The Therapeutic Tarot is a trauma-informed, inclusive, non-pathologizing, evidence-informed guide for using tarot as a reflective tool for healing, skill-building, and empowered action.
This is not a fortune-telling manual. It is a practical therapeutic framework that integrates the universally recognized visual language of the Rider-Waite-Smith deck with Healing Centered Engagement, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, somatic awareness, and contemporary therapeutic ethics, bridging symbolic wisdom with real-world, evidence-based practice-without mysticism as mandate or diagnosis as destiny.
Each of the 78 cards becomes a structured invitation to explore identity, regulate emotions, strengthen relationships, and build real-world skills-whether you are working on your own healing or supporting others in clinical, coaching, educational, or community settings.
Written by a therapist, educator, clinical social worker, and community advocate, The Therapeutic Tarot offers an intentional, meaning-making approach to working with the cards as mirrors for insight, embodiment, and choice. Each card is explored through a non-predictive lens that centers agency, consent, and cultural context.
Inside you'll find:
- A trauma-informed, anti-oppressive lens for working with symbolism
- Thoughtfully framed upright and reversed interpretations focused on empowerment rather than fear
- Astrological and numerological correspondences to deepen symbolic understanding
- Clear connections to DBT skills, ACT processes, MBCT awareness, somatic sensing, and meaning-making
- Guided inquiries for reflection and therapeutic dialogue
- Practical exercises, journal prompts, spreads, and adaptable worksheets
- Guidance for therapists, counselors, coaches, educators, and group facilitators, including engaging with individuals in recovery of all forms, addressing trauma, developing cultural competence, applying tarot to best practices and evidence-based frameworks, and working with resistance and ambivalence
- Inclusive, Queer-, BIPOC-, and disability-affirming interpretations rooted in justice and belonging
- Ethical considerations for using tarot in professional practice
- A glossary, reference materials, and a comprehensive index for easy navigation
Designed for both individual exploration and professional use, this book supports flexible, modular engagement. It can be read cover to cover, used card-by-card, or integrated into therapy sessions, coaching, group work, or educational settings.
Whether you're a clinician seeking innovative tools or a seeker looking for structure without dogma, The Therapeutic Tarot offers a way to turn insight into practice, agency into action, cultivate resilience, and reclaim your story-one card at a time..
The power isn't in the cards.
It's in the person holding them.
