Trauma in the Sand: A Play-By-Play Approach to Sand Tray Therapy

About this training

Originally live-streamed and now available on-demand, this training places you inside the sand tray to see trauma work unfold as if you were there. Learn how to use sand tray with children, teens and adults. Through detailed case studies, step-by-step images, and a recorded real-time sand tray session, you will witness how trauma themes appear, how therapists respond, and what brain integration looks like within sand tray play therapy. Participants may set up their own sand tray to follow along or simply observe the recorded demonstrations from our counseling practice sand tray rooms. How This Training Can Help You ☀️ See trauma integration in action. Watch real sand tray development unfold step by step to better recognize patterns of trauma, healing, and regulation. ☀️ Deepen your clinical insight. Understand what is happening in the nervous system as clients move from chaos to coherence through symbolic play. ☀️ Gain tools for both learning and doing. Follow along with your own tray or take notes as you observe—either way, you will gain practical takeaways for your next session. ☀️ Strengthen your therapeutic presence. Learn how to stay grounded while witnessing trauma themes and how to respond with steadiness and attunement. ☀️ Nurture your own well-being. Engage in guided self-care activities designed to help you process, reflect, and stay centered as a therapist. Learning Objectives Upon completion of this on-demand course, participants will be able to: 🍎 Differentiate between Ecosystemic or Jungian approaches to sand tray and Child-Centered sand play in trauma-focused play therapy sessions. 🍎 Explain how trauma themes may emerge in sand tray or sand play therapy and how these manifestations inform treatment planning. 🍎 Describe how trauma processes in the brain and the role of deliberate brain integration influence the use of sand tray in play therapy. 🍎 Identify sand tray materials and setup considerations most useful for trauma-focused play therapy sessions. 🍎 Analyze the play therapist’s role and therapeutic stance during trauma-focused sand tray and sand play sessions. 🍎 Demonstrate strategies for integrating self-care practices into the therapist’s use of sand tray to enhance resilience and presence in trauma work. Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to: