What does a Sand Tray Therapist do?
Sand tray therapy is used to assess and treat the mental health and well being of children by observing how they express themselves through the setting-up of a variety of miniature toys in a small sandbox (sand-tray). Children are asked to create a diorama (a story or miniature world) by arranging toy people, animals, cars, dinosaurs, etc. in the sandtray. The sand tray therapist studies and asks questions about the child’s choice and use of objects to help understand what they may be thinking about or struggling with. It is my experience that as children progress, they are able to work out and move through unconscious issues through their sand tray story, which evolves over the weeks. Because the process is beneath the child’s level of understanding, they can, for example, allow the child figure to eventually overcome the object of their fear or distress, gaining confidence and coming to a resolution. Sand Tray therapy works especially well with children who have trouble comprehending
