Expressive Therapies/ Sandplay + Symbol Work
"The sand and symbols gave me a road map to reclaim my life"
Sandplay Therapy is an expressive counseling and psychotherapy approach with over 75 years of clinical application, particularly helpful in trauma recovery. This modality combines both verbal ("talk" therapy) and expressive interventions, fostering a safe environment where deep emotional processing can occur. As a result, distressing behaviors and the intensity and frequency of associated emotions are often reduced.
When a person represents their issues symbolically—using objects such as figurines, cards, or natural items—they can externalize their challenges, making it easier to gain new insights and perspectives. This symbolic representation allows the individual to distance themselves from the issue, facilitating emotional processing and the development of new understandings of their current struggles.
The act of arranging or manipulating these symbols aids in expressing emotions, gaining insight, and safely communicating feelings. Sandplay Therapy encourages individuals to see their situation from different angles, often leading to improved decision-making and greater clarity.
This therapeutic approach is particularly beneficial for those who are highly sensitive or emotionally overwhelmed, offering considerable relief. Clients often find that each opportunity for potential change "fits" into place, helping them feel supported and resourced as they move toward their desired outcomes.
"Because people heal when they feel they have choice regarding different therapy approaches"
Sandplay Therapy is considered one of the most effective and safest therapeutic modalities, used by counselors and therapists to enhance treatment or as an alternative to cognitive therapies for children, adolescents, and adults.
The development of Sandplay Therapy in expressive therapeutic approaches resulted from combining the pioneering work of Dr. Margaret Lowenfeld, a child psychiatrist who introduced therapeutic play for children in the 1920s, and Dora Kalff, a Jungian therapist who formally created Sandplay Therapy in the 1950s.
Sandplay Therapy integrates both Jungian and Gestalt interventions, incorporating symbolic objects as part of Sandplay and Symbol Work within expressive therapies. This approach was further developed in Australia in 1987 by Mark Pearson, Helen Wilson, and Patricia Nolan.