Using the Enneagram in Therapy to Unlock Client Insights
Dr. Lisa Marie Bobby is a licensed psychologist, licensed marriage and family therapist, board-certified coach, AAMFT clinical supervisor, host of the Love, Happiness, and Success Podcast and founder of Growing Self.
Ever wish you had X-ray vision for your therapy clients’ inner worlds — the kind that could help you understand what makes them tick without spending six months decoding their defenses? Well, using the Enneagram in therapy might be the next best thing. Taking an Enneagram therapist training and using the assessment with clients can unlock insights and offer a new lens to view challenges.
That’s exactly why I was so excited to sit down with Ian Morgan Cron for this week’s episode of Love, Happiness and Success for Therapists. Ian is not only the bestselling author of The Road Back to You, but he also helped develop one of the most clinically valid and therapist-approved Enneagram assessments out there — and he joined me to share exactly how this tool can support the meaningful, evidence-based work we do with our therapy clients.
Whether you’re already an Enneagram therapist or you’ve been side-eyeing the Enneagram from your “is-this-legit?” seat, this conversation is going to go deeper into how the assessment can transform our therapy sessions and even ourselves.
Why Enneagram Therapist Training Is Clinically Useful
Let’s start with the elephant in the therapy room: The Enneagram has gotten a bad rap for being poppy, flaky, and unscientific. And to be fair, that critique isn’t entirely unfounded. There are a lot of watered-down, non-validated versions of Enneagram assessments floating around online.
But Ian’s assessment? Built over two years in collaboration with a research psychologist, this tool isn’t your average spiritual side hustle. It’s psychometrically sound, deeply insightful, and (drumroll please) actually helpful for clinical work.
What I love most? It doesn’t just describe what people do — it helps us understand why. Core motivations, unconscious fears, blind spots — all the juicy psychological material we’re usually digging for in the first three months of therapy? The Enneagram lays it out in session one.
And therapists, you know what that means… major. time. savings. Especially in brief treatment models, coaching frameworks, or early intake sessions where time is precious.
The Enneagram in Therapy
Here’s where it gets even more compelling. There’s a fascinating parallel between the nine Enneagram types and the nine personality disorder structures in the DSM.
But the Enneagram isn’t about pathologizing — it’s about humanizing. It gives us a way to help our clients (and ourselves) understand that personality exists on a spectrum — and that even the traits we might once have written off as “disorders” can have healthy, growth-oriented expressions.
In my own work with couples, I’ve found the Enneagram incredibly effective for helping clients get out of the shame spiral and imposter syndrome, and into self-awareness. It offers a shared language. It de-personalizes conflict. And it empowers clients to say things like, “Ohhh… this isn’t just me being difficult. This is how my personality shows up under stress.”
Friends. That’s therapy gold.
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The Enneagram Therapists Tool
I love IFS, CBT, attachment theory, and narrative work. But the Enneagram has become one of my go-to tools because it’s so accessible. Clients walk out of sessions feeling like they actually understand something meaningful about themselves — and what to do with it.
And yes, there’s real research backing it up. Ian shared about the psychometric rigor behind his Typology Institute assessment, and also gave a shoutout to Dr. Todd Hall’s systemic review of the Enneagram literature. So if you’ve been sitting on the skeptical sidelines, it might be time to dive into the data.
The Enneagram Doesn’t Put You in a Box
One of my favorite moments from our episode was when Ian said this:
“The Enneagram doesn’t put you in a box. It tells you about the box you’re already in — and how to get out of it.”
That, my friend, is why I’m so excited for therapists like you to start using the Enneagram more deeply, more confidently, and more clinically.
The Enneagram doesn’t diagnose. It doesn’t pathologize. It illuminates.
It helps clients recognize their strengths, but also their less-helpful strategies—the ones that might’ve protected them in childhood but now block connection, vulnerability, or self-awareness.
I’ve used it with coaching clients, therapy clients, and couples. And the most consistent feedback I get?
“Finally, someone put into words what I’ve always felt but couldn’t articulate.”
It’s efficient, it deepens insight, and it creates a shared language you can use throughout the treatment process.
More Resources for Therapists
If this got your wheels turning and your therapist heart buzzing, let’s keep the conversation going. Sign up for my weekly newsletter for therapists — it’s where I share fresh ideas, personal insights, and evidence-based strategies to help you grow into the most effective, thriving version of yourself both in the chair and out of it.
You can also connect with me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/drlisabobby — I’d love to hear your take on this episode and how you’re using the Enneagram in your work.
Xoxo
Dr. Lisa Marie Bobby
P.S. If this sparked something for you, I bet it’ll do the same for someone else in your circle. Share this with a colleague, supervision group, or your therapist bestie — because great clinicians lift each other up.
Resources:
Hook, J. N., Hall, T. W., Davis, D. E., Van Tongeren, D. R., & Conner, M. (2021). The Enneagram: A systematic review of the literature and directions for future research. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 77(4), 865-883. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jclp.23097
Huber, D. A. (2023). What’s your type? The relationship between Enneagram personality style and psychiatric diagnosis. https://repository.fit.edu/etd/1520/
Matise, M. (2007). The enneagram: An innovative approach. Journal of professional counseling: Practice, theory & research, 35(1), 38-58. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15566382.2007.12033832
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