Journey Across the Lifespan Using Sandtray Therapy


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| CYNTHIA ANDERSON, PhD, LPC-S, RPT-S, CSC & PRISCILLA REYNA-VASQUEZ, PhD, LPC-S, NCC, RPT-S, BC-TMH


andtray Therapy is a therapeutic method widely used across populations, cultures, and the lifespan to release the inner world or psyche of clients of all ages as they 


The modern sandplay and sandtray therapies used worldwide evolved from Dr. Margaret Lowenfeld’s World Technique that she created in   miniatures to build scenes and play games. Lowenfeld worked with Polish students who were dealing with the effects of the Russo-Polish War. In her playroom, Dr. Lowenfeld included a metal sandtray and small toys in drawers available to the children that allowed them to share their inner worlds by placing miniature toys in the sand, which represented 


Dora Kalff expanded the technique to a Jungian theoretical framework      


30 | PLAYTHERAPY | December 2022 | www.a4pt.org


  various theories. Sandtray therapy is facilitated by clinicians’ focusing on clients’ responses through their communication and/or interaction  


When choosing the sand tray, the overall size is important, and needs to be psychologically and practically manageable and viewed at a single  The tray is painted blue inside to indicate the world of sky and water, and then sand is placed inside of the tray to represent the earth's soil. The shape of the tray may be associated with the clinician’s personal  2022). Several shelves accommodate a wide variety of 300 or more miniatures that are selected from categories like: realistic, aggressive, 


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