incorporating tarot into your practice opens up a creative and intuitive space for clients that is rich with possibility. Tarot allows clients to externalize internal experiences, access inner wisdom, and engage in symbolic storytelling that can be both playful and profound. Whether used as a metaphor, visual prompt, or reflective tool, tarot can make therapy feel more accessible, empowering, and emotionally resonant, especially for those who struggle to articulate feelings through words alone. Clients who already have a relationship with tarot (or are simply curious about the cards) will be thrilled to learn that this powerful tool can be integrated into their treatment.

Throughout the course, we will explore the projective potential of tarot through the lenses of Jungian psychology, narrative therapy, psychodrama, and Gestalt practices such as chairwork. We will also examine tarot’s compatibility with modalities such as EMDR, Internal Family Systems, Poetry Therapy, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, broadening your understanding of how to integrate tarot into diverse treatment approaches.

With an emphasis on ethical, inclusive practice, you will learn how to introduce tarot imagery to clients in ways that honor spiritual and religious diversity while respecting professional boundaries. The course includes guidance on spiritual competency, clinical documentation, and ethical considerations. This highly experiential training offers ample opportunities to practice, reflect on, and personalize the material. Whether you are an experienced clinician seeking new depth or a newer therapist curious about symbolic tools, this program offers both theoretical grounding and hands-on application: The goal is for you to leave feeling comfortable and confident integrating tarot into your therapy practice. By the end, you will have an expanded toolkit and a new lens through which to view healing, insight, and transformation.

Note: No prior experience with tarot is required.

This course is based on Dreya Blume’s book, The Clinical Use of Tarot Card Imagery in Psychotherapy (2025) (Amazon link)

Exciting News! The tuition for this 18-hour first-of-its-kind certificate program includes your own PDF copy of Dreya Blume’s three-volume book.

Workshop Objectives

• Identify various ways in which visual imagery can be used to address mental health issues
• Utilize tarot card imagery for creative expression
• Analyze the archetypal uses of tarot card imagery
• Apply tarot card imagery to inner critic work
• Assess which tarot card activities to use depending on the client population and issue
• Create therapeutic applications of tarot card imagery
• Identify how to use tarot card imagery for intuitive work with the subconscious
• Utilize tarot card imagery for emotional externalization purposes
• Describe how to use tarot card imagery for facilitating emotional expression
• Apply tarot card imagery to narrative therapy techniques
• Describe how tarot card imagery relates to dialogue work as found in Gestalt Therapy
• Demonstrate how tarot card imagery relates to parts work
• Develop tarot activities that can be used in core values generation
• Explain how tarot card imagery can be ethically introduced to clients
• Prepare tarot-based activities for clients that are ethically grounded
• Explain the ethics behind processing tarot-based activities with clients
• Demonstrate how to create and maintain healthy boundaries between the client and the counselor in terms of integrating tarot card imagery into the session
• Identify ways to ensure well-defined roles in the professional relationship
• Demonstrate cultural competence in terms of identifying the cultural background of tarot
• Demonstrate cultural competence in terms of exploring and then integrating clients’ personal relationships with tarot into counseling

Topics covered during the six-week training:

• The History of Tarot
• The Clinical Benefits of Using Tarot Cards
• The “Evidence-Based” Bugaboo
• Spiritual/Religious Competency in Therapy
• Tarot, Creativity, and Therapy
• Tarot Is/As Metaphor
• Beyond Metaphor: Pataphor
• Projective Tools in Psychotherapy
• Carl Jung: Therapeutic Tarot’s Forefather
• Shadow Work
• The Hero’s Journey
• Tarot And/As Visual Imagery in Art Therapy
• Narrative Therapy
• Psychodrama
• EMDR, Visual Imagery, and Metaphoric Cards
• Inner Critic Work
• Introjections
• Parts Work
• Chairwork
• Solution-Focused Therapy
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
• Poetry Therapy
• Introducing Tarot Cards to a Client
• Clinical Documentation
• Tarot and Professional Ethics
• Marketing oneself as a “tarot-friendly therapist”

Six Training Modules: 6-Week Breakdown by Week

Week 1

• The History of Tarot
• The Clinical Benefits of Using Tarot Cards
• The “Evidence-Based” Bugaboo
• Spiritual/Religious Competency in Therapy
• Tarot, Creativity, and Therapy

Week 2

• Tarot Is/As Metaphor
• Beyond Metaphor: Pataphor
• Projective Tools in Psychotherapy
• Carl Jung: Therapeutic Tarot’s Forefather
• Shadow Work
• The Hero’s Journey

Week 3

• Tarot And/As Visual Imagery in Art Therapy
• Narrative Therapy
• Psychodrama
• EMDR, Visual Imagery, and Metaphoric Cards
• Inner Critic Work

Week 4

• Introjections
• Parts Work
• Chairwork
• Solution-Focused Therapy

Week 5

• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
• Poetry Therapy
• Asemic Writing for Healing

Week 6

• Introducing Tarot Cards to a Client
• Clinical Documentation
• Tarot and Professional Ethics
• Marketing oneself as a “tarot-friendly therapist”