Promoting Resilience using Solution Focused Sandtray Techniques

Linda M Hart, CSC, LPC-S, NCC PhD Candidate: Counselor Education

Sam Houston State University

BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO SANDTRAY

Sandtray setup Sand

Dry sand; may have water nearby Various colors Make sure nothing is buried before session

Tray

Approximately 30”x20”, 3” deep rectangle Round or octagonal work well, too Half the size for portable, traveling trays Blue on bottom and sides

Room Preferably no carpet Quiet, conducive to any counseling session

MINIATURES AND MORE MINIATURES!

PEOPLE: Every race, ethnicity

you can find. Various occupations: doctor, fireman, vet, soldier, pirate, dancer, graduate, wedding couples, sports figures, historical figures, etc. Various ages, bendable, gender neutral, etc.

ANIMALS: Wild/zoo animals (bear, tiger, lion, giraffe, camel, elephant, etc.) Domestic animals (cat, dog, horse, rabbit etc.) Sea life (octopus, whale, shark, seahorse, etc.)

FENCES, GATES, SIGNS: Barriers, borders, boundaries, directional

signs, railroad tracks, etc.

NATURAL: Rocks,, flowers, seashells, twigs, etc.

BUILDINGS: Schools, hospitals, houses, fire department, library,

church, etc.

FANTASY: Pegasus, fairies,

dragons, wizards, witches, wishing well, unicorn, etc. Folklore, monsters, movie characters, etc.

SPIRITUAL: Various religious symbols; cross, Star of David, menorah, Buddha, etc.

TRANSPORTATION: Cars, trucks, vans, space shuttle, taxi, police cars, fire trucks, boats, airplanes, trains, etc.

MISCELLANEOUS: Anything else you can find: fishing, camping gear, musical instruments, fake drugs, alcohol, soda, scales of justice, clock, mirror, etc. No miniature is off limits!

WHEN I REALIZED SANDTRAY WORKED!

Do not look for pathology: do not diagnose

Find out what client wants: rather than searching for what they do not want

goal oriented

Scaling questions: require clients to rate (from 1 to 10), improvement on a particular dimension*

Then have them rate how they're feeling today

Miracle question: Asking the client to imagine how their life would be different if they woke up

tomorrow and they no longer had their problem

Exception questions: Counselor inquires about times in clients’ lives when problem didn’t exist

Homework: record or journal observations of when things are going well; keep track of

successes, however small they may be

Solution Focused Brief Therapy

INCORPORATING SFBT and SANDTRAY

Ask client to describe problem/issue Have client rate on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the worst) how he/she is affected by this Ask client to create a scene depicting the issue Exception question: Create a scene when there was an exception Miracle question: Create a scene in the sand with prompt: If you woke up tomorrow, a miracle had occurred, and everything was perfect, what would that look?

Homework: keep journal tracking when things are going well, even small successes Keep pictures of each scene, comparing from week to week, exhibiting changes or progress

References and Resources Homeeyer, L., & Sweeney, D. (2010).Sandtray therapy: A practical manual (2nd ed). New York, London. Routledge. Smith, S. D. (1998). Sandtray play and story making. A hands-on approach to build academic, social, and emotional skills in mainstream and special education. Philadelphia, PA: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Where to find miniatures flea market, garage sales, borrow (steal) from kids, ebay, ornaments, dollar store, Oriental trading, etc. Where to find sand: Lowes, Home Depot, Walmart Jurassic Star Dust Sand https://shop.jurassicsand.com/contact-send.sc

Contact information Linda M Hart, CSC, LPC-S, NCC PhD Candidate, Counselor Education SHSU Email: Hartadvisor@gmail.com Phone: 409-599-9882