The Sandtray Corner

There are a lot of ways to process a sandtray that a client creates - and the way you process may be driven by your theoretical orientation as a therapist. Here are just a few universal prompts that can spark some insight.

The power of the turn!

Do you do this in your sandtray sessions? What impact has it had on the processing of the tray?

Once you start collecting sandtray miniatures, you start to see them everywhere you go!
Where have you found your favorite miniatures?

Sandtray Miniature Tip: as you're collecting miniatures, don't stress that they are all in proportion to each other! Having a variety of sizes to choose from can be powerful for a client as they represent how big that thing feels in their world.

It's spring and it's almost my birthday - so I decided to offer my biggest discount yet on my online 3-CE course, Incorporating the Sandtray Into Therapy Work with Teens and Adults.

Use code YAYFORSPRING at checkout now through April 5 to get $25 off the course! It's a great time to get some CEUs and get some new ideas with sandtray!

Check out these adorable little nests I just scored from my local Buy Nothing Group! I can't wait to add them to my sandtray collection.

When I think nests, I think of spring, new life, home, safety. What comes up for you?

Therapy often involves helping clients clarify their own values and find ways to live authentically with those values.

What better way to explore this than in the sandtray?

If a client is unsure what values they hold, you can do a value sorting activity to help them narrow down their top ones - then pick one to explore further in the tray.

Create a tray around that value, then reflect -

In what ways are they already living congruently with their value?
What changes do they want to make to live in a way that better aligns with this value? What would that look like?

Some of the most powerful sandtray therapy sessions I have conducted throughout my career have been with teens and adults. Therapists without a background in play therapy might automatically assume sand and miniatures are for child sessions. In reality, sandtray therapy might just be the perfect companion to other therapeutic modalities in the right situation. Sandtray therapy is another tool that can be pulled out to help some clients get closer to their goals.
Here are just a few reasons why I love using sandtray with teens and adults!

As we come up on the end of 2023, the sandtray provides a great avenue to reflect on the past year and set intentions for the year to come. I invite you to create a tray yourself, and prompt clients to create trays in the upcoming weeks!

Sandtray therapy has a way of bringing many emotions to light and providing a different level of processing. It is important for a sandtray miniature collection to have miniatures to represent a wide array of emotions. As a perinatal mental health therapist, I also work with grief on a regular basis. These are just some miniatures that might be included in the work.

What miniatures come up in your work around grief?

As therapists, we sit with and hold a lot of pain and suffering, both for the clients sitting in front of us and for suffering happening around the world.

Tealight candles can be used to represent a wide array of experiences and emotions - remembrance, hope, honoring, grief, calls to action.

As a therapist, I have developed my own personal practice of lighting a tealight candle in my office when I am thinking about and honoring a particular pain that has been shared with me. It provides a tangible representation of the pain and hope I am holding.

Today, I light my candle to hold space for our Palestinian and Jewish neighbors, clients, friends, and colleagues as we all try to make sense of what is happening and search for clarity in a scary and tender time.

I’m excited to announce my latest online mini-course, Enhancing Resourcing with the Sandtray! If you work with trauma in your therapy practice (which is probably every single therapist!)…this course is for you!

Many trauma modalities emphasize the importance of resourcing and grounding before diving into the hard stuff. The sandtray is an amazing resource to help complement that work - it provides tangible things for the client to hold onto and look at, improves grounding, and decreases the chances of dissociation.

This mini course lays out 4 different resourcing techniques and how they can be done in the sandtray. If you are an EMDR therapist, you can add Bilateral Stimulation. If you’re not an EMDR therapist, no worries…this course is for you too!

Click here to enroll: https://leah-s-sandtray-training.teachable.com/p/enhancing-resourcing-with-the-sandtray

When building a collection of miniatures, include a variety of items from each of these categories.

Consider your client population - you want the client to be able to find themselves in the room.

Think about your client population, include miniatures that help your clients find themselves in the tray.
I work with a lot of moms - these are just some of the miniatures that clients might choose to help portray different aspects of their experiences...the good, the stressful, the love, the overwhelm.

Click here to sign up for a free list of 15 different sandtray therapy prompts to use with teens and adults!

https://mailchi.mp/61d615024318/free-sandtray-therapy-prompt-worksheet

Overstimulation, overwhelm, decision fatigue (that feeling when you become irritable and just can't handle any more questions or decisions) - these are all real and normal parts of parenting, especially with young kids.

I see this in the parents that I work with, and in my own life as a momma to 2 young kids.

I recently turned to the sandtray to depict what this feels like - I put myself as the character in the middle, surrounded by questions, demands, tasks, decisions to be made...

Centering in the sandtray was a helpful way to organize my experience, and now I can explore places where I might need to set some boundaries and work in some quiet, breathing, and self-care so that I can show up as a more patient and present parent.

How do you handle overwhelming feelings when they come up?

Miniature highlight: balloons!
These balloons get used frequently in sessions, particularly with teens. They might help portray feelings of happiness vs. depression, hope vs. despair, memories of a party, or any other meaning a client might assign to them!
(Remember - it is always the client that gets to choose what something means in the tray.)

Starting a session off with asking the client to pick a miniature that represents how they feel helps them get grounded into the moment, check in with their feelings, and provides centering as they decide where to focus the session.

Just for fun...a little collage of some common phrases in the therapy room. 😊

What would you add?

Trauma is sensory-based and often stored in the body. Sandtray therapy provides a hands-on, sensory intervention to help process trauma on a deeper level.

Building up a collection of sandtray miniatures doesn't have to be expensive! This house was created by painting a piece of scrap wood.

What materials do you already have that could be turned into miniatures?

Miniatures are the primary means of communication in sandtray therapy. These are intentionally-selected figures that provide symbols and voice to the sometimes subconscious thoughts of the client.

Throughout my reading and trainings, I have heard these miniatures referred to as "symbols," "figures," "images," "avatars," "characters," and "beings."

What other terms have you heard? Which one resonates most with you and your work in the sand?

*Should I stay in the relationship or leave?*
*Should I apply for the promotion?*
*Should we try for another kid?*

Sometimes when helping someone process through a life decision, I direct them to the sandtray. I divide it in half (or use 2 separate sandtrays), and ask them create a picture of what life would look like in either scenario.

The physical act of creating the scene and seeing how each sides looks often brings an increased awareness and insight to help find clarity.

How could you use this technique in your practice?

Interested in learning more about using the sandtray with teens and adults? Leah's online course, Incorporating the Sandtray Into Therapy Work with Teens and Adults, has been approved by the ASWB for 3 continuing education units. To learn more and sign up, go to: https://leah-s-sandtray-training.teachable.com/p/incorporating-the-sandtray-into-your-therapy-work-with-teens-and-adults

Hello, I'm Kristine Page, a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, Registered Play Therapist, and Certified in Perinatal Mental Health. My journey with sand tray therapy began during my internship in 2012, where I discovered my passion for this powerful therapeutic approach. Since then, I have had the privilege of using sand tray therapy with a diverse range of clients, helping them address various issues they are facing.
Through my practice, Turning The Page Counseling Services, LLC, I primarily work with the perinatal population, supporting birthing individuals from those trying to conceive to those raising young children. My career initially involved working with children aged 3 to 18 in a community mental health setting, an experience that highlighted the significance of focusing on the mental health of families from the very beginning.
Working with Leah on this platform, my goal is to build a thriving community of therapists interested in learning about sand tray therapy and expanding their knowledge. I genuinely believe that sand tray therapy is an invaluable tool in aiding my clients' healing journeys. I am enthusiastic about learning together with all of you and sharing the profound joy that sand tray therapy can bring to our practices. Let's embark on this exciting journey together!

Hi! I'm Leah, a clinical social worker and play therapist in the Kansas City metro. I was first introduced to sandtray therapy when I was an intern therapist in 2016, and have been offering sandtray therapy in my practice ever since. I have implemented sandtray therapy with clients of many ages and backgrounds, and continue to be amazed at the power it has to transcend the cognitive process, engage the creative side of the brain, and help people understand themselves on a deeper level.

I am the owner of Hope Esperanza Counseling, LLC. I am bilingual in English and Spanish and specialize in perinatal mental health, trauma, and depression/anxiety. Although I'm a play therapist, I often find my spark when working with teens and adults, often weaving in the sandtray or other experiential techniques.

I created this page to help bring together therapists who either already do or want to start experiencing the power of sandtray therapy in their sessions. Whether you are new to sandtray or have been using it for years, I hope that this page will spark inspiration!