Tarot and client care

I think part of the responsibility of being a professional Tarot reader is to structure a reading to ensure it helps my client. We can never be fully sure of what a client is going through in their personal life, or whether there are mental health issues that could impact how they process a reading.

Sometimes people reach out to a Tarot reader out of sheer desperation, as a last attempt to find some meaning, or some answers. I’m not saying its our responsibility to save anyone, but I do think client safeguarding needs to be an important part of Tarot reading.

I cover this in more detail in my latest book, “How to build a successful Tarot business” (available from Amazon). But I’d love to share a few of my thoughts here;

·        Serious harm

If you feel a client is at risk of serious harm (through mental health, domestic abuse, avoiding health care issues etc) my advice is to stop reading the cards and signpost your client to the appropriate professional or charity.

It can be overwhelming caught in a terrifying situation, and it is easy to forget the basics. Sitting with someone to find a suitable helpline, reassuring them that contacting the police, or their Dr is the only sensible solution.

This has only happened a handful of times to me, but when it does it can feel scary. I have advised clients to check Claire’s law on their partner (to check their domestic abuse record), I have just sat and hugged a client for a full session, I have rung a woman’s refuge on my phone to avoid their phone having any record of the call.

·        Check with the cards

People can put on an amazing social mask, presenting as calm and confident whilst struggling with the greatest of difficulties. I always check in with the cards at the start of a session to see how a client is really handling life and see how vulnerable they are.

·        Focus on the present moment and advice.

As a Tarot reader I frame the question, and I choose how focused on prediction I want to be. In the end the future is not fixed, the past has gone.

But making the best of the present moment is always the right decision. If a client is really struggling, if their spread is showing the future is tough, and I can see they are not processing this, then I bring it right into the present moment.

-What do you need to know right now?

-What should you focus on first?

-How can you make the most of next week?

·        Check in that your client understands what you are saying.

I probably can’t highlight this point enough!

Your client may be hard of hearing, English may be their second language, your accent or vocabulary may make it hard for them to understand.

If we are in a heightened or emotional state it is very easy to hear what we expect to hear, and not what is being said. You may have mentioned one difficulty, and five great points. Your client may only have heard the one difficulty.

So check, summarise what you have said, and ask the client if they have understood clearly, give them the space to ask for clarity.

·        Client care

I believe that if you are reading Tarot professionally you are responsible for;

1.      Reading the cards accurately.

2.      Communicating this in a clear and supportive way.

I do think the psychological impact of a reading is the readers responsibility.

That we have a duty of care for the impact of our reading on a client.