Sandplay Therapy

I took a semester long class dedicated to sandtray therapy and continue my education in sandtray therapy by attending and presenting at local sandtray trainings and conferences. I have served as a board member for Austin SandTray Association for 3+ years and am a co-founder of the Texas SandTray Association. I currently serve as Executive Director and Treasurer for the Trxas SandTray Association.

Like play therapy, sand tray is a fantastic way to get to the root of some issues without always having to come up with the words to explain it. It allows our brains to access the deeper parts to begin to heal itself.

Michele is in the process of completing her Registered Play Therapist (RPT) credential. Michele also enjoys utilizing expressive interventions, such as sand tray and art.

I have attended workshops on Sand Tray and have used it extensively in my work with children (4-13) and high school students. I have noticed that it unlocks many ideas, thoughts, and behaviors so we can work more deeply.

Sandplay Therapy facilitates opportunities to access the wisdom of psyche in the pursuit of healing. The client uses miniature figures and objects to create a story or image in a tray of sand. This image can be a powerful fool for accessing unconscious resources and revealing unknown layers of emotion and insight. Even as children experience this as play the psyches natural capacity for healing is activated as preverbal and unconscious elements of our inner lives are revealed.

I am a Registered Integrative Sandtray Therapist. During my play therapy certification training, I fell in love with Sandtray therapy & knew I would continue on this journey. I use it when working with adults to help them connect words (the left brain) to the their memories & emotions (the right). As someone who has personally experienced the power of sandtray, I am equally amazed when I see how it transforms my clients.

Sand tray therapy provides the client with a method of exploring their world along with their fears and states of regulation without having to talk about themselves with the therapist. The therapist explores the sand tray creation with the client and looks at potential correlations to life experiences. Sand tray therapist is a non-evasive method of exploring past trauma and current life struggles. The client is welcome to share as much or as little as they are comfortable with the therapist.

I have sought out specialized training and supervision in sand tray therapy. This is a modality that is appropriate for both children and adults. It consists of utilizing a specially proportioned tray of sand and a variety of figures. Clients are able to create a "world" in the tray with the figures. This technique allows clients to access feelings, perceptions and experiences which may be outside of their everyday awareness. When these become illustrated in the tray, processing can begin.

Sandplay therapy is not only for children; adults can benefit from it too. When we use too much intellectual function to survive, a safe and protected space for an individual to freely be themselves, to be relaxed and playful, and to meet their inner world symbolically can be so helpful!