Images of Healing in Sand Play Therapy
Overview
Date: August 20-22, 2025
Time: 9:00am – 4:00pm PST
Participants: Max of 8
Cost: CAD$950 + GST
CEU Credits: 18
Recommended Prerequisite: Expressive Play Therapy, A Holistic and Integrative Approach and Sand Play Therapy 1, A Healing Journey For All Ages
This 3-day seminar is for experienced play therapists who are interested in further exploration of the symbolic language as it manifests itself in the images created in sand play therapy through the various stages of the healing process.
The mornings will be a time to cover the lecture material and discuss its contents with participants while viewing children’s imagery.
The afternoons will be participatory. Therapists will create, witness, and explore sand play images as related to the information discussed in the mornings.
Content
Learning Objectives:
At the end of this seminar, participants will be able to:
- Describe the theoretical principles of Expressive Play Therapy® as related to the image making process and the use of sand play therapy.
- Recognize and identify recurring images of healing as they reflect emotional, physical, and cognitive growth during the stages of sand play therapy.
- Describe the ways self-healing manifests itself in sand play imagery through the various stages.
- Describe and identify central images of healing in sand play therapy.
- Describe the language of symbols, metaphors, and images that appear during sand play therapy.
- Define and identify recurring patterns that emerge during sand play therapy and how they change from the beginning to end stages.
- Guide in further depth children, youth, and adults through the expression, exploration, and integration of their creation in the sand tray.
- Avoid the dangers of interpretation and projection in sand play therapy.
Fee includes certificate of attendance for the purposes of continuing education programs. Meals and accommodations are not provided.
For participants wishing to count credits towards certification with CAPT, a successful student evaluation by Marie Jose in the form of an essay will be required. There will be an additional charge of $75 for this service.
* For those seeking certification with CAPT – this course will go towards 9 hours of theory / approach and 9 hours techniques.
Sand Play Therapy
The approach to sand play therapy in these seminars was developed by Marie José Dhaese, as one of the many expressive play therapy methods used in the context of Expressive Play Therapy®. It has now been shared and taught for 40 years. The content of each Sand Play Therapy seminar builds on the other; it is recommended they be taken in order.
Children’s process and imagery will be addressed through viewing and discussing slides and/or video taped sessions in the mornings. Adult imagery and process will be addressed through viewing slides but mostly through demonstrations and/or debriefing of participant’s imagery during the experiential in the afternoons. These seminars take place in Marie José’s well equipped playroom; participants will thus have the opportunity to experience and use her collection of sand play therapy figurines as well as the sand trays and storage units she has designed.
The Centre for Expressive Therapy is an APT Approved Provider #95-010, a BC Play Therapy Association Approved Provider #18-01, and a Canadian Association for Play Therapy Approved Provider #09-102. Please visit their websites to learn more about their specific requirements.
Please visit their websites to learn more about their specific requirements.