What is Sand Tray Therapy?
Written by Casille Kristol, MC LAC
What is Sand Tray Therapy?
Sand Tray Therapy, also referred to as Sandplay Therapy, is an expressive approach in which the client "creates a world" in a tray of sand using a wide variety of miniature figurines. The nonverbal story of the "sand tray world" is often accompanied or followed by storytelling of the world, figures, or experience. The creative and symbolic nature of the sand tray allows clients to express, process, and integrate both conscious and unconscious material that may be difficult or impossible to access through typical "talk therapy" approaches. The therapist acts as a nonjudgmental witness whose focus is to provide a free and protected space, both physically and emotionally, for the client's self-expression.
What to expect:
Sand Tray therapy takes place in box-like containers referred to as sand trays. The trays are filled with sand that clients use, along with miniature toys, to create a play world that reflects some aspect of real people and real experiences in their own lives. The client chooses from a large collection of toys and builds a small “world” in the tray that reflects what is going on in their lives. The therapist observes the choice and arrangement of toys without interruption, allowing the person to find answers within themselves. After the play is completed, the client and therapist analyze and discuss the client’s toy choices, their arrangement pattern in the sand, and their symbolic or metaphoric meanings. Upon discussion, the client often chooses to make changes to the world they have created in sand.
Three main benefits:
The design of the sand tray environment is a safe, contained world that is fully controlled by the client, and can be manipulated or changed by adding, subtracting, or moving figurines within the scene.
It does not require any artistic skill to have a satisfying sand tray experience—only selecting and placing objects.
Physically moving representational objects within the sand tray container has a beneficial effect on the body, especially in people who have undergone traumatic experiences—more so than simply talking about memories or ideas.