Using sandtray therapy to

reach traumatized clients at

cacs
Deanna Couture MA,LPC-S,NCC,RPT
AMelia Siders, Ph.D. Clinical Director

Learning objectives:
1. The learner will be able to define sandtray therapy and its use.
2. The learner will be able to identify different types of sandtray scenes
and how to process the scene.
3. The learner will be able to understand the use of miniatures in the
sandtray and be given an overview of essential sandtray tools.
Definition of sandtray therapy
An expressive and projective mode of psychotherapy in which the client, in
the presence of a trained sandtray therapist, creates a world in the sand
drawing from an extensive collection of miniatures.

Scenes from the TBCAC Playroom

Scenes from the TBCAC playroom

How and why sandtray therapy works:

● The sandtray itself is a container for the client’s experience.
● The sand activates the right brain, nonverbal mode of thinking.
● What is experienced in a nonverbal way is brought into conscious awareness.
● Because the body and mind are fully engaged, the experience creates neural
pathways in the brain, develops new memories, and builds internal resources
which can be called upon in later real world situations. (1)
Why sandtray works:
❏ Offers a language of symbols when words are not enough
❏ Invites the world of implicit memory to take symbolic form
❏ Provides a road around verbal defenses
❏ Allows preverbal pain to emerge

Clients who benefit from sandtray:

CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS BENEFIT FROM SANDTRAY WORK BECAUSE THEIR INTELLECTUAL, EMOTIONAL,
AND LINGUISTIC DEVELOPMENT MAY NOT BE ADEQUATE TO ALLOW THEM TO PRESENT IN WORDS THE
COMPLEXITY OF THEIR THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS.

ADULTS WHO INTELLECTUALIZE AND AVOID CONTACT WITH EMOTION, HAVE A HISTORY OF TRAUMA,
OVER-VERBALIZE AS A DEFENSE TO EMOTION, ARE “STUCK” IN VERBAL THERAPY, ARE TENSE AND ANXIOUS,
AND/OR HAVE TROUBLE ARTICULATING THEIR THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS.
Clients who benefit from sandtray: (cont.)
Couples, groups, and families can benefit by working together to create a
sandtray and can learn more about each other’s feelings and thoughts. They
can use the sandtray scene to problem solve issues within the couple, group,
or family.

BEGINNING A SANDTRAY EXPERIENCE:

The client must know, think, and feel safe - emotionally, psychologically,
spiritually, and physically. Jung talks about “free and protected space.” The
therapist is fully present when the client is building the sandtray.
Interaction between the therapist and client can be verbal or non-verbal.
Take your lead from the client and “trust the process.” Younger children
may simply play in the sand - this is known as “play therapy in miniature.”
Free play in sand

Cues for client:

“Build your world in the sand; put yourself in the world.” Ask client to
title the sandtray at the end and identify the overwhelming emotion
(Warm? Angry? Peaceful? Conflicted?) Sandtray work is nondirective. The
client chooses what gets made in the sandtray and the meaning attached to
it. Therapists should not make assumptions about meaning and ask the
client what certain things represent.
Meaning making in sandtray therapy:
★ Take a photo of each scene after client finishes
★ Look at photos together, and talk about the progress the client has made
★ Discuss how the the sandtray scenes have evolved
★ This is a good way to track and prompt discussions of representations that come up
repeatedly with clients
★ Issues and challenges that have been troubling clients don’t become clear to them until
they see the issues played out in the sandtray (example: an overwhelmed client might put
figures all in a jumble on top of one another)

Progressive sandtrays from one client

1 2

3 4
Understand the process:
1. Ease/difficult
2. Determined/hesitant
3. Able/Unable to be fully involved
4. Purposeful/Non-purposeful
5. Plans ahead/Constructs as it happens

Organization of the sandtray:

❏ An empty world - Two-thirds or more of the sandtray is empty; world is unhappy, empty
❏ An unpeopled world (no people)- wish to escape/expression of hostility toward people.
Abused children often build this type to escape world. Soldiers are not considered “people”
as they signal aggression.
❏ A closed/fenced world - most miniatures within fences; signal self-protection,
compartmentalize, closed self off from others, closing dangers out, fear of inner
impulses and need for external control
Empty world

Unpeopled world
Closed fenced world

Organization of the sandtray (cont.)

❏ Rigid World - rows of geometric pattern, extreme need for order; often a reaction to a
chaotic world, perfectionism, self-control
❏ Disorganized World - chaos- showing client’s inner confusion, chaos in own world;
inability to maintain self-control
❏ Aggressive World - battle scenes, wild animal attacks, car crashes, etc. Client may be
internalizing anger; check for possible domestic violence in family
Rigid world

Disorganized World
Aggressive world

SelEction of miniatures
1. Include a few non-miniature figurines such as a larger-than-life
spider, life-sized rat, and a large (12-14 inch) snake or dinosaur.
2. People should reflect a variety of ethnicities (especially those
representative of your client’s world).
3. Vegetation can be selected to reflect your region of the country.
4. Houses can also vary from single-family dwellings to apartment
buildings.
Large miniatures

Categories of miniatures
A. People: Family groups, brides and grooms, occupational, hobbies,
sports, stage-of-life figures, historical figures
B. Animals: Prehistoric, zoo/wild, farm/domestic, birds, insects, sea life
C. Buildings: houses, business/civil, religious, historical
D. Transportation: cars, trucks, flight vehicles, nautical, other such as
motorcycles, bicycles
E. Vegetation: trees, other such as flowers, hedges
Categories of miniatures (cont.)
F. Fences, gates, signs: fences of different types, gates, barricades, signs, other such as railroad
tracks

G. Natural items: sea shells, vegetation, rocks

H. Fantasy: magical, magical animals, monsters, folklore, cartoon/comic book figures, movie
characters, other such as skeletons/ghosts

I. Spiritual/Mystical: Western religions, other religious groups, mystical, other such as

Venus, Nile River Goddess

Categories of miniatures (cont.)

J.Landscaping and Other Accessories: Sky, celestial, topographical, monuments, other such as a
wishing well, treasure chest, treasure (gold coins, gemstones), coffin, bridges, flags

K. Household Items: Furniture, tools, other such as dishes, beer and wine bottles, food, garbage
can, party items, mailbox, telephones

L. Miscellaneous items: Medical items, drug/alcohol, sand toys such as shovel, spatula, or brush
Activity: Family Genogram
★ Ask the client to choose a miniature to represent himself/herself and each member of
his/her family. Encourage the client to use any miniature, not just people. For example,
if grandpa likes elephants, the client may choose an elephant to represent him.
★ Place the miniatures in the sand (therapist pays attention to placement of miniatures in
relation to each other).
★ Ask client to tell you about the sandtray and explain why he/she chose the miniatures
★ Ask the client to give you an emotion word to describe the sandtray.

Resources
Self-esteem Shop: www.selfesteemshop.com

Play Therapy Supply: www.playtherapysupply.com

Child Therapy Toys: www.childtherapytoys.com

Toys of the Trade: www.toysofthetrade.com

Association for Play Therapy: www.a4pt.org

Michigan Association of Play Therapy: www.miapt.org

references
1. Hunter, Linda B., “Metaphors in Miniature: Exploring the Power of Sandplay,” Play Therapy,
Vol. 3, issue 3, Sept. 2008, pp. 6-8.
2. Homeyer, Linda E. and Sweeney, Daniel S., Sandtray Therapy: A Practical Manual, 2nd
edition, 2011.
3. De Domenico, G., (1995). Sand tray world play; a comprehensive guide to the use of the sand
tray in psychotherapeutic and transformational settings. Oakland, CA: Vision quest
images.