The Sand Tray Miniatures Cabinet
We have a sand tray in the play room as well as many miniatures to play with inside the sand tray. Miniatures include small people, animals, structures, metaphoric objects, vehicles, aggressive related items, etc.
Here is sand tray miniatures cabinet 1 of 2. Zoom in to see some of the specific miniatures that children can use to play out their emotions. Weather helps to help create mood, bad guys and good guys help children work out issues related to power, depression, fear, etc. Cabinet number 2 includes objects that can be used to capture scary things...castles, kings and mythical creatures empower children to explore issues from all angles. Therapy has endless possibilities when children can use their imagination.
Sand Tray & Sand Play
In a sand tray, a child, teen or family is asked to demonstrate a particular feeling or situation in the sand. This allows the client/s to unconsciously explore and communicate about a particular event. Directions for a beginner sand tray are "Using any miniatures, create a world in the sand". More evolved sand trays involve specific directives from the therapist and involve manipulating it to create empowerment over a situation or troubling emotions.
Here is an example of a little boy involved in "sand play". Sand play is more kinetic in value than "sand tray". Rather than being a snapshot to be still and described after, sand play is a story that unfolds. The therapist is involved in the story elaborating verbally, asking questions, and offering suggestions for empowerment.
Here is an example of a little boy involved in "sand play". Sand play is more kinetic in value than "sand tray". Rather than being a snapshot to be still and described after, sand play is a story that unfolds. The therapist is involved in the story elaborating verbally, asking questions, and offering suggestions for empowerment.
Example of Sand Tray by Gabrielle Anderson, Director:
A 12 year old girl came in to therapy with PANDAS. Her life was riddled with OCD thoughts, anxiety and fear. These symptoms interfered with school, her home life and her ability to establish close friendships. Together we worked on a sand tray. I asked her to relay in the sand how her week went. I silently sat by and watched as she placed a frightened looking girl on a ladder, under a lightning bolt. She then created a scene of a town being attacked by a storm. The houses were tipping over, debris was thrown everywhere and TNT explosives were hidden under ground. The girl had a mom watching helplessly behind a shield in the corner of the tray. We then were able to talk about how scary PANDAS is and how debilitating her rule oriented thoughts could be. She talked about her mom and how much she tried to help her, but her symptoms were overwhelming mom and the whole family. Empowerment begins when the therapist suggests manipulation to the tray. In this example, I wondered how we could protect the girl from the lightning bolt. She brainstormed about how to get the girl down from the ladder. We then brainstormed on how to help the town feel safer and more stable. With her imagination, the girl brought in the military to deactivate the bombs, and brought in crews to clean up the town...after feeling empowered over the symbolic event in the tray, she was able to bring her mom out from behind the shield and the houses no longer needed to be toppling over. These feelings of empowerment help children feel calmer and more in charge of their emotions. Empowerment in the tray translates home because children bring their true emotions into the therapy room and we confront them with the imagination. In this instance, the girl's mother was brought in to the tail end of the session and her daughter explained the sand tray to her. She was able to see and hear her perspective spoken from a deeper level than if she and I just talked about her week and I shared it with mom. Inviting her mother in also gave mom the opportunity to ask her daughter questions...because the sand tray provides distance from actual events, it is often easier for children and teens to talk with their parents about how they are really feeling. Experiencing this together tends to bring family members closer together. When children feel comfortable with this or other creative mediums, they begin to establish a rhythm of problem solving emotional events and learn how to be in charge of their emotional worlds. Subsequent sand trays allow the same symbols (the miniatures) to be confronted until the issues are truly resolved and emotional balance is created.
A 12 year old girl came in to therapy with PANDAS. Her life was riddled with OCD thoughts, anxiety and fear. These symptoms interfered with school, her home life and her ability to establish close friendships. Together we worked on a sand tray. I asked her to relay in the sand how her week went. I silently sat by and watched as she placed a frightened looking girl on a ladder, under a lightning bolt. She then created a scene of a town being attacked by a storm. The houses were tipping over, debris was thrown everywhere and TNT explosives were hidden under ground. The girl had a mom watching helplessly behind a shield in the corner of the tray. We then were able to talk about how scary PANDAS is and how debilitating her rule oriented thoughts could be. She talked about her mom and how much she tried to help her, but her symptoms were overwhelming mom and the whole family. Empowerment begins when the therapist suggests manipulation to the tray. In this example, I wondered how we could protect the girl from the lightning bolt. She brainstormed about how to get the girl down from the ladder. We then brainstormed on how to help the town feel safer and more stable. With her imagination, the girl brought in the military to deactivate the bombs, and brought in crews to clean up the town...after feeling empowered over the symbolic event in the tray, she was able to bring her mom out from behind the shield and the houses no longer needed to be toppling over. These feelings of empowerment help children feel calmer and more in charge of their emotions. Empowerment in the tray translates home because children bring their true emotions into the therapy room and we confront them with the imagination. In this instance, the girl's mother was brought in to the tail end of the session and her daughter explained the sand tray to her. She was able to see and hear her perspective spoken from a deeper level than if she and I just talked about her week and I shared it with mom. Inviting her mother in also gave mom the opportunity to ask her daughter questions...because the sand tray provides distance from actual events, it is often easier for children and teens to talk with their parents about how they are really feeling. Experiencing this together tends to bring family members closer together. When children feel comfortable with this or other creative mediums, they begin to establish a rhythm of problem solving emotional events and learn how to be in charge of their emotional worlds. Subsequent sand trays allow the same symbols (the miniatures) to be confronted until the issues are truly resolved and emotional balance is created.
