Sand Tray Therapy is for children and adolescents. It uses small toys and figurines in a sandbox to recreate life experiences, express emotions, or illustrate concepts.
Therapists use various small toys and objects, such as dolls, beads, play animals, trinkets, and paper. There is usually a sandbox or a table capable of holding sand in the middle of the counseling space, where the child can sit on one side, and the counselor can sit on the other.
Sand Tray Therapy can be helpful for children, teens, or even adults and couples with various mental health concerns. Sand Tray Therapy can be beneficial for non-verbal children or children who best express themselves through showing, not talking.
A Sand Tray therapist may introduce sand play work to children who experienced trauma. A counselor that uses this approach may ask the child to recreate a scene related to their traumatic experience. This ability to express what happened from their viewpoint using a comforting medium can be therapeutic for children and highly enlightening for counselors.
Your therapist may ask you to create a scene that expresses your emotions from the past week. They may ask you some questions about why you placed which figures or objects where. Through this discussion, you are likely to gain a greater awareness of your experience.
The sand tray acts as a space for you to express a problem or situation that you already know that you can heal from.
Therapists Who Specialize in Using Sand Tray Therapy
I earned my Masters of Clinical Social Work from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. I am licensed therapist in both Iowa and Nebraska. I enjoy working with individuals, family, couples, and groups. I consider myself to be a client centered therapist and find it important to meet my clients where they are in their lives. My mission as a provider is to empower my clients to find their own inner...
Life may take us to unexpected places and challenging times, but why go through them alone? Together we can find the best possible solution to whatever you or your family is dealing with. My main goal in therapy sessions is to take your therapeutic journey at the pace that you want to go. I primarily work with children, adolescents, young adults and families and offer individual and family...
Is your child struggling with big emotions? Having difficulties with focus and attention in school? I am a licensed counselor and registered play therapist. My area of expertise is working with children and adolescents that have experienced trauma, have mood disorders, ADHD, and autism spectrum disorder through the use of play-based interventions, as well as trauma-informed approaches. My missi...
Everyone has times in their life when they need an outside perspective or some help. I help kids 3 and up, teens, young adults, and men live a healthy life, handle stress and difficult emotions, process trauma, improve behavior and generally live happier! I am very professional but have a laid-back and personal style. My general approach is person-centered and child-centered to cater counseling...
Kids and teens have difficult and confusing things happen and need a space to process so they can move forward with freedom, confidence, and hope. You are not alone in looking for support for your child. Most kids don't want to sit still and talk about their feelings. They want to be heard and seen and have fun. We keep this in mind as combine various research based methods such as play therapy...
Sometimes we get stuck in the “spin cycle” of life causing us to feel overwhelmed and helpless. Often, we feel ready to change but aren’t sure of how or where to begin. Throughout our lives we experience events, some positive and some negative, that shape our lives and create patterns in our behavior. It is these patterns that define our relationship with ourselves and with others. I will help ...
Feeling too much sadness, easily angered, or worried about everything? Want to feel happier in your own life or as a parent, balance your stress, and increase connection with others? Is your child struggling at school or are you longing to communicate better with them? Has a traumatic event affected your daily life? These issues can be resolved in therapy. I provide a calm, accepting place wher...
Live to Thrive is a professional counseling practice that was established from a passion to help individuals to live their best life. We strive to help strengthen personal, work, and family relationships through self exploration and increased awareness. Live to Thrive, LLC, offers services to individuals, couples, and families. Through our years of experience we understand that treatment needs ...
Danielle has dedicated her time to improving the mental health of persons of all ages and from all backgrounds. She has a passion for working with children (+1.5y) and families, and specializes in treating complex childhood trauma and emotional and behavioral disorders. She also specializes in treating drug and alcohol addiction. Danielle believes in the power of advocacy and empathic listening...
( English | español ) You are a Gift. A Perfect Creation of Love and Generosity. My approach with individuals is multidisciplinary, systemic, all-embracing, holistic, and client-centered. I believe in the immense potential each person possesses and the capacity to heal. My core training is based on psychodynamic, cognitive, and behavioral theories. However, I use a mix of research-based techniq...
