The Enneagram in Therapy (Part 1): How to Use It With Care, Clarity, and Clinical Wisdom
Typology
Ian Morgan Cron
4.7 • 3.2K Ratings
🗓️ 26 February 2026
⏱️ 40 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
What does it mean to use the Enneagram in therapy responsibly?
In Part 1 of this two-part conversation on Typology, Anthony Skinner and I lay the groundwork for therapists, counselors, and coaches who want to responsibly integrate the Enneagram into clinical practice with wisdom and care.
Together, we unpack what the Enneagram is—and what it isn't—in the therapy room. It's not a diagnosis. It's not a substitute for evidence-based modalities. And it should never flatten complexity or bypass deeper trauma work.
I also share practical wisdom from decades of work as a therapist, priest, and Enneagram teacher, offering guidance for using the Enneagram in a way that increases compassion rather than contempt, flexibility rather than rigidity, and insight rather than shame.
At its best, the Enneagram helps us see people not as problems to solve, but as stories shaped by fear, longing, and adaptation. Used wisely, it becomes a powerful reflective tool that deepens emotional intelligence, strengthens therapeutic relationships, and supports real transformation.
When the Enneagram is used well, it doesn't replace therapy.
It deepens it.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey folks and welcome to Typology, the show on which we explore the mystery of the human |
| 0:08.0 | personality and the great human adventure all through the lens of the Enneagram. |
| 0:13.5 | My name is Anthony Skinner, your producer and co-host. |
| 0:17.4 | Normally, I tell you what we're going to do and then I pitch it to the man of the hour. |
| 0:23.1 | But I'm bringing him in right now, Ian, Morgan Cron. |
| 0:27.5 | What do you got to say for yourself? |
| 0:29.5 | Well, as always, super stoked to be here and always glad to be with you. |
| 0:36.1 | Man, I'm pumped about what we're doing today. |
| 0:39.5 | I love when we have our guests and we have so many, you know, great guests that range |
| 0:44.0 | from, you know, scientists to astronauts to authors to therapists. |
| 0:49.6 | Why don't you tell the folks who may have missed that really interesting show we just had. What was that one about? |
| 0:57.2 | Oh, we just did a show with Dr. Will Vanderbier and Keith Kurlander. You know, Will is a |
| 1:03.4 | psychiatrist. Keith is a psychotherapist. And they have a brand new book that drops in March. It's |
| 1:08.3 | called Psychedelic Therapy, a Revolutionary |
| 1:10.8 | Approach to Restoring Your Mental Health and Reclaiming Your Life. And, you know, this has been, |
| 1:16.3 | you know, because as a therapist, I'm kind of a science nerd about this stuff. Yeah. Right. |
| 1:20.2 | And also, you know, I'm not a guy who when it comes to the science of helping people. I'm not |
| 1:25.3 | relaxed. Like, I'm very particular. |
| 1:33.6 | I'm a big believer in evidence-based, really well-researched stuff. |
| 1:40.5 | And this book is going to be a major contribution to the conversation that's growing rapidly around using psilocybin, MDMA, and other psychoactive drugs, psychedelics, for treating PTSD, |
| 1:51.3 | depression, anxiety, being used in relieving anxiety and end of life for different people, |
| 1:57.4 | et cetera, et cetera. So I think it's a brand new frontier in the world of therapy that really |
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