What is Sand Tray Therapy?

What is sand tray therapy?  Sand tray therapy is a type of therapy where creative expression takes the place of verbal expression. The client and therapist can talk, of course, but talking is not the main focus.  Instead, the client makes a “scene” or “world” in the sand tray using miniatures and figurines.  The client can recreate their own unique, fictious world, a scene from their life, or an event that happened that’s bothering them. Once the client is finished, the therapist and client can talk about what they created if they want to do some emotional processing of the scene. Sometimes, words are not enough to describe life stress or disturbing events or conflict with others. Sometimes, feelings are hard to describe. With sand tray, you don’t need a lot of language. One benefit to sand tray is that it fills in the gaps when words just aren’t enough. Another benefit is that the world or scene you create is neither “right” or “wrong” -- it just is. You are creating something meaningful, something you can feel good about creating, and that in and of itself is therapeutic. The kinesthetic quality of the sand is soothing for some people, and just running your hands through the sand can be relaxing.  Last but not least, because sand tray therapy taps into that creative side of our brain, it can feel new and even be fun!  

Sand tray therapy has two important elements: the tray itself and the miniatures that are used to represent things. The sand tray itself is not just any old tray. It has specific dimensions, is made of a certain kind of wood, and the color on the bottom is a specific shade of blue to represent water in some form. With the sand, the client can create hills, mountains, deserts:  whatever they want. With the bottom of the tray, the client can create rivers, streams, or an ocean. The tray is specifically designed to be a “blank slate” that clients can use to express whatever is on in their mind or happening in their life. In the same way, the miniatures are carefully selected. There are a lot of them, so the client has the “words” he or she needs.  Miniature figurines represent everyday people, certain occupations, vehicles, and other objects seen in everyday life. They also include fantasy characters like princesses, knights, angels, devils, superheroes, soldiers, and the list goes on. Miniatures also include animals, insects, houses, buildings, furniture, trees, flowers, bridges, and all different kinds of things that can be used to represent things we see in real life.  Sometimes, the client creates a scene that represents a conflict they had, a disturbing event, or something they struggle with. Other times, the client creates their own unique world.  

Part of the therapist’s job is to create a safe, accepting environment so the client feels free to choose whatever miniatures they like and landscape the tray in whatever way they want.  The therapist then asks questions and helps the clients process the sand tray world. Talking about what the tray means to you can lead to new insights and self-awareness. Research shows that sand tray therapy can increase emotional expression, resolve conflicts, and release negative emotions, and make positive changes in their life. It taps into that right-brain part of us and brings a child-like creativity and imagination to the session.

As with other forms of expressive arts therapy, thoughts, feelings, and conflicts are expressed symbolically rather than trying to find just the right words.  Through the process of doing something, creating something, the client automatically and naturally processes life stressors and events. Most clients find that making the world and putting in the miniatures comes naturally and is not hard once they get started. You don’t have to be creative to make a sand tray: it comes naturally because certain miniatures capture your attention and imagination. The final result is a “scene” or “world” that the client created in the sand tray.  The client and therapist talk about what it was like to create it and what the client thinks about the scene or world in the tray.   Sometimes pictures are taken so the client can continue to think about and process what is going on in that world. The process of creating is thought to be therapeutic and the final tray is also used therapeutically.  

Through sand tray therapy, clients free themselves of negative emotions because they can express their innermost thoughts and feelings while in a safe therapeutic environment. Sand Tray therapy is very appealing for some people and can really be beneficial when it is hard to talk about events that happened or to express thoughts feelings in words. Sand tray therapy can help clients express what words cannot or work through issues that are difficult to express in language. 

The mental health therapists at our office offer counseling for a variety of issues including trauma using EMDR, depression, anxiety, grief, and couples counseling. We work with teens, adults, and couples. We also offer online counseling services which can be great for people with busy schedules or for people who live in parts of Pennsylvania with limited counseling options. You can check out our website to see the full list of counseling services that we offer. Or, Request An Appointment here.