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How to Provide Sand Tray Therapy in Play Therapy · Next Level Play Therapy: A Podcast for Play Therapy Excellence

• 0:02
  Welcome to Next Level Play Therapy, a weekly podcast dedicated to supporting the next generation of child and adolescent therapists to provide exceptional play therapy services.
• 0:14
  We'll explore all things play therapy to elevate your work with children and adolescents using the therapeutic powers of play.
• 0:23
  I'll discuss practical tips and ideas so you can provide a transformative experience for your young clients and make a real difference in their lives.
• 0:34
  So get ready to take your play therapy skills to the next level and make a lasting impact in the lives of children, adolescents, and families.
• 0:48
  Welcome to this week's episode of Next Level Play Therapy.
• 0:53
  Today I want to talk about sand tray therapy.
• 0:57
  It's one of my favorite modalities to use in play therapy.
• 1:02
  If you're watching on the video, then you can probably see all my sand tray miniatures behind me.
• 1:10
  I have a little bit of an obsession with sand tray therapy.
• 1:15
  So if you're listening on the podcast, you may want to at some point pop over to my YouTube channel over.
• 1:24
  It's my YouTube channel is Cathi Spooner Renewing Hearts Training.
• 1:28
  If you click on the live tab, that's where you'll see all the video versions essentially of the podcast, there's, there's a lot more live stream, uh, uh, replays on my YouTube channel.
• 1:45
  So if you're listening on the podcast, you may want to pop over there to my YouTube channel.
• 1:51
  And one of the reason I'm saying that today is that I'm going to be showing some things also.
• 1:57
  So I'll try to do as much describing as possible for the podcast listeners.
• 2:04
  And because of today's topic, I think it's kind of important to talk of, uh, in specifics about the miniatures and, and those kinds of things.
• 2:17
  So just an FYI.
• 2:20
  So if you are in the play therapy, you have probably heard of sand tray therapy.
• 2:30
  Last week I talked more about like, what's the difference between sand tray therapy and sand play.
• 2:38
  So you may want to pop over there and watch that or listen to that episode or watch that episode.
• 2:44
  Um, Today I want to talk more about what do you need in order to provide sand tray therapy and why do you need those things?
• 2:58
  So if you're if you're listening on the podcast, welcome if you're watching on the live stream if you're watching live I'd love to know who's here post your name in the comments Where are you from?
• 3:15
  Are you using sand tray in your practice with children?
• 3:21
  If you're watching on the replay, the live stream replay, I'd love to know who's watching, are you using sand tray, what what type of sand tray are you using?
• 3:35
  I talked a little bit about that last week.
• 3:37
  I'll talk a little bit more about it today as well.
• 3:40
  Hey Carla from Mexico.
• 3:43
  Welcome.
• 3:44
  Um, Carla says, of course I'm using it.
• 3:50
  Right.
• 3:51
  I know Carla.
• 3:52
  I want you to come to the workshop too.
• 3:54
  So if, uh, Carla is actually a play therapist in Mexico and she's doing some really awesome things in Mexico, Mexico.
• 4:05
  One of the things I love about, uh, being online is I get to meet people from all over.
• 4:11
  And I got to meet Carla.
• 4:13
  Carla took my Attachment Focused Family Play Therapy live webinar.
• 4:19
  Oh, it was probably two years ago, maybe a year and a half, something like that.
• 4:23
  Anyways, yes, Carla, I would love for you to come to my workshop.
• 4:27
  Um, Using Sand Tray And for those of you who are listening, I am going to talk a little bit more.
• 4:32
  I do have an in person sand tray training coming up.
• 4:38
  I am a huge believer that the best way to learn sand tray therapy is to get your hands in the sand, get your hands on some miniatures, creating and processing.
• 4:52
  sand trays in a small group session.
• 4:56
  It's the way that I learned.
• 4:58
  In fact, I'll be honest.
• 5:00
  My first sand tray training I went to like a little over 20 years ago now.
• 5:07
  Um, I, I went to it, I was a little skeptical.
• 5:12
  I went to and I thought, Hmm, this is kind of a little, little woo woo for me.
• 5:18
  And, but my friend told me it was a good training and I saw that she was doing it.
• 5:23
  And I trusted her.
• 5:24
  So it seemed like a lot of money at the time.
• 5:28
  So keep in mind, this is like over 20 years ago.
• 5:31
  It seemed like a lot of money at the time, but I thought, you know what?
• 5:35
  I really want to learn this.
• 5:37
  I hate not knowing what I'm doing and I trust my friend and I'm going to go.
• 5:43
  I paid my money and off I went to this sand tray training, told myself, you know, keep an open mind.
• 5:50
  And it was transformational.
• 5:54
  That I know that sounds a little over the top, but that not only transformed my professional skills and abilities and my confidence, the beginning of it, it also really transformed me as, uh, as a therapist and personally.
• 6:15
  You know, we can't do this work without it really affecting us personally.
• 6:20
  You ask any, any play therapist, everyone I've ever met, and I have met.
• 6:27
  Like thousands, they will say the reason we get into this field is it's more of a mission, it's a purpose.
• 6:36
  It's a calling more than it is a profession.
• 6:41
  So getting into this profession is kind of we bring all of ourselves that's what I always say.
• 6:48
  I bring all of me into the the play therapy process in a professional capacity.
• 6:55
  You get the professional Cathi in, in the play therapy process.
• 7:00
  But for me, sand tray was a transformation.
• 7:06
  And so I love it.
• 7:08
  I love, love, love, love, love sand tray therapy.
• 7:12
  And when I took the training, it was In person, of course it was, you know, back then everything was in person.
• 7:18
  And getting my hands in the sand and using the miniatures and that whole sand tray process, was so, I believe vital for my learning that I, that's, that is one of the reasons why I am a huge proponent of doing sand tray training in person.
• 7:42
  Like I, I've done, I've provided some online and I do think that's useful.
• 7:47
  If you really want to get the full extent and the power and understand all of that.
• 7:54
  Then I think it's important to also do some in person sand tray trainings.
• 7:59
  I keep my trainings for sand tray really small because I really want that group experience of processing and, um, creating sand trays in that safe space.
• 8:13
  So I'm going to talk a little bit more about that later today, but that's kind of, you got a little insight into why I am obsessed with sand tray training and why I have like, I have so many miniatures.
• 8:28
  Um, and I'll talk a little bit about I'll talk a little bit about the miniatures and like, why are mine standing up?
• 8:36
  That kind of thing.
• 8:38
  So welcome also to Tina.
• 8:41
  Good morning from Akron, Ohio.
• 8:44
  Oh, Martina Akron, Ohio.
• 8:48
  Angela says, I mostly work with teens, but interested in learning about this plate therapy technique for my seven year old.
• 8:56
  That's awesome.
• 8:57
  Yes.
• 8:58
  I use sand tray all the time, all, all, all the time.
• 9:03
  I use it with it children, adolescents, adults.
• 9:08
  I've used it with families.
• 9:09
  I've used it with groups like a million years ago when I was actually doing a couple's work.
• 9:17
  This was a really, really, really long time ago, a few decades.
• 9:22
  I, I use sand tray with, with, uh, couples as well.
• 9:27
  It's a really powerful technique.
• 9:29
  So let's get started.
• 9:31
  I'm going to talk about, um, sand tray training.
• 9:35
  I mean, uh, I'm going to talk about sand tray and really what tools do you need and why do you need them?
• 9:43
  So if you're a play therapist, then you're understanding Um, you're understanding that play therapy is grounded in the therapeutic powers of play.
• 9:58
  And we access the therapeutic, we help our clients access the therapeutic powers of play based on the play therapy theory model that we're using.
• 10:09
  And I kind of talked about that last week and last week's episode and how that also relates to when you're using the sand tray making process.
• 10:19
  So, sand tray is the same thing.
• 10:25
  Just like in the play therapy playroom, we have specific toys and supplies in there.
• 10:32
  The specific ones that we have, have a therapeutic component to them to help our clients access the therapeutic powers of play.
• 10:42
  The same is true when you're integrating sand tray into your clinical practice.
• 10:51
  There are specific things that you need in order to provide sand tray therapy.
• 10:59
  And that is, you need the sand tray, you need sand, and you need the miniatures.
• 11:06
  Those are the three components that you're, that you need.
• 11:10
  And so that's when I'm going to talk, I'm going to do a little deeper dive about that in today's session, where we're talking about how to provide sand tray therapy in play therapy.
• 11:23
  To do that, you need to have specific tools.
• 11:26
  Um, so the first thing I wanna talk about is the sand tray.
• 11:30
  So what is the sand tray?
• 11:33
  Sandbox, sand tray.
• 11:36
  So here's, here's where we are, we are using it in a therapeutic capacity versus like maybe in, in, like preschools will have it sometimes, or I don't know, when my kids were little, they had the sand tray that, you know, we had the big sandbox outside in the playground that we had for our kids.
• 12:00
  And then we were always in there building things.
• 12:02
  So it's, it's, sand tray therapy is kind of rooted in that mindset of children are drawn towards the sand and the container.
• 12:12
  and creating in the sand tray.
• 12:14
  When we're using that therapeutically, there are specific types of tools that we need for that.
• 12:23
  One of the tools is the sand tray.
• 12:26
  So sand tray therapy has its roots in sand play therapy, which has its roots in the work of Dorkhoff and Margaret Lohenfeld.
• 12:37
  And they're the ones that that really took it into the work with children and Dorkhoff specifically did a lot with bringing sand play therapy into the therapeutic world with children.
• 12:53
  And so based, based a lot of what I use as my process with sand tray and sand tray therapy, Has its roots more in that, in that way, because that's how I was trained.
• 13:08
  That's the training that I went to.
• 13:11
  Um, and so that's why you'll see when I have the sand tray, aka sandbox, we call it a sand tray.
• 13:20
  It's the container.
• 13:22
  The sand tray is the container that's going to hold the sand and the miniatures.
• 13:27
  And based on its historical roots, there's a specific size.
• 13:35
  So, how long and how wide and the depth and the color.
• 13:41
  So historically the sand tray is wood.
• 13:45
  Nowadays you can get it like plastic ones.
• 13:49
  You can get sand trays with lids without lids.
• 13:52
  You can get round sand trays.
• 13:55
  You can get rectangle sand trays.
• 13:58
  You can get octagonal sand trays.
• 14:01
  You can get large sand trays, small sand trays, now there's even portable sand trays that are more kind of, uh, blow up, and those are nice if you are, are, like, if you do a lot of work going into different homes, or you need it to be mobile because it, and the, and the reason it's, it's lighter.
• 14:24
  But, but you need some kind of container, and historically, the sand tray was, rectangle and it had a certain width and certain depth because that's really what your I could take in when you're looking at the sand tray.
• 14:42
  And the reason it's blue historically in inside the sand tray has to do with the symbolism of blue.
• 14:51
  So blue can be water, blue can be sky.
• 14:55
  So that's the reason it's blue on the inside.
• 14:58
  I like more of the traditional, uh, kind of approach to sand tray mostly because I was trained that way, but also because I, I love the symbolism of it, which is when I have a sand tray, I make sure that it's blue in the middle.
• 15:14
  So mind you, this can be really expensive.
• 15:18
  So when I started out, Um, I started out like mostly everybody else and got the little Rubbermaid tub and it wasn't blue inside.
• 15:29
  Um, I tried different things to get it blue inside like painting it, but it didn't work too well because all the paint chipped off into the sand and then I had the sand that had these little blue specks and I was always trying to clean those out.
• 15:43
  Um, the, the, the, the, regardless of how you use, like what theory model you're using, the, the sand tray is the container.
• 15:57
  So you need a container to hold the sand and to hold the miniatures.
• 16:02
  So what's the purpose of the sand.
• 16:06
  The sand is what grounds the miniatures.
• 16:10
  It kind of connects and grounds the the builder to the sand tray making process.
• 16:20
  So what types of sand?
• 16:23
  So when so a lot of questions that come up, but what kind of sand do I need?
• 16:28
  I would say don't spray don't, um, don't try to save money on your sand.
• 16:36
  And here's why I'm saying that.
• 16:38
  And I say this from personal experience, because when I got started, I needed to be able to afford things while I was building up my new obsession.
• 16:49
  And so I got the really inexpensive sand.
• 16:52
  I probably went to like here in the United States, we have Home Depot or Lowe's.
• 16:57
  So like your home improvement stores.
• 17:00
  You know, wherever you can buy sand, it typically goes in your, your child's sandbox that you have outside, or builders use it to create, I think, cement or something like that.
• 17:14
  I, and here's why I'm saying don't get the inexpensive sand.
• 17:19
  Because it's really dusty and what happens, children like to get in there and move the sand around and they like to, they like to sift it.
• 17:30
  So they'll, they'll kind of scoop it and they'll pour it.
• 17:35
  And then what happens, it looks like this, like a nuclear dust cloud that just lingers and hangs in the air.
• 17:44
  And then we're coughing and, and then, um, it's kind of miserable, I'm not going to lie.
• 17:51
  And so the, the really inexpensive sand is super, super dusty.
• 17:57
  And then it creates a lot of dust when they're scooping and moving it around.
• 18:02
  I would, I always recommend like invest if you, if you have to spend money somewhere, I would definitely recommend spending money to get the better quality of sand.
• 18:20
  So there's a, uh, so if you've been using sand tray therapy, you might've heard of Jurassic sand.
• 18:28
  I think it's Jurassic sand.
• 18:30
  com.
• 18:30
  They also have a YouTube channel.
• 18:32
  Um, if you go on my live stream.
• 18:36
  If you go on my YouTube channel on the live stream tab and you go back maybe a year, a year, year and a half, maybe, um, I had some, uh, some of the staff from Jurassic Sand on and had them talk about their sand and how to clean the sand.
• 18:53
  So you may be interested in one of those, uh, live streams.
• 18:58
  The, the Jurassic sand and here's why, and, and mind you, I don't get any, I don't, I don't get any endorsements or any money.
• 19:07
  I'm not an affiliate.
• 19:09
  I just really like Jurassic sand because it's not dusty.
• 19:13
  They have different kind of sand too, so they have different textures as well, and I'll talk about that.
• 19:18
  One of the things that Jurassic sand prides itself on is it's not dusty and it, and it's It's really not dusty.
• 19:27
  Um, and I, there, if, so if you can spend the money, I would highly recommend trying that sand, especially if you're living here in the United States.
• 19:38
  There's another type of sand.
• 19:40
  It's called Sandtastic.
• 19:42
  You can get it on child therapy toys or play therapy supplies.
• 19:47
  I think that, Play therapy supplies dot com or top therapy toys dot com.
• 19:53
  So you can, it's the Sandtastic sand is nice.
• 19:57
  Um, it's, it's a little dusty.
• 19:59
  It's not incredibly dusty and I, I have it.
• 20:03
  So I use it.
• 20:04
  It's, it's kind of.
• 20:06
  Uh, manageable.
• 20:08
  So that that would be another one.
• 20:10
  So the other question is, in addition to what kind of sand should I get?
• 20:15
  Those are usually my recommendations for sand.
• 20:19
  The other questions that I get, um, are like about the kinetic sand or color of sand.
• 20:30
  So Kimberly from YouTube says Jurassic, Jurassic sand is expensive but worth it.
• 20:37
  I totally agree with that Kimberly.
• 20:41
  So the other is color or kinetic sand.
• 20:45
  So kinetic sand is that moldable sand I've used kinetic sand.
• 20:51
  It's really messy.
• 20:53
  And so like if you have, for example, I, if you're watching on the video, you can see I'm holding up a really vibrant and dynamic fire miniature.
• 21:05
  The thing that's hard about the kinetic sand is you can see in here, there's like lots of nooks and crannies.
• 21:11
  It gets in there and kind of stuck and caked in there.
• 21:15
  So you have to be able to wash your miniatures a lot if you're using the kinetic sand.
• 21:21
  Um, the other thing is it's really messy.
• 21:24
  It gets all over the floor.
• 21:26
  So I don't use kinetic sand, um, just cause it's way messier than if you have wet sand, but you can, if you want to.
• 21:36
  Um, and that's the other question that comes up, dry sand or wet sand.
• 21:41
  It's two very different experiences.
• 21:45
  I think most of us only have the capacity to have one sand tray in our sand tray in our play therapy room or if you, if you have a whole separate sand tray room.
• 21:59
  It's nice to have the wet sand and a dry sand.
• 22:04
  If you only have one sandbox, I always recommend people limit the amount of water that kids can put in the sand tray because if they flood the sand tray, which can be so therapeutic.
• 22:20
  So I'm not saying don't do it.
• 22:22
  It can, it can be very therapeutic, but here's the practical part of that.
• 22:28
  If you let them flood the sand tray and you only have one sand tray, it will take days, days for it to dry and you probably have to take the sand tray outside to pour out most of the water.
• 22:42
  Um, unless you want to keep it like this is your sand tray that's really flooded in it.
• 22:48
  It stays that way.
• 22:49
  Um, that if you let them, I usually say, like, do like a 2 cup measuring cup and, um, I'm not sure outside.
• 23:02
  I know we don't use metric here in the United States, but, um.
• 23:09
  So outside of the U.
• 23:10
  S.
• 23:11
  If you're listening outside, it's I don't know how much that is.
• 23:16
  Whatever the equivalent of two cups is, I probably wouldn't use more than two cups.
• 23:21
  And that's the max.
• 23:23
  And here's my practical experience with that.
• 23:26
  It gives enough time to dry out like it'll be dry overnight.
• 23:31
  But if you let them use more than that, it's going to take a few days for the sand to dry.
• 23:37
  But also be mindful of this.
• 23:41
  So most of us are seeing kids and we see several kids in one day, right?
• 23:46
  So let's, here's a scenario.
• 23:48
  I'm going to walk you through this scenario.
• 23:50
  Just be mindful of this.
• 23:51
  So you're thinking about how you're going to manage this and what you want to do about this.
• 23:57
  So if let's, this happens every time.
• 24:01
  So let's say you have a child and they want to get the sand wet.
• 24:05
  And they want to build like molded and build things with it.
• 24:09
  They want a little bit of a lake or a river and they want to use that.
• 24:13
  It's better to use a container if they want a little river, let them like fill up a cup and put it in there because otherwise the water just gets absorbed into the sand.
• 24:23
  So let's say and they get they get to sand nice and wet and they've had this amazing experience.
• 24:28
  The next child that comes in who's expecting to use the sand tray, they'll look at it and they'll look like I've had this happen so many times where they look at me like Miss Cathi.
• 24:40
  It's wet.
• 24:42
  And they look at me with this face of, what the heck, who ruined the sand tray?
• 24:47
  So, you know, I use my, my, Oh, you didn't want it to be wet.
• 24:51
  You're wondering who got it wet.
• 24:52
  You don't like it that it's wet.
• 24:54
  So that's my child centered play therapy.
• 24:56
  tracking.
• 24:57
  So some kids may not want it wet.
• 25:00
  And if you only have one sand tray, you have to be mindful of the fact that while one child may want it wet and they have this amazing time, the next child who comes into your playroom wanting to use the sand tray, they may want it dry.
• 25:15
  And they may not like that it's wet, so they may not use it.
• 25:18
  They'll use something else, so it's, it's not a deal breaker.
• 25:21
  Kids will get out of the play therapy process what they need.
• 25:26
  Um, as far as teens, because Angela said she wants to use it with teens, teens usually let it be dry.
• 25:35
  I haven't had too many teens that will get in there and do all that molding and, but sometimes they will.
• 25:42
  Adults as well, um, but mostly they'll use the dry sand tray, but they may like the wet.
• 25:50
  So sometimes you may want to think about if you want a wet sand tray and a dry sand tray and the wet one just is if you want to use wet sand.
• 25:58
  This is the one you use.
• 26:00
  If you want to use the dry sand.
• 26:01
  Here's the one you use if you have the ability to have two.
• 26:06
  Um, the other the other question that comes up about sand is color.
• 26:12
  Does color matter?
• 26:15
  I, here's my response to that because I use, I use Jurassic sand, especially when I'm doing trainings.
• 26:21
  I have, I have the sand trays.
• 26:24
  We have all the different sand.
• 26:26
  I have the different Jurassic sand and they're different colors and different textures.
• 26:31
  So you get to try those out and, and the color and the texture create a different experience in the sand tray.
• 26:40
  I would say if you're just getting started, you may want to go with a more kind of traditional neutral color.
• 26:48
  And then, um, add to that if, if that works for you.
• 26:55
  Or maybe you want to start off with the color like Sandtastic Sand has all different kind of colors.
• 27:02
  They have blue and green and purple and pink and yellow.
• 27:07
  And if that, you know, that suits your practice, then, then do that.
• 27:12
  Just, just understand that it creates a different experience.
• 27:17
  That's not bad or good.
• 27:18
  It just is.
• 27:19
  So that's, you know, you just want to think about those things when you are, especially if you're just getting started.
• 27:27
  These are things that, these are like the practical, girlfriend's guide to setting up your sand tray space.
• 27:36
  Um, just things I've learned over the last 20 plus years using sand tray.
• 27:42
  So, and then the, the, so the sand.
• 27:45
  So you have the sand tray, which is the container.
• 27:48
  You have the sand, which is what grounds the, the miniatures, grounds your client.
• 27:54
  They'll get in there with their hands.
• 27:56
  They'll move it around that whole sensory experience.
• 28:00
  Plus it's also grounding the, um, miniatures in the sand and they'll, they'll like put some up higher, put some low, they may bury some, do all those kinds of things.
• 28:13
  And then finally, the tool is the sand tray miniatures.
• 28:18
  So what's the purpose of the sand tray miniatures?
• 28:23
  And the purpose also, in my opinion, also, um, influences the other question that comes up is how do I store them?
• 28:33
  So the purpose of the sand tray miniatures is to allow your client to access that unconscious, or we could also say implicit memories, or, because I like using neuroscience and attachment, or those internal working models, mentalizations, these are symbols that allow them to access that information, to access the unconscious.
• 29:05
  So that they can do the work that they need to do.
• 29:09
  So, the thing about sand tray therapy, sand play therapy is, and play therapy is, given the free and protected space, children will move, will naturally move towards healing and wholeness.
• 29:23
  So when we have the, the miniatures, allow them to access through that symbolic expression of the symbols, which are the sand tray miniatures.
• 29:37
  And so, so like, for example, and again, if you're listening on the podcast, you may want to, uh, when you're done also pop over and find the live stream replay version of this.
• 29:50
  So I'll hold up.
• 29:53
  I'll hold up two different examples.
• 29:54
  Like one of them, like I've showed this one before, this, This is a symbol of fire.
• 30:00
  It's kind of like a, um, it's not the plastic, but it's that, I forgot what this material is called.
• 30:07
  It's really sturdy and it's, it's fire.
• 30:10
  It's orange and red and it's, there's a lot of movement.
• 30:15
  in this fire symbol.
• 30:17
  So then there's also another fire symbol, which is like a, uh, outdoor fire that you would build outdoor for cooking or getting heat.
• 30:30
  So, and this is a small one and the experience of this symbol versus this symbol have different representations.
• 30:41
  So that kind of shows you like how it's going to access that information and allow the child or the adolescent or the adult to use that process to work through whatever it is they need to work through to move towards healing and wholeness and developing that integrated sense of self, that's going to help them be resilient.
• 31:07
  So another example that I give, especially if you're working with kids, you probably want to get most a lot of animals.
• 31:14
  So we have this, uh, yellow tiger.
• 31:18
  It's kind of got its mouth open, but it doesn't have like a ferocious face versus this tiger, that is kind of reared up on its hind feet.
• 31:32
  It's got its arms open.
• 31:33
  Like it's getting, you know, big and growling and being scary and, and showing you like back off or I'm going to eat you.
• 31:42
  Or get ready I'm going to, you're now my prey.
• 31:45
  You can see its fangs are ready.
• 31:48
  The experience of these, is very different.
• 31:51
  Like the emotional, um, energy from these symbols versus also if you get the little baby tigers, these baby tigers have a very different emotional energy representation with them.
• 32:11
  And so the symbols are what the the builder, the child or the adolescent or the adult, uses to to work through that healing process in order to achieve the healing that they are coming for.
• 32:33
  The question always comes up.
• 32:34
  You can see mine in the background.
• 32:36
  I have mine standing up.
• 32:38
  The purpose of standing up is that you, when the builder is looking at the symbols, the unconscious is drawn toward the symbols that they need to be working with, and you can see them more easily.
• 32:52
  So I typically, what you'll see is they'll you'll have categories on the shelves where it's organized.
• 32:59
  Like I have all the houses together.
• 33:02
  I have all the animals together.
• 33:04
  I have jungle animals in one section, like domestic animals, farm animals in one area.
• 33:12
  I have insects and reptiles in another area, sea life in another area.
• 33:18
  So you keep them organized.
• 33:20
  You keep them in the same place.
• 33:23
  And then because they're standing up, the builder is able to look at them and allow that process to unfold.
• 33:35
  The other, so doing that versus storing them in little containers or bins, and you know what, sometimes that's all you have.
• 33:44
  You only have space to, you don't have a lot of space, so you need to use the containers.
• 33:50
  Or maybe you travel and you're on the road, or maybe you're you're in a school and you don't have your own office and you have to move them around, then having them in containers is really your only option.
• 34:03
  And that's fine, too.
• 34:04
  What you what you want to do is.
• 34:08
  Label the containers, keep them organized.
• 34:12
  Try not to put a whole bunch, like try to get smaller containers and have smaller amounts in there and keep them organized in that way and have them labeled.
• 34:23
  That way, when the children come in, they'll know where, which bin they want, they'll, they'll have gone through it a few times and know what's in there.
• 34:33
  And so they'll know, know which one to go to.
• 34:37
  The other question that comes up a lot is, especially in the play therapy world, is do I have a separate sand tray room versus integrating sand tray into the playroom?
• 34:50
  I've always had my, I've always had my sand tray miniatures in the playroom, um, because that way children can decide if they want to do, do more play therapy with the toys or supplies, or if they want to use the sand tray, or if they want to use art, if they want to use music.
• 35:14
  They have that ability to do that.
• 35:17
  I, I also have worked in places where we have had sand tray room separate from the playroom and that's fine as well.
• 35:27
  Kids will want to go back and forth between them though.
• 35:31
  So just know that they'll they may use more than than one playroom if you have that ability If you're in a group practice, then you you know might be shared space.
• 35:42
  Um, the question comes up if they are If the sand tray miniatures are on the shelf standing up like I have them standing up, then doesn't that mean the kids are going to knock them down or they get, they get destroyed, not if you set limits.
• 35:59
  Like I have limits around like around the sand tray miniatures, like you can't take your hand and knock them all down.
• 36:06
  You can't shoot the Nerf gun darts at the sand tray miniatures.
• 36:11
  It's to protect the toys.
• 36:13
  And kids are very respectful of that.
• 36:15
  Um.
• 36:17
  I've never had a kid.
• 36:19
  I have, you know, I've had kids go over there and they want to knock them down or maybe they knocked them down once only one shelf and I set the limit and then they, they didn't do it again or they might've gone over there to do it again, and I would have set the limit.
• 36:32
  And then they, they, they tend to comply with the limit because they really like being in the play therapy process.
• 36:39
  So there's a, you just manage that by setting limits.
• 36:42
  Again, these are things you want to think about what's going to work for you.
• 36:48
  So that is it for today.
• 36:51
  Let me just do a quick recap.
• 36:54
  So sanctuary therapy really does provide a free and protected space for clients to access those deep areas of the, the unconscious for healing to move towards that integrated sense of self that's going to help them be resilient through life.
• 37:16
  To do that, we need tools.
• 37:19
  And the tools of the sand tray are the sand, uh, the tools of the sand tray making process or sand tray therapy are the sand tray, the sand and the miniatures.
• 37:33
  Your, your play therapy theoretical model.
• 37:37
  is going to influence how you use the sand tray.
• 37:42
  So how I use the sand tray making process with child centered play therapy is much different than how I use the sand tray making process when it's when I'm not using sand tray and I'm using more of a prescriptive approach that's more Jungian informed.
• 38:01
  And that also influences then Um, are you setting your miniatures on shelves and standing them up, or are you putting them in bins, or what kind of sand tray you have?
• 38:15
  Regardless of all those things, there are three components that are applicable across all play therapy models, and that is the sand tray, the sand, and the miniatures.
• 38:29
  Sand tray provides that container for that deep healing to occur.
• 38:35
  The sand is what grounds your client in that sand tray making process.
• 38:41
  It grounds the miniatures.
• 38:43
  It allows them to set up that scene in the sand in a way that's meaningful for them to work through whatever it is they're working through at that moment in time.
• 38:57
  And the miniatures are the symbols that they use in order to access the unconscious, those deep areas of the psyche to heal those old wounds, challenge cognitive distortions, get a sense of safety.
• 39:15
  Really working towards that integrated sense of self.
• 39:20
  And so your your theory model is going to influence how you use the sand tray, regardless of your theoretical model.
• 39:31
  The three tools are applicable in all of those models, which includes the sand, the sandbox and the miniatures.
• 39:42
  So that is it for today.
• 39:46
  So if you're interested, I do have an in person training coming up.
• 39:51
  So we get, you get access to all these miniatures.
• 39:55
  I provide the sand tray.
• 39:57
  In the sand tray training, my goal is that you get a really solid grounding using sand tray therapy, knowing how to present it to clients, what to say, what not to say, when you're processing, how to process, how to make sense of what's going on in the sand tray.
• 40:21
  So how are you identifying those themes?
• 40:25
  How are you making meaning of those themes to help you understand what they're doing in the sand tray process?
• 40:35
  Um, we do that by, like, you're going to be making sand tray and you're going to be processing it.
• 40:45
  I keep a very small group for this to give that really, really, um, strong experiential activity.
• 40:56
  Most people who, um, I've been doing this for years and usually people walk away kind of not only feeling they've gained a lot of knowledge, but also they've had a kind of a deep experience, uh, that helps them.
• 41:15
  personally and professionally.
• 41:16
  So it's kind of like a retreat actually, because it's really small.
• 41:21
  If you're interested, then you want to pop over to my website at RH play therapy training forward slash courses.
• 41:31
  So RH play therapy training.com/courses.
• 41:37
  That's renewing hearts play therapy training.
• 41:40
  Click on the courses page and you'll see the training.
• 41:44
  It is called Sand Tray in Play Therapy with Children and Teens.
• 41:50
  Um, it's gonna be in person, so here in the southern Utah area.
• 41:56
  is where I'm going to be hosting the sand tray training.
• 42:00
  You will want to register soon because I do keep it small.
• 42:04
  So register and reserve your spot in the training.
• 42:09
  We'll also post, um, post links in the comments.
• 42:14
  If you're on Instagram and watching, you can click on my bio and follow the link over there.
• 42:21
  So that is it for today and I will see you next week.
• 42:26
  Bye for now.
• 42:33
  Thank you for joining me on this episode of Next Level Play Therapy.
• 42:38
  I hope you found the discussion valuable and gain new insights and ideas to support your work helping children, adolescents, and families heal.
• 42:47
  If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to the podcast and leave a review.
• 42:52
  Your feedback helps to improve and reach more people who can benefit from this information.
• 42:58
  Remember, play therapy is a powerful tool for healing and growth.
• 43:03
  Whether you're a new play therapist or experienced, I encourage you to continue your learning journey to unlock the potential of play in your own work and relationships.
• 43:14
  If you have any questions or topic suggestions for future episodes, I'd love to hear from you.
• 43:21
  Connect with me on social media and visit my website at Renewing Hearts Play Therapy Training to stay updated on upcoming episodes, trainings, and resources.
• 43:34
  Thank you once again for listening to Next Level Play Therapy.
• 43:37
  Until next time, keep playing, learning, and growing.