Sandplay

For Children

Often children struggle to share what they are feeling or why they behave in a certain way. Sandplay offers a non verbal way to communicate emotions, actions and experiences. Sandplay is a child-centered approach that creates the opportunity for concerns to be revealed as your child is ready to process them, and in a way that can be managed without being overwhelming. This helps your child create connections between their inner and outer worlds. It provides an opportunity for your child to explore feelings and experiences through the 'language' they know best, play.

Therapeutic Sandplay is the creation of static worlds or dynamic play in a sand tray with wet or dry sand. The inside and bottom of the sand tray are painted blue to reflect the water and sky in our world. Children may choose to use their hands or tools to shape the sand, or work on the flat surface provided initially. A varied selection of miniatures are available for your child to choose for their scene or play.

Sandplay Therapy has many potential benefits, including:

• Your child does not have to speak, or may not be able to talk about trauma or life experiences. Sandplay creates a platform for expressing pre-verbal emotions and experiences.
• Being a safe means of expression for non-verbalized emotional issues, free from evaluation or judgement.
• Offering a free and protected space to play, which can encourage the emergence of therapeutic metaphors.
• Providing the opportunity for your child to experience control.
• A unique sensory experience that is grounding and connects the cognitive experience of emotions with the body's experience of emotions
• Sandplay cultivates the sensation of being present in the here and now, which creates a sense of calm, helping to reduce anxiety.
• Sandplay facilitates self-regulation and a sense of presence in the world which can help grow positive change in your child's behaviour at school and home.

• In connecting with the unconscious we are able to resolve things that have made us uncomfortable as well as connect with a deep sense of creativity that is sometimes suppressed as we grow.
• Supports in your child being more comfortable with themself, which often results in behavioural changes in social circumstances both at home, and at school.