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April 15, 2025

What is Sandplay Therapy?

By Candace Carlton, LISW-S, RSP, Quality Improvement & Compliance Director, Clinician

Sandplay is rooted in Jungian psychology that emphasizes the importance of the unconscious mind. C. J. Jung said, “Often the hands will solve a mystery that the intellect has struggled with in vain.”

I was introduced to Sandplay by Dr. Sana Loue when she was engaged in research projects at Hopewell. I was drawn to it after attending a weeklong workshop/seminar where case presentations showed how children and adults healed their trauma through work in the sand over a series of therapy sessions. I was also drawn to the creative process with the miniatures, objects and sand trays.

Sandplay Therapy is a non-verbal, non-directed, form of expressive art and creative process using a sand tray to create a picture or story in the sand. The client may pick from either a wet tray to add water to mold or shape the sand if they would like or they may use a dry tray. The client may use a variety of miniatures that include everything from animals, mythical creatures, houses, transportation vehicles, airplanes, cars, and trucks. They may also add items in the collections including trees, flowers, stones, crystals, plants and much more. See the photo for a sample sand tray in which the blue bottom represents water and the unconscious. This sand tray shows going into the blue (unconscious) and hopefully bringing healing to consciousness.

While the client is creating in the sand tray, the clinician holds the “free and protected space” for the client, a term used by Dora Kalff, who developed Sandplay Therapy. After the client has finished, the clinician will ask what they want to share and if they want to give the tray a title. The client shares what they want to about their creation.

Benefits of Sandplay Therapy are many. Clients have shared that the process of creating in the sand tray helps them to feel grounded and calm, sort out thoughts and feelings, let go, vent anger, grieve a variety of losses and integrate and heal trauma.

I have seen Hopewell residents heal in the process of sandplay including integrating and healing from trauma, feeling empowered about important decisions and meeting goals, feeling grounded after feeling anxiety and grieving loss of family members and friends. Sandplay Therapy is an important tool because a client may not be able to put into words their trauma or issues, but a picture may tell a story and help them heal.