Sandplay Therapy

I am a certified Systemic Sand Play Therapist, and I use this technique to help clients work through trauma and family discontent that they may have experienced.

I am a Certified Sand Tray Therapist and enjoy utilizing sand tray for many topics my clients bring to therapy. "Is that just for kids?" No! It's great for children who cannot completely communicate their thoughts and feelings yet and because children learn and express through play. However, in my experience it is even more beneficial for adults because they are able to be more insightful about their tray. Sand tray is excellent for anyone who doesn't want to only do traditional talk therapy.

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.

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.

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 am an associate member of the Sand Play Association. Sand Play is a powerful way to access non-verbal parts of ourselves. Do you ever feel something, and you don't know how to even begin to talk about it? The sand play process, in a fun and imaginative manner, using symbolic imagery, can bring out to our conscious mind parts of ourselves that were unknown to ourselves.

My office is filled with figurines and toys with which you child can use to create a sandtray or "mini-world" in order to express their unconscious material. As a sandplay therapist, I hold the safety in the space and the relationship so that your child is free to create in the sand that which is beyond words to express. Some clients say that doing sandplay is like "dreaming, while awake." And like dreams, oftentimes, important material comes up as an offering to work through and overcome.

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 have completed numerous sandplay workshops where I have gained knowledge and experience regarding specific skills and techniques used in sandplay work. This is a unique experiential process where children (and parents) can freely express themselves through creating a tangible and visible narrative. Sandplay is a great form of therapy for any challenge a client may be facing, especially trauma and communication.