Sand tray counseling is a technique of counseling that was developed out of the play therapy theory. The idea of it is to utilize the freedom a sand tray permits for the child to process and communicate past events, current issues, or future outcomes. Initially it was set up to help process trauma and help children communicate better. Children often do not have the capacity for words to explain complex situations developmentally. In order to initiate a dialogue and communication for the child they use figurines and miniatures to create any kind of unrestricted play that they want. In this situation’s children will often recreate home-life situations—or other potential scenarios—and clinicians process and help the child work through the presenting issues.
The theorists who participate in sand tray counseling often suggest that there are universal themes that are shown in how a child—or adult—organize their tray, how they utilize the space that is occupied, and whether a human figurine has made its way into the tray. You can utilize the sand tray by first allowing the clients to name the miniatures or figurines. This gives the client full control of the sand tray. As the counselor your hands should never be near the tray. It is key to not make assumptions of your client’s sand tray. You never know what may be going on in the process of developing a sand tray and the intricacies of what is trying to be told. It is important to be flexible and allow space for silence. At the end you should allow the client work through their sand tray in a comfortable manner and ask a lot of reflective and clarifying questions.
Sand tray counseling can be extremely effective if being used by a trained professional. The purpose again of the sand tray is not one of a Zen or bonsai garden, but of processing through different events and situations that may have occurred to a child. As it was mentioned above, a child is not developmentally equipped to think through answers abstractly. It can often times be a difficult and a daunting task for a student who is a bit younger to try and explain what is going on. With older children who can think more abstractly this works wonderfully as well. Playing in the sand tray and processing through the situation allows the student to step back and gain perspective of what is going on for them
. They may not acknowledge this, but as the professional you can watch as a student processes through some of the difficulties they may be having through the facet of the sand tray.
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