Using Sandtray in Play Therapy: Advanced
Presenters: Nancy Rumley Soliz, MS, LMFT, RPT-S™
& Hannah Holcomb, LPC, RPT™
Course Description
This advanced-level training provides an in-depth exploration of sandtray therapy within the context of play therapy practice. Participants will examine theoretical foundations, techniques, and clinical applications of sandtray work across diverse play therapy approaches, including Child-Centered, Adlerian, Gestalt, Cognitive-Behavioral, and Jungian models. Through experiential activities, case conceptualization, and applied practice, participants will develop advanced skills in symbolic interpretation, metaphor use, emotional attunement, and integration of sandtray methods with core play therapy principles. Emphasis is placed on ethical practice, cultural responsiveness, therapist self-reflection, and supporting complex client needs such as trauma, grief, and identity development. This training equips play therapists to confidently implement sandtray processes in individual, group, and family contexts while supporting therapeutic powers of play and fostering meaningful change.
Learning Objectives
By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:
1. Differentiate foundational sandtray and sandplay approaches and explain how major play therapy theories (e.g., Child-Centered, Adlerian, Gestalt, Cognitive-Behavioral, Jungian) inform advanced sandtray practice.
2. Conceptualize sandtray sessions through a selected play therapy theoretical lens by integrating attachment, self-expression, and symbolic communication.
3. Demonstrate advanced facilitation skills in sandtray-based play therapy, including use of metaphor, reflective responding, and attunement to nonverbal and symbolic client communication.
4. Identify and interpret symbolic themes, developmental patterns, and countertransference reactions that arise in advanced sandtray work within play therapy practice.
5. Develop and implement treatment plans that integrate sandtray interventions with established play therapy modalities to address complex clinical concerns such as trauma, grief, and identity development.
6. Apply advanced case conceptualization skills to articulate how sandtray play therapy interventions activate therapeutic powers of play (e.g., self-expression, emotional regulation, relational connection).
7. Evaluate ethical and cultural considerations in advanced sandtray practice, including therapist boundaries, cultural symbolism, and therapist use of self in play therapy settings.
8. Integrate sandtray strategies into individual, group, and family play therapy sessions across developmental levels and treatment settings.
9. Explain the importance of therapist self-care in advanced sandtray work and identify strategies for maintaining emotional well-being and professional sustainability.
APT Approved Provider 17-491
Price: $195 for 7.5 CE Hours
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