Personality Typing and Trauma Care
How we at Gap Relief use the Enneagram as a tool to promote healing.
When it comes to any kind of therapy work, personality typing tools can be incredibly helpful. This is especially true in trauma therapy. There are many different personality typing systems used by individuals, couples, and even organizations, as people seek to better understand themselves and one another. However, one system stands out for its expansive nature and holistic approach to personality. We are speaking of course about the Enneagram.
The Enneagram is a personality typing system comprised of 9 different Types, each representing a unique, biological personality. The reason the Enneagram supersedes other systems is that where models like Meyers-Briggs, DISC, Berkman, and others look at and explain outward behavior, the Enneagram examines the motivations BEHIND behavior and explains 9 different ways of seeing the world, processing information, and responding to that information. It goes beyond the “nurture” aspect of personality and allows the “nature” parts to fully matter in individuals’ stories.
This is incredibly insightful when it comes to working with all kinds of individuals, couples, and organizations, but it is ESPECIALLY beneficial in our work with helpers. Ultimately, it is the best tool to show us how we are personally and uniquely impacted by pain, stress, and trauma, how we best grow and heal, and how we react and respond to all of these things with our behavior.
We use the Enneagram in several different ways in our work at Gap Relief.
One of these is alongside trauma therapy.
Our trauma-informed Self-Awareness Coach, Alex Fittin has developed Your Enneagram Journey, a course for individuals and Our Enneagram Journey for couples. These courses are designed to work in tandem with counseling and seek to give participants and their counselors valuable insight into how they naturally see the world, process information, and respond to pain, stress, and trauma.
Another way we utilize the Enneagram in our work is with our intensive program.
An Enneagram assessment is the first stop for our intensive clients. After spending a session with intensive clients and working with them to find their unique Enneagram type, Alex is able to hand the client and our other intensive practitioners valuable insight into each client’s way of engaging and experiencing the world, which is incredibly valuable information as they engage their intensive journey.
A third way we use the Enneagram at Gap Relief is with trainings.
Sometimes this looks like organizational trainings, such as T.I.E.R.S. (Trauma Informed Educators Reaching Students), our public schools program in Northwest Arkansas, to hand them new ways of viewing themselves and their co-workers and collaborators as they fight for their mission as helpers to build resilient communities.
Sometimes this looks like organizational culture integration, where we come alongside our partners to show them how to use the Enneagram as a regular part of their company culture.
We also offer Enneagram Type-centered workshops called Enneagram Experience where we host 1-day retreats for individuals of the same number to come together and learn and grow in their unique personality alongside Alex, a trauma therapist, and each other.
We also use the Enneagram in our own organizational culture here at Gap Relief, supporting our team's personal health and growth, better enabling us to help the helpers in building resilient communities.
Do you have questions about the Enneagram or how it can help you, your relationship, or your organization? We would love to chat with you more!
