identity. Shrinky Dinks® paper can be used by the adolescent to draw and color their internal negative thoughts with colored pencils. The clinician can take the Shrinky Dinks® paper and bake it so the drawing can shrink. In between the sandtray sessions, the client can practice positive coping skills or other negative thought reduction techniques. The client can use the shrunken Shrinky Dinks® creation to represent the reduced negative thoughts and place it in their sandtray. Many times, the negative thoughts are drawings of demons, villains, and other negative symbols/images.
Young Adulthood – 19-29 years Learning to select and live with a partner is prominent at this stage coordinated community groupings can be seen in the sand that are related to a more complex lifestyle where parts of the whole are used to facilitate life changes and career decision making and related issues as young adult clients create visual representations of their career history, life goals, dilemmas, barriers, opportunities, resources,
and other items that represent the Bible. They are noticeably on the her lifestyle. On her side of the fence, there are friends, allies, and her chosen community. Behind this chosen community is an open treasure chest with unlimited caring and support. The rainbow exhibits her LGBTQIA+ life with a partner surrounded by hearts of love. Career decisions are also evident as she holds books for graduate school and is embarking on a new career path. Completing the sandtray was a cathartic experience for this young adult as she moves forward on her path toward healing.
Middle Adulthood – 30-60 years and trees can be seen in the sandtray as individuals tend to build methodically around others at
this stage, whether in or out of
that the average time to build the sandtray for this age group is around the sand. The unconscious becomes more prominent in the sandtray during middle adulthood, along with the possibility of increased emotionality, deep realizations, and meaningful expressions. Less as actual people in family groups. Other themes that may emerge including divorce, illness, dissatisfaction with life, family changes, and valuable to this age group because the therapeutic process can help them navigate stressful life transitions.
Young Adulthood Tray
In this photo of the young adulthood sandtray, we see barriers, completed the tray, which reveals the struggle she is experiencing
32 | PLAYTHERAPY | December 2022 |
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Middle Adulthood Tray
Later Maturity – 61+ years along with some regression or what may appear to be regression
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