School-Based Sandtray Counseling on a Shoe String

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this article is to provide research evidence and a rationale for use of sandtray counseling in schools, as well as serve as a practical “how to” guide on conducting sandtray sessions inexpensively in a school setting, using case examples to illustrate. Especially now, in the midst of the COVID-19 epidemic and increased awareness of racial inequity, students (and teachers) will need interventions appropriate for trauma and grief. For school-based counselors, sandtray counseling is a developmentally appropriate intervention, particularly for preadolescents, who are old enough to feel uncomfortable with playroom toys and yet are not developmentally ready to use a primarily verbal intervention. Sandtray counseling can provide a culturally sensitive, safe, and soothing bridge between experience and expression, to facilitate integration and healing. With proper training, sandtray counseling can be a valuable addition to any practitioners’ toolbox and is effectively conducted by practitioners working from various theoretical orientations.

KEYWORDS:

• School counseling
• sandtray
• trauma
• grief
• school-based counseling
• creativity in counseling