Putting the pieces together: Client experiences of intuition in counselling

Abstract

Intuition is when we know something but are unable to determine how we know it. It is an automatic and unconscious process that influences our decision-making. In counselling, this can be a helpful tool, as long as biases are mitigated. There are studies that address intuition used in clinical practice and psychology. However, there is a lack of research in social work practice, especially focusing on exploring intuition from the clients’ perspective. Guided by an overarching research question “what are the clients’ experiences when intuition is used in a session by a professional counsellor?”, this study addressed the phenomenon of intuition by using the fusion of social constructivist paradigm and phenomenology, and was informed by decolonial perspectives on research in social work practice. The findings in this study show that clients enter counselling with personal beliefs, fears, and skepticism about intuition that are shaped by their epistemologies and worldviews. Intuition is more closely aligned with Indigenous worldviews than Eurocentric worldviews. Indigenous perspectives are holistic and view the world as interconnected parts of a whole. The findings in this study show that intuition is holistic. It is a felt sense (body), can be taught and developed (mind), and helped participants feel connected to themselves, others, and the world at large (spirit). Participants also found intuition in counselling to be validating and healing. The study suggests that intuition 1) could be normalized within the dominant discourses on decision making in social work practice and, 2) post-secondary education and practice in social work can benefit from training about using one’s intuition in social work practice.