Practitioner in Therapeutic Sandplay Skills
Course Details
An effective non-talking therapy for adults, adolescents,
children and families

Become an accredited Practitioner in Therapeutic Sandplay
Skills by means of a two stage programme that covers the two major approaches
to sandplay therapy: Jungian and Kalffian - a blended learning programme that
integrates theory, experiential work and practice.
Table of Contents
- Counsellors
- Creative arts therapists
- Occupational therapists
- Paediatricians
- Play Therapists
- Psychiatrists
- Psychologists
- Psychotherapists
In
sandplay therapy the client sets up a world in a sand tray that corresponds to
their inner state using objects and figures in the arrangement of the sand. In
this manner, through free, creative play, unconscious processes are made
visible in a three-dimensional form.
Through a
series of images that take shape in this way, the process of individuation
described by Carl Jung is stimulated and brought to fruition. Sandplay has been
termed an 'X-ray of the Psyche' you can
see the changes in the clients'
processes and progression.
Many
therapists have found that clients who have difficulties in verbally expressing
their real emotions or who have adopted a defensive position move on a stage
when using sand. Sand is an ideal medium to integrate with many talking
therapies modalities. It may be used with clients of all ages and cultures.
An
Effective and Efficient Course
This new course offers both a
broad and in-depth treatment of the knowledge required to become a PTI/PTUK
accredited Practitioner in Therapeutic Sandplay Skills. It covers all the
competencies required to become a safe and effective practitioner with a
balance of theory, and offers all essential personal development required as well
as exploring the practical aspects.
You are not thrown in at the deep end. The first five days of the course integrate theory
and prepare you for practice by processing your own sandplay and observing
others.
Learn through supervised practice. You will then be able to bring back any problems
that occur for discussion and advice during the second part of three days,
which continues the experiential work.
Theory
It is vital that therapeutic sandplay practitioners have an embedded knowledge
of the underlying theoretical principles.
The
course includes material, based on the work of contemporary, as well as
historical, theoreticians including, H G Wells, Margaret Lowenfield, Carl Jung,
Dora Kalff, Erich Neumann, Martin Kalff, John Bowlby, Ruth Bowyer, Katherine
Bradway, Erik Erikson, Melanie Klein, Barbara McCoard, Barbara Turner, Estelle
Weinrib and D W Winnicott. The relationship of theory to sandplay is clearly
explained.
Required Reading
A number of text books will be recommended. As a
minimum the required reading is: The Handbook of Sandplay Therapy – Barbara A.
Turner, PhD

Doing one's own therapeutic sandplay work is essential. The 8-day training
course is in three parts: A one day Theory course preceding part two which is
the 4 day experiential course. These 5 days, enable you to start practice. This
is then followed by a further three days approximately a year later. (The
course must be covered in two parts - 1 and 4 days, plus 3 days. Total 52
contact hrs.) You cannot do all eight days together.
These
courses are facilitated by an experienced sandplay therapist and are held in
therapeutically sensitive environments in the North and South of England as
well as Dublin, Ireland.
In order to engage in the medium of sandplay with a
client, the therapist must have experienced the movement of his or her psyche
by the same means. We must know what we do about the symbolic process and the
profound significance of being a witness to that work. The experience of one's
own sandplay process is a critical part of the therapist's psychic
participation in the process. To attempt to engage in sandplay with a client
without having undergone one's own sandplay work would be a grievous act of
unpreparedness.
To complete the programme and to obtain the award, you will require 50
clinically supervised hours of practice with adults, adolescents or children,
with an APAC approved supervisor. The Supervisors' reports are used as part of
the assessment of students' progress. You will also need to complete a
satisfactory process diary and submit evidence of good practice, showing that
you are applying the competencies as taught on the course.
Successful participants will be able to:
Apply a knowledge of the history and development of sandplay Therapy.
Apply an understanding of the Jungian structure and dynamics of the psyche
including: the concepts of the conscious, the unconscious, the ego in sandplay,
the functions of sensation, thinking, feeling and intuition, the persona, the
shadow, archetypes, individuation, differentiation, compensation, adaptation,
the transcendent function and how to apply them.
Understand how symbols work to heal and transform and the importance of the
attitude of the observer in providing the free and protected space.
Upon satisfactory completion of the programme you may apply
to be placed on the PTI/PTUK register as a practitioner in Therapeutic Sandplay
Skills.
Understanding
the role of the therapist in the symbolic process and be able to use the
knowledge in practice, engaging in the process of coming to understand the
client.
Apply developmental theory to sandplay practice (main proponents listed under
theory above).
Apply mythological considerations of development in sandplay.
Apply neurobiological considerations including: the brain's structure
development, early limbic development, early affect regulation, hierarchical
brain structure, patterns of affect regulation, the brain's drive to realize
wholeness, symbolic process, the creation of human mind in relationship to
sandplay.
Explore content themes in sandplay: figures, allegorical, traditional paradigms
and sand as content.
Explore spatial themes in sandplay: vertical, horizontal, the centre, other
spatial configurations and placement of the objects.
Explore motion themes: movement of figures, manner of construction, movement in
psychic space, sprinkling, movement between two sand trays and interactive
play.
Understand and apply the affective core of symbols and the dimensions of
affect.
Understand the World Technique and other directive approaches whilst being
aware of the differences to the Jungian approach.
Be able to use Subjective Immersion Analysis (SIA)
Turner (2005) to deepen your understanding of the sandplay process.
Prepare for the practice of sandplay therapy: acquiring effective equipment;
building a collection of objects; preparing the room; introducing the client to
sandplay; explaining sandplay therapy to adults, parents and children;
assessing client readiness; understanding client resistance; integration with
other therapies.
Undertake good practice during the session: adopting an appropriate stance;
record keeping; interacting with adult and child clients; taking into account
the client's approach, demeanour and interactions.
Good practice after the sandplay session: client's completion of the sand tray;
dealing with the client's desire to interpret; taking photographs of the
sandplay; leaving sandplay intact; showing sandplay to parents; disassembling
the sandplay; organizing and managing sandplay records.
APAC
The Academy of Play and Child Psychotherapy (APAC) was established in 1999 and
has become the world's most successful play and creative arts therapies
training provider.
In 2012 over 600 practitioners are undertaking training with us in the UK,
Europe, Africa, Asia and Australasia. The clinical work of our students is
carefully measured showing that between 68% and 83% of their clients show a
positive change.
No other play and creative arts therapies training have provided such evidence
of success.
Our success is due to:
- The balance of theoretical, experiential and practical training
- Learning objectives based on detailed competencies – it's what you can
do - not just what you learn
- Keeping to the highest quality standards through the continuous
evaluation of our courses at four levels: how our trainees experience the
training; what they have learnt; how their learning has been applied to
practice and their clinical results
- The skills and experience of our faculty of 12 Course Directors and
specialist tutors (currently growing)
- Our collaborative partnership with Leeds Beckett (formerly Leeds
Metropolitan) University who monitor and guide us upon the academic quality of
our play therapy training at post graduate level
The APAC programme conforms to Play Therapy UK's and Play Therapy
International's qualifying standards for Therapeutic Sandplay Practitioner
training which are aligned to the sandplay profession's international
standards.
The Practitioner in Therapeutic Sandplay Skills title is awarded to those who
successfully complete the two stages of the programme and then practice within
the scope of their existing professional qualifications, for example as a
Counsellor and Sandplay Therapy Practitioner, Play Therapist and Sandplay
Therapy Practitioner.
It can be seen from the table that the PTI/PTUK programme meets or exceeds
Sandplay Therapists of America (STA) and other International standards
|
PTI/PTUK Standards
|
Sandplay Therapists of
America
(STA) Standards
|
Prerequisites
|
Be
accredited by and be a current member of a recognised professional organization
such as PTUK, BACP, UKCP or BPS.
|
Equivalent
|
Training Requirements
|
Complete
a sandplay process with a PTI/PTUK Certified Sandplay Therapist or Trainer
(This is a part of APAC's experiential course.)
The APAC programme provides 52 hours of theoretical, experiential and practical
training. 20 hours of individual sandplay supervision available separately.
|
Minimum
of 36 hours of education in sandplay with a CST-T or at a STA-sponsored
conference, seminar, or workshop. Twelve of the 36 hours may be earned through
field-tested, STA-approved on-line courses.
Individual sandplay consultation for a minimum of 15 hours, or in a combination
of group and individual consultation sessions, for a total of 20 sessions.
|
Practice hours
|
50
hours of supervised practice with at least 3 clients. PTI/PTUK believes that
this is the most practical requirement because it recognizes the varying demand
for therapeutic sandplay and the need to integrate it with other work.
|
Work
with a minimum of 3 clients or students per week, who engage with sandplay on a
regular basis, for a minimum of 1 year.
|
PTUK Conference
2018, Northern College, Wentworth Castle, Stainborough, Barnsley, S75 3ET
- Theoretical Programme Only - £140 (plus £30.00 - Sandplay book)
- Experiential Programme Only - £610 (4 Days)
- Experiential Programme Only - £450 (Follow up 3 Days)
- Membership of PTUK/PTI is required to
attend this course
- 14th June 2019 (1 day theory course)
- 16th - 19th June 2019 (First 4 days experiential training)
- 20th - 22nd June 2019 (Further 3 days for those who have completed
the 4 days previously)
A course application form is available to download in either MS Word or PDF
format below: