Play Therapy and Sandtray
As Play Therapists we believe in the value of play for it’s own sake, for fun &
enjoyment as well as working to provide play as therapy. The opportunity to
explore, experiment, experience, imagine & communicate through play is vital
for children’s development, & in our adult roles with children we can support
them through our encouragement, our valuing of play, & the toys or materials
we enable them to access.
When using Play Therapy method or offering therapeutic play the following
key points are borne in mind:
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It is child-centred
Has a developmental perspective
Our communication style (a graded response)
Reasons for engaging in the play
Relationship between adult & child
Underpinning theories
The use of empathy (active listening)
Recognising feelings
Attending to & reflecting on, play
Themes within the play
Symbolic distance/metaphor & fantasy
The use of story & narrative
Accepting the child as he/she is
Boundaries & structure
Materials used
Has defined aims
When working with sand & sandtray the same principles apply. Sand is
usually a motivating play medium for children, both to enjoy, and to use
therapeutically. Most children are drawn at some point to the sand tray.
As a Play Therapist I think about the sand within the following contexts:
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As a sensory/developmental medium
As an expressive & messy experience
As a link to other play stages; either other tactile materials such as
slime or finger paint; or linked to projective & role play
As a child-centred activity, drawing on the work of Virginia Axline,
Violet Oaklander & Sue Jennings to name a few of many
As a potential sandworld; from the work of Lowenfeld, Kalff et al
The use of sandtray can be non-directive or directed as fits with a Play
Therapy approach. Children also use water trays to play & to make water
worlds. “ Sand and water lend themselves to the demonstration of a large
variety of fantasies” Lowenfeld in ref 1
Children who access Play Therapy will have experienced some form of
trauma, and “The very elemental and sensory aspects of trauma indicate the
need for a sensory based treatment such as sandplay.” Carey (2)
Boik and Goodwin (3) describe the importance of sand in the context of play
for younger children who have not yet developed their capacity for abstract
thinking. ‘”In sandplay children are able to express their innermost conscious
& unconscious thoughts & ideas without communicating them verbally” Issues
from the unconscious mind are placed into physical form via play which
enables issues to be resolved.
Children’s sandplay sessions are often more varied than those of adults or
adolescents (3), both the sandplay & the way in which children intersperse
sand playing with other forms of play. Often the activity level in their trays is
greater, either because of the action play they introduce, or their invitation to
the therapist to be a player in the sand. Children are more likely to complete
only the creating stage & not want to explore or reflect on their world.
As children create & play in ‘moving’ trays (3) an adults’ commentary
alongside the play provides a way of engaging or relating, helps to process
moving worlds & provides child-centred feedback or active listening.
Both Carey (2) and Boik/Goodwin (3) have written extensively about using
sandtray with children and families, including looking at developmental stages
in sand play, patterns of play and working with directed, static and moving
trays.
Work with families:
Working in partnership with families (& other professionals) is essential. “It is
easy to over-estimate the importance of the therapy hour & forget that those
who care for children are also an essential part of their worlds” Jo Carroll
1998 (Play Therapist)
This partnership can take the form of actively communicating with
parents/carers throughout a child’s therapy, or involving them in sessions.
Family sandplay is inclusive and “levels the playing field between the
developmental levels of family members” (Sweeney & Rocha in ref 1)
Creating sandworlds together “provides a metaphorical blueprint of family
alliances, intergenerational patterns and stages of personal development.” (1)
Homeyer & Sweeney (1 p.72) provide some useful questions for therapists to
bear in mind when facilitating family sandplay.
Play Therapy and sandtray methods provide a developmentally meaningful
approach to working with families, enabling children & adults to find a
common ground through which they might explore their difficulties, develop
their relationships and experience joyful moments together.
Julie Thompson
February 2012