The Many Ways Sandtray Therapy Can Foster Healing

By Julie Ferdas, LCSW and Kim Finnie, CSSW, LCSW

There are multiple approaches to Sandtray therapy, which can be adapted to a client’s specific needs. Some Sandtray therapists use a directive approach, guiding clients to create specific scenes. Alternatively, some therapists may select an entirely hands-off, nondirective approach to Sandtray therapy. Finally, the modality can be entirely non-verbal, or a therapist may ask the client questions to explore and process the metaphorical world.

Regardless of the specific approach to Sandtray therapy, what is most important to the healing process is the relationship that the client has with the therapist. By creating a safe, trusting environment, the therapist provides an ideal setting for the client to use the Sandtray model to foster their healing process.

How Sandtray Therapy Works

The relationship between a therapist and a client is essential in Sandtray therapy, as it is in any therapeutic process. Beyond this relationship, the Sandtray model itself can confer therapeutic benefits. The underlying theory behind Sandtray therapy is that the process of creating scenes using small figurines can help clients to access material from their subconscious mind. Clients often feel safe when using Sandtray therapy because it can provide distance from traumatic experiences or conflicts, and there is no right or wrong way to arrange figurines in the sand tray.

Once the scene is created in the sand, the client can process and understand some of their emotions related to the scene. In some cases, creating these scenes can allow a client to better express information from their conscious mind when they have been unable to express it verbally. Additionally, throughout the therapeutic process, clients can learn to change their ways of thinking, and alter their emotional responses, as the structure of their sand tray pictures changes over time. This process in and of itself is healing.

Additional healing can occur through the handson nature of Sandtray therapy. Playing in the sand and rearranging figurines with the hands is, for many people, a pleasant sensory experience, which can create a sense of safety during the therapeutic process. This means that those who may not feel comfortable opening up and speaking to a therapist in traditional “talk therapy” settings might prefer the Sandtray modality.

Finally, the expressive nature of Sandtray therapy can help clients to regulate their emotions. With repeated Sandtray therapy, improved emotional regulation can allow clients not only to resolve internal conflicts but also to reframe their inner emotional world to bring about healing.

Uses of Sandtray Therapy

The Sandtray method has been found to be effective in bringing about positive changes in both children and adults. Some common uses for children include:

• Treating aggressive behavior

• Treatment of ADHD

• Helping children to cope with trauma

• Addressing emotional and attachment issues arising from family problems like divorce or parental addiction

• Helping children and teens to identify and express difficult emotions

• Improving self-esteem

• Managing symptoms of autism and other disabilities

Furthermore, Sandtray therapy can be beneficial for treating adults with the following conditions:

• Relational conflict

• Depression

• Anxiety

• PTSD

• Stress and trauma associated with being an immigrant or refugee

Based upon what is known about Sandtray therapy from research and professional practice, this modality can be helpful for children and adults coping with a variety of different mental, emotional, and relationship problems.

References:

1https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2017-14608-022

2https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2017-14608-020

3https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S019745561730254X?casa_ token=Q-9nMxHZbI4AAAAA:_62AD61mkP5TONVhtm5Tc3OawQPSAQ4iH_ HcZPtaHZrtOHhjy2tDRUtJ7efDHMy-yYhFViYbjWM

About the Authors:

Julie Ferdas, LCSW is a New Jersey Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Rutgers University in 1997. Julie completed her Master of Social Work at the University of Pennsylvania in 1999. She has been providing therapeutic services to children and adolescents, individuals, couples, and families in a variety of settings for the last fifteen years. Julie joined Bridge to Balance in 2014 and is now a co-owner, sharing in the vision and bringing energy to its continued growth. Learn more at https://bridge2balance.com

Kim Finnie, CSSW, LCSW earned her BA degree in 1999 from Wheaton College in Sociology and Theology. After graduating, Kim worked full-time in the social work field for Catholic Charities Chicago while attending graduate school to earn her Master of Social Work degree at Loyola University-Chicago. Kim graduated in 2003 with her MSW and moved back to her home state of NJ to work for Robins’ Nest and Gloucester County Special Services School District as a licensed social worker (LSW). Kim earned her LCSW in 2009 and entered private practice. She opened the doors of Bridge to Balance Inc. in 2010 with a vision of providing individuals and families with services that focused on helping them cultivate a sense of balance and wellness in their lives. Learn more at https:// bridge2balance.com

In March of 2023 I had the great honor of facilitating a trauma sensitive yoga session at the NASW-NJ Annual Conference. The conference was being held in-person for the first time since 2019. Conference leaders were adamant about incorporating self-care and making wellness a priority for the event. My yoga group gathered across the hall from the Self Care Lounge, a room reserved for attendees and facilitators to take time for themselves, a safe space for reflection and regulation. I was inspired by the integration of mindfulness and healing into the professional conference. For some time, I had been exploring the need to integrate wellness into all facets of our lives, at home, work, school, and in the community. As I stood in the conference room, yoga mats lined wall to wall, I felt confident that social workers would lead this much needed self-care movement.

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