Play Therapy -- Sandtray Therapy Exercise for School Counselors to use in Schools

The sandtray therapy exercise we did in class was amazing. I was surprised to learn that everything, from the type of miniatures used, the placement of the miniatures, to the order of miniature placement, has some significance. I was also shocked to learn that even if we don’t THINK a miniature we are drawn to or have chosen has any purpose, we will inevitably find a very fitting purpose for it later.

The sandtray therapy tray I created represents my (nuclear) family involvement. My mother is the stallion, my father is the rhino, I am the whale, and my brothers (who are twins) are the blue bunny and miniature T-Rex or Velociraptor, whatever it is.

My younger twin brother is usually antagonizing his older brother, hence he’s chasing my other brother into the sea. My mother is somewhat distant from my brothers, not that she likes that relationship, but because my brothers are trying to become men (they’re 20), and my mother can come across (to them, not to me) as overbearing sometimes.

I, like my mother, am watching them from a distance, but I am closer to them in relationship than my mother is. My father is the furthest away, he is also watching them, but in reality he lives in Indiana. He lives there by choice – for some reason he did not want to live here in Atlanta, so his distance is physical and relational.

Even so, we three do take different scales of responsibility in checking in with my brothers to see if they’re ok.

School counselors can do the sand tray if they call it "counseling" and limit the amount of time they use the tray. It goes into therapy if it is a longer tray. Keep it short and simple.

More Ideas for Play Therapy Link:

More Ideas on Play Therapy


How to Use The Sand Tray for Sand Tray Therapy Link:

More Ideas on Sand Tray Therapy





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