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Sandtray Therapy:
A Treatment Modality for Children

Nancy DePaul, MSW
March 20, 2006

Young children have often been described as similar to learning machines; everything is interesting and worth exploring to them. When parents and other invested adults share in the child's ability to be wonderstruck by life, children will grow to feel valued, appreciated and affirmed. We know from research, that the child who is provided with a warm, secure and consistent loving environment, only needs genetics to provide the substance of possibility. When a child's world is interrupted by an unexpected loss, change in caretakers, illness or other major disruption, their need for safety and security becomes elevated. As therapists we recognize that trauma in all humans elevates stress hormones, such as cortisol, that "wash over the tender brain of a child like acid." High cortisol levels during the most vulnerable period of life, zero to three is known to increase activity in the part of the brain involved in vigilance and arousal. Like the rest of us, when a child's brain has been activated by trauma to be on "red alert" it unleashes a new surge of stress hormones.

It is not uncommon for the concerned caretaker to want the child to have the opportunity to talk through their pain. When a child comes to therapy having the burden of life experiences beyond their range of competence, it may be too difficult for them to find or use words to express their pain and frustration. Children do not have the same verbal, cognitive, or emotional maturity that adults use to communicate in therapy. The work and expression of childhood is the context of play. 

In 1939, Dr. Margaret Lowenfeld developed a technique referred to as Sandtray Therapy which involves the use of a sandtray and miniatures. The process involves inviting the child to explore feelings using miniatures in a sandtray to tell a story. Different from other methods of therapy, the sandtray process for young children ages 3-12 is safely constructed in the world of storytelling and fantasy. The value of using fantasy and play encourages the child to feel free from evaluation, criticism, and is free of rules and requirements. 

Play is the soothing balm which allows the child to "play out" their feelings and come to terms with their loss. In the conflict of parental separation and divorce, where the child feels drawn between the loyalties of one parent over the other, sandtray provides the opportunity for the child to use silence and miniatures to soothe their internal chaos. The sensory quality of the sand provides a tactile experience for the child, allowing them to both deepen and loosen deep issues associated with childhood loss and trauma. The structure of the sandtray provides the boundary while the miniatures become the unspoken words for events that may not yet be integrated. The therapist plays the role of scribe and observer, creating a safe environment for the child to begin giving expression to nonverbalized emotional issues. 

Sandtray therapy for young children promotes growth and healing, as play is the most natural childhood experience. Sandtray therapy is being utilized in several CFR offices by trained clinicians.

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Nancy DePaul, MSW is a Senior Staff Therapist and Assistant Director of CFR's Concordville, Lionville and Paoli offices. She can be reached at 610-558-4060 x1.

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