Advanced Clinical Consultation of Sand Therapy Integrated with Play Therapy

Program Description

This is a unique opportunity for mental health professionals who utilize sand therapy integrated with play therapy, to deepen their understanding of how sand therapy can assist clients and promote treatment goals. As an advanced training, there will be structured, purposeful clinical exploration of sand scenarios (or sequence of sand scenarios) in distinctive fashion. Two seasoned professionals, coming from different perspectives regarding sandplay and sandtray therapies, will speak to each tray from their diverse perspectives. In addition, there will be a secondary focus on countertransference responses of participants and presenters, to discover how to work with material generated from our intuitive selves. Participants may present a case if they choose, or may feel more comfortable listening and observing other presenters. Processing will occur with full participation of participants. A primary emphasis will be placed on experiential opportunities, “reading sandtrays,” as well as therapy posture and a range of possible ways to process trays. identifying metaphors, and depending the work in the sand or in general play therapy. Specifically workshop goals are to:

  • Provide opportunities for experiential learning of sand and play therapies
  • Help participants understand the potential for symbolic communication in sand therapy as well as other play techniques
  • Provide guidelines for observing and documenting sandtrays
  • Discuss how symbol language is incorporated and promotes therapy goals using sand and general play therapy theory and technique
  • Discuss the integration of sand therapy with other play therapy techniques
  • Discuss how sand therapy practice can promote treatment goals with children, adolescents and adults (parents)

Workshop Objectives:

  • List two theoretical perspectives for utilizing sand therapy;
  • List three ways of defining metaphors in sand and play therapy;
  • Name two ways to expand the metaphor in and out of the sandbox;
  • Define “amplification questions” in sand and play therapies
  • List two ways of deepening the process of “reading” sand therapy symbols and translating them into play therapy metaphors
  • Name two ways of expanding metaphors to include play therapy

Program Schedule

The daily schedule will consist of experiential work, group processing, and didactic presentations.

Day One: Experiential and Clinical Case Discussions

  • Introductions and needs assessment: “Your wish list”
  • Experiential work: Looking at how to deepen symbol work in sand and play therapies
  • Clinical Case Presentations with clinical processing

Day Two: Clinical Case Consultations and Counter transference Work

In this second day, there will be four clinical case presentations, feedback, and didactic information about integrating sand and play therapies and promoting therapy goals for children.

Course Format:

This course is designed to facilitate group discussion and processing by having a limited size (Maximum 12 participants).  There will be ample opportunities to discuss specific needs and concerns.

Starbright Training Institute for Child and Family Play Therapy

is an approved provider for the Association for Play Therapy.  This course provides 12 continuing education clock hours and the STI provider number with APT is # 96-029.  STI maintains responsibility for the program.This advanced training is conducted in affiliation with Gil Institute for Trauma Recovery and Education, LLC.

This course may have been approved by Commonwealth Educational Seminars to offer CEs to four professions:  social work, psychology, counseling, and marriage and family therapy. You will be notified if it has been approved prior to registration.