A Therapist + The Ennagram (Part 2)
When my understanding of the enneagram allowed me to recognize the things that “trip me up” or keep me stuck, I realized how useful it could be in my workplace.
My work currently includes two different counseling oriented roles. In one of my roles, I provide individual and family counseling through 50-minute sessions walking alongside clients as they grow and heal. My second role is providing training and trauma-informed content in a variety of contexts such as orphan care ministries, parent support groups, local training/education, and non-profit engagement.
In the clinical world, the enneagram is not always viewed as valid or therapeutic because it is not “research-based” or an “evidence-based modality”. However, I know many clinicians who utilize their understanding of the enneagram as a lens to serve and help their clients.
Enneagram is not THE tool, it is A tool in the tool box.
Most clinicians have several tools like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing, or Trust-Based Relational Interventions. Of course, all clinicians are expected to utilize said tools appropriately and ethically. Using one tool alone for all of your clients is most certainly not best practice. We must assess each client’s needs accordingly.
Not only does my understanding of the enneagram help identify those “trip up” tendencies for myself and others, but it also helps me see the things that are important to my clients on a core level. Maybe it’s security, maybe it’s knowledge & competency, maybe it’s keeping peace even if it’s a false peace.
If I, as a clinician, understand what is super duper uber important to my client, then I know when and where to validate OR when to advocate for freedom from that thing that is important but possibly unhealthy or a “trip up” pattern.
For example, (assuming my client is ready and it is appropriate to do so) when working with a type 9 client, perhaps we explore their tendencies to keep a false peace rather than seeking true peace. Perhaps we explore the cost of keeping a false peace rather than embracing what it may require to seek and experience genuine peace.
Ultimately, it is my heart’s passion and I believe it is my job as a clinician to help others find healing by understanding their pain and advocating for restoration.
(Are you surprised by that language? I’m a 1, remember?)
As a type 1, it’s all about restoration for me, even more so than perfection. This shows up in my spiritual gifts, my strengthsfinder profile, my DISC profile, my Myers-Briggs, and of course, my enneagram type. It’s in my wiring and it’s what I believe in and fight for because of my belief in the Gospel. I know the type 1 is typically known as the reformer (a person who makes changes to something in order to improve it), but I tend to resonate deeper with the concept of restoration (the action of returning something to a former condition). When God sent His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross, he didn’t just come to improve, though he most certainly did improve many things/people. He came and restored our relationship with the Father by bringing back the opportunity to be connected to Him through relationship. That is the ultimate restoration this side of heaven. What a beautiful gift.
In the end, learning about and implementing my knowledge of the enneagram has given me language and understanding. Both are elements I value greatly as I walk alongside friends, family, and clients on their journey toward healing.