Sandplay Therapy

I have been using sand tray therapy successfully with clients on a regular basis since 2017 and have an extensive collection of miniatures for use in the sand tray. I receive supervision for my sand tray work from my supervisor, who also uses a sand tray in her work.

I have experienced and training in Sandplay, Sandtray and SandStory(r) Therapy. I use my sandtray and sandstory symbols with both children and adults.

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!

I love using Sandtray when working with teenagers and adults. It is a great way to access other parts of our brains and integrating them. I am a Registered Integrative Sandtray Therapist through Southern Sandtray Institute.

I have been using this modality with children, adolescents, and adults for almost 20 years and find that it complements both play therapy and traditional talk therapy by providing a rich and powerful means of self-expression and exploration of significant issues.

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 a non-verbal, expressive therapeutic method developed by Swiss Jungian analyst Dora Kalff drawing from the work of Carl Jung, Margaret Lowenfeld, and Tibetan & Zen Buddhism. Jung, whose work provides the foundation for sandplay therapy, understood almost a hundred years ago that the mind and body were inextricably linked. In sandplay, this link is seen again and again in both the symbolic activity of the psyche and the embodied experience of healing and change.

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 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.