Description

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Comprehensive in nature, this book provides the foundation for both novice and experienced professionals to perform sandplay therapy effectively with adults, children, and couples.

Sandplay utilizes a small tray of wet or dry sand, in which clients create scenes using miniature objects--a nonverbal communication of their internal and external worlds. For therapists interested in exploring the ways that sandplay facilitates growth and healing and in expanding their reservoir of therapeutic tools by incorporating sandplay into their practices, this practical handbook will be an invaluable resource.



After presenting the history and benefits of sandplay, the authors describe how to create a sandplay therapy room, including choosing sand containers, finding evocative objects, and displaying objects appropriately. They provide detailed, step-by-step instructions on how to conduct spontaneous and directed sandplay therapy sessions with individuals, couples, children, and families.



Various ways of recording the creation of a sand world are described, so that both the process and the product will be saved even after the sand tray is dismantled.Not only does the book establish the foundation for incorporating sandplay into the reader's current psychotherapeutic practice, but it will also stimulate the creative process of the professional. Like the client who sees internal and interpersonal dynamics and dilemmas pictured in the sand, the therapist will find that this powerful experiential tool reveals insights, information, and avenues to explore.



The authors illustrate the process with numerous sandplay experiences with clients. They also discuss clients for whom sandplay is contraindicated and some problems that might arise. To encourage the growth of the therapist, they include instructions on personal sandplay work.

About the Author

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Barbara Labovitz Boik is a psychotherapist who conducts workshops for therapists on play therapy techniques, sandplay, and story-telling. Ms. Boik lives in Bozeman, Montana, where she has a private practice.

E. Anna Goodwin is a psychotherapist who conducts workshops for therapists on play therapy techniques, sandplay, and story-telling. Ms. Goodwin lives in Spirit Lake, Idaho.

Praise For…

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It was a privilege for me to read this book. Sandplay Therapy is the most comprehensive and informative book on the subject that I have ever read. It is a wonderful feeling for me to be able to recommend a book that I so deeply appreciate.

— Violet Oaklander, PhD, author of Windows To Our Children, and director of Violet Oaklander Institute, Santa Barbara, California

This was one of the most enjoyable and informative books I have read in a long time. Its solid theoretical foundation does not diminish the art of sand tray. The experienced as well as the beginning sand tray therapist will be able to use this book. I will certainly recommend it to colleagues and students.
— Patrick J. Callanan, psychotherapist, Orange County, California

This book is an important contribution to the field of psychotherapy, with great appeal for those who believe that psychological change often occurs beyond the verbal and conscious level. The authors delineate the use of absorption, imagination, and dissociation essential to sand tray work, and also key elements of hypnotherapy, Gestalt therapy, and play therapy. Like all good teachers, their grasp of the topic is evident in the simple, clear style with which they teach us about sand tray work. A must-read for all clinicians.
— Julie H. Linden, PhD, psychologist, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and past president, Philadelphia Society of Clinical Hypnosis