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  Jessika Fruchter LMFT - Psychotherapy and Expressive Arts Therapy for Women and Girls - San Francisco Bay Area | San Diego | Los Angeles
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It's in the cards: Using tarot in therapy

6/6/2019

3 Comments

 
Jessika Fruchter, LMFT, incorporates the use of tarot cards in therapy for women and teen girls.
Photo Credit: David Gavi/ Unplash
 Anyone who is familiar with my work as a therapist knows that I am a fan of interventions that (a)  focus on client strengths and (b) are creative and often outside the box. I tend to pull from a variety of modalities and approaches in my work from well-researched practices such as Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, to emerging therapies (i.e. those that have been around for a long while, but have only recently been accepted by the mainstream mental health community) including nature-based and expressive arts interventions. I even utilize - wait for it - tarot cards.

Yes, it's true. I'm a licensed clinician and I utilize tarot with clients when they are interested and when the intervention is clinically indicated.

But before I share how I use the elusive tarot in session, let me backtrack a bit because I want to share that I first stumbled upon what would become my first tarot deck  when I was just thirteen years old, wandering around the back of a bookstore with my mom. She had no idea then the seed she was planting!

I was immediately smitten with the imagery of the cards; the universal experiences and personality types represented; and the feeling of entering another world filled with symbol and metaphor. Although, my long-term draw to the practice of tarot was the honing of and reliance on intuition. This is to say that by using the cards, reading the traditional meanings and drawing my own associations, I would gain insight into questions and situation that had me feeling stuck. As it turned out, I didn't need someone else to tell me what I already knew deep down, I just needed a way to access it. 

In my therapy practice, I offer clients the opportunity to do the same with my support and guidance. This is especially relevant to women and girls I work with who are often learning to trust themselves as well as explore identity and cultivate self-esteem. 

If you're intrigued and wanting to explore the world of tarot its easy enough to pick a deck based on which imagery you are drawn to. Most bookstores carry tarot decks, but there are also a host of unique small-batch decks sold on Etsy.com and other online sites.

Once you've picked your deck, an easy way to start practicing is to pick a card a day and let yourself engage with the card. Take a deep breath. What symbols do you see? What is the wisdom or the lesson of the card? Do you feel resistant or open?

Have fun with it! I'll be curious to hear how it goes ...

Till Next Time,
Jessika









​


3 Comments
Lori Burton link
4/18/2021 04:34:30 pm

Nice blog thannks for posting

Reply
Suzan Lemont link
11/8/2021 05:40:00 am

Hi Jessika. I stumbled on your blog while looking for additional resources for the participants in a recent workshop I gave (for the 2nd time) at the Expressive Therapies Summit last Friday. I've been using Tarot within ExA sessions (I'm a qualified Body-Oriented Psychotherapist and Expressive Arts Therapist and educator) for the past 25 years or so and wrote my thesis on this topic, which is being finally expanded into full-fledged book. Would love to connect via LinkedIn, FB or any other medium you use. I have lots of books about Tarot but only Mary Greer's really approach it (sort of) from a phenomenological perspective, which is what I use. Warmly, Suzan Lemont

Reply
Mia Evans link
7/15/2022 03:28:15 am

It's interesting to know that tarot card readings can even start in certain practitioners as early as they were 13 years old while finding one at a bookstore. In that case, the professionals in this field would probably have a lot of experience back then. They could also be passionate about this kind of reading as well, so seeing one would be a nice experience for anyone who wants to learn more about their life.

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Jessika Fruchter, LMFT
Psychotherapy & 
Expressive Arts Therapy
​for Women and Girls in California

SF Bay Area * Los Angeles * San Diego
​
510.295.5767 

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  • Home
    • What is Feminist Therapy?
    • What is Expressive Arts Therapy?
  • Offerings
    • Support During COVID-19
    • Therapy for Women in California
    • Therapy for Teen Girls in California
    • Therapeutic Tarot, Dreamwork + Ritual
    • Groups + Workshops for Women in California
    • Clinical Consultation + Trainings
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Fees + Policies
  • Bio