Sandtray therapy class final: additional worksheet to lesson plan, student #1

Title: Family Talking Stick for sand tray therapy

Rationale: For families in therapy, especially those who have difficulty listening to one another, in which roles of individual members or patterns of interactions may or may not be recognized in the family. Also, a fun activity used to set ground rules and expectations for communication with respect for individuals and the group.

Description/Purpose: This exercise involves putting together one talking stick representing qualities members of a family each wish to have represented in therapy to help the members feel safety and hold them to expectations and boundaries. The stick serves to protect each individual when it is their turn to speak during the therapeutic process. This experience allows the therapist to observe family interactions and involves the members themselves in the development of ground rules for respecting one another. It is also a tool the therapist can use to maintain leadership of the group process.

Materials: stick or bone; glue; items for decoration such as feathers, beads, natural materials, string, lace, glitter, stickers, cotton, fur, etc.

Directions:
Each member chooses an item to represent a virtue such as respectfulness, thoughtfulness, kindness, honesty, assertiveness, courage, love, honor, etc. This is a virtue they wish to have observed as part of their family therapy process when communicating with one another, a way that wish to be treated.
The chosen items should be described to the group as individuals take turns attaching or gluing them onto the talking stick. These items serve as decorations and reminders of the virtues expected when using the talking stick.
This stick can be used throughout therapy when the group is communicating together. For example, the family may use the talking stick following the creation of a family sandtray when sharing perspectives, interpretations, and feelings from the experience.
When using the talking stick, everyone must listen to the one person holding the stick, and that person must communicate using the virtues represented on the stick. The therapist can designate who is given the stick and hold the family to the expectations they chose to follow. After each turn with the talking stick, it is returned to the therapist who then chooses another speaker and therefore helps to guide the therapeutic process, providing opportunities for even the least assertive members of the family.