Benefits of Using the Enneagram for Counselors in Clinical Practice

While there are several different ways to approach therapeutic care of clients, I have found the Enneagram can provide deep insights into a client’s personality and serve as one of the most empowering ways to quickly understand a client’s core wounding, fears, motivations, and desires as well as illuminate their innate gifts.

Below are a few significant benefits to using the Enneagram in clinical practice:

Improves Communication and Rapport
If a counselor can identify a client’s type early on, it enables the therapist to adjust their language and approach to match the client’s worldview. As a result, the client feels seen and understood culminating in an experience of “you get me”, which can then lead to their greater willingness to stay in a course of therapy and strengthen the therapeutic bond.

Enhances Client Understanding
With input from the client, a counselor can begin to get a sense for each client’s Type and explore topics as well as patterns of thinking, feeling, and behavior that are associated with their type. Soon, clarity around a client’s core wounding, basic fears, motivation, desires, defenses, and coping mechanisms emerge. Counselors can then highlight themes and introduce therapeutic interventions that can be helpful to clients.

Informs Therapeutic Approaches
Knowing a client’s Enneagram type allows therapists to customize interventions to suit their personality. Each type struggles with certain issues. For example, Type 6 (The Loyalist) may need reassurance, effective ways for managing worry, and help with developing self-soothing skills while Type 4 (The Individualist) could benefit from activities for creative self-expression, developing action plans, and learning skills for emotional fitness.

Identifies Client’s Core Struggles and Defense Mechanisms
Each type struggles in a particular way and has favored defense mechanism(s). Recognizing these defenses and patterns helps counselors proactively address potential resistance and guide clients toward healthier coping strategies.

Supports Client’s Personal Growth and Healing
The Enneagram not only identifies key themes and issues to be worked on, but can also outline a path for development and growth. It encourages clients to integrate their unique strengths while working on their weaknesses in service to greater well-being.

Facilitates Client’s Conflict Resolution & Relationship Repair
Understanding different Types and how they interact with other Types can help counselors identify ways for a client to improve their relationships by not only helping them to see and themselves and understand their unmet or underlying emotional needs which is essential for healthy relationship, but also help them to understand how they may be contributing to challenging relational dynamics and communication issue in their relationships.

Encourages Client’s Mindfulness & Emotional Regulation
As counselors develop a greater understanding of their clients, they can begin to suggest mindfulness practices based on Type. For example, a Type 1 or Type 3 may find a body scan meditation more appealing because it’s body-based and active. A Type 7 may benefit more from a Guided Meditation that is likely to help them maintain a moving focus while also practicing stillness. Such mindfulness practices encourage clients to engage in self-reflection to find more emotional balance, compassionately explore behavioral patterns, and clarify values as well as inspire clients to pursue their hopes, dreams, and wishes.

Offers a Holistic View of Mental Health
Unlike symptom-based or evidenced-based approaches to therapy, the Enneagram provides a developmental and holistic approach to mental health. It integrates emotional, cognitive, and behavioral aspects, helping therapists see the “bigger picture” of a client’s suffering as well as understand the keys to the client’s to healing and growth.

Of course, while the Enneagram can be useful to counselors focused on personal growth when treating clients, it can be beneficial to supplement from other proven approaches to therapy. There are many different ways to work with clients. I’d encourage you to use what works best in any case depending on the client’s presenting needs and goals of therapy.

Have fun with it!