The psyche has an inherent tendency to heal itself. The task of the therapist is to prepare the path for this propensity -Dora Kalff
SANDPLAY & PLAY THERAPY
Play is fun, creative, and enjoyable for all of us but it is vital for the healthy physical, social, academic and psychological development of children. Through non-verbal means, including image, we all work to resolve inner conflicts, anxieties and fears that underlie problem behaviors. Children instinctively use play to learn about themselves, their physical world, and their relationships in the world. Play Therapy harnesses the learning and curative power of play to help children address and resolve their own challenges, by allowing children a safe psychological distance from their problems, encouraging problem-solving skills, interpersonal communication, and adaptive behavior, including when faced with social or emotional learning challenges. Both Play Therapy and Sandplay are attributed with cognitive development, as well as helping children reach their own insights into ways of resolving dysfunctional thinking and inner conflicts. Sandplay is a depth-oriented psychotherapeutic approach used with children and adults with roots in Jungian Analytical Psychology, Tibetan Buddhism, and Margaret Lowenfeld’s World Technique. Sandplay recognizes and provides the opportunity for expression without the limits of language. The method, created by Dora Kalff, consists of the client’s creation of a three-dimensional scene with miniature figures in a tray of dry and/or wet sand in the protective presence of a trained practitioner. I am recognized by the International Society for Sandplay Therapists as well as Sandplay Therapists of America as a Sandplay Practitoner.
In typical therapy, clients express themselves in words and body language which allows them to communicate thoughts and emotions in a safe environment. Sandplay offers a different and deeper form of communication. A type of communication where a person can connect with the totality of their being, the True Self. It is based on the premise that the body, mind and soul have a natural capacity and tendency to heal when given the chance and an optimal environment to do so. In Sandplay, this environment is provided by the presence of the therapist, a containing space, miniature items and the sandtray. In this setting, both children and adults can use their innate drive towards wholeness and healing. Sandplay is the language of our own inner being that stimulates fantasy, imagination and growth. The images and creations in sandplay provide a medium for that which cannot be spoken. Engaging in Sandplay requires no skill or understanding of symbolism from the client’s part. Sandplay therapy has been identified as particularly helpful in gaining access to non-verbal realms frequently associated with trauma and abuse for a full range of ages. In Sandplay therapy, I strive to create a trusting and safe relationship with the child and provide an accepting, respectful and free and protected space, within the Kalfian tradition.
Find out more about sandplay at: http://www.isst-society.com/ http://www.sandplay.org/