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Sandplay Therapy for Mental Wellness

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A three-day advanced Sandplay Therapy training explores healing developmental trauma, fostering ego development through Jungian archetypes, and mastering clinical skills to create a safe therapeutic space.

Date

4 - 6 May, 2019

Total units

units

Duration

instructional hours

Location

Past course

Sandplay Therapy for Mental Wellness

A three-day advanced Sandplay Therapy training explores healing developmental trauma, fostering ego development through Jungian archetypes, and mastering clinical skills to create a safe therapeutic space.

Instructed by

Dr. Alexander Esterhuyzen

Faculty and ISST Certified

About the course

Who is this course for

01. Mental Health Professionals

Therapists, counselors, psychologists, and social workers who want to expand their therapeutic toolbox with a creative and non-verbal modality.

02. Educators and School Counselors

Professionals working with children and adolescents who seek innovative ways to support emotional and social development.

03. Coaches and Holistic Practitioners

Coaches, spiritual guides, or holistic practitioners looking for an integrative method to facilitate deep personal transformation in clients.

What you’ll learn with the course

Practical Skills for Therapy Sessions

Master the techniques of using miniatures, sandbox setups, and guided sessions to help clients explore and resolve inner conflicts.

Enhanced Client Outcomes

Learn how to support clients of all ages, enabling them to achieve breakthroughs through the symbolic language of play.

Deeper Understanding of Symbolism

Explore Jungian concepts, archetypes, and the role of the unconscious, enriching your ability to interpret and guide clients.

Personal Growth and Insight

Develop your own self-awareness and emotional intelligence by experiencing the transformative power of Sandplay firsthand.

Course structure

Day 1

Complex Developmental Trauma

Sand, sensation and body in Sandplay therapy. Neurobiology of complex developmental trauma. The importance of play, sensation and use of sand in healing complex developmental trauma. Includes a case study.

What you'll learn:

Day 2

The Evolution of Consciousness

The case material will be used to illustrate the process of recovery from complex developmental trauma and the development of a heathy functioning ego. His Sandplay process will be explored through Separation from the Mother-Child unity, the emergence of the Hero archetype and finally, the Transformation stage. These stages mirror the historical stages in the evolution of consciousness in mankind as described by Neumann.

What you'll learn:

Day 3

Clinical skills set – Sandplay through therapist-client interaction

Clinical skill sets is an important part of holding the client into the heart of the journey. Through witnessing Sandplay trays, students will strengthen the understanding of the ‘open and protected’ space of solid and healthy containment; appropriating an experience of strong feelings and thoughts that perhaps, were hidden away.

What you'll learn:

Course structure

6 units · 18 lessons · 36 CE credits

Nov 1, 2025 — Feb 1, 2026

Unit 1: Origins of Jungian Sandplay – History & Introduction to Sandplay

A foundational unit exploring the historical roots, theoretical underpinnings, and symbolic language of Jungian sandplay therapy with practical applications in clinical settings.

3

lessons

6

segments

18

hours

6

CE credits

Lesson 1

Segment 1

Nov 1, 2025 | 9:00am — 12:00pm

Segment 2

Nov 8, 2025 | 9:00am — 12:00pm

Nov 1, 2025 | 9:00am — 12:00pm

Segment 1

Origins of Jungian Sandplay – History & Introduction to Sandplay

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This seminar is a comprehensive introduction to the origins of Jungian sandplay. It will focus on sandplay's history and Jungian underpinnings and its application in clinical situations with children and adults. The course will include a discussion of the role of symbols in psychotherapy and sandplay, an identification of therapeutic change as seen in sandplay scenes, and the similarities and differences between sandplay and other treatment approaches. Building and maintaining a sandplay collection, keeping notes, and creating photos will be addressed, as well as how sandplay can be integrated with other treatment modalities. A presentation of sandplay case material will complete the day.

What you'll learn:

Describe the origins of sandplay therapy.
Compare sandplay to sandtray therapy.
Identify the theoretical underpinnings of Jungian sandplay.
Explain the therapist's role in sandplay therapy.
Describe the benefits of creating a "free and protected space."
Describe the process of keeping photos, notes, and organizing materials.

Segment 1

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What you'll learn:

Lesson 2

Segment 1

Dec 6, 2025 | 9:00am — 12:00pm

Segment 2

Dec 13, 2025 | 9:00am — 12:00pm

Dec 6, 2025 | 9:00am — 12:00pm

Segment 1

Understanding The Sandplay

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This seminar will provide an overview of sandplay in psychotherapy, including how to introduce sandplay in the context of a therapy session, as well as understanding the significance of initial trays. We will consider different approaches to interpreting the progression of trays in a sandplay process, including Martin Kalff's "Twenty-One Points to be Considered in the Interpretation of a Sandplay," as well as Rie Rogers Mitchell and Harriet Friedman's writings on the identification of wounding and healing themes in sandplay. Issues surrounding the training of sandplay therapists and ethical considerations for case presentations and supervision will also be included.

What you'll learn:

Describe the primary characteristics of the sandplay process.
Describe how sandplay can be beneficial in clinical practice.
Give an example of how sandplay can enlarge the patient's capacity for symbolic expression.
Give an example of when it would be appropriate to introduce sandplay in psychotherapy with adults.
Give an example of healing themes in the context of sandplay therapy.
Give an example of themes of wounding in a sandplay tray.

Segment 2

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What you'll learn:

Lesson 3

Segment 1

Jan 24, 2026 | 9:00am — 12:00pm

Segment 2

Feb 1, 2026 | 9:00am — 12:00pm

Jan 24, 2026 | 9:00am — 12:00pm

Segment 1

The Language of The Symbols

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This seminar will describe how to establish a sandplay collection, including critical symbols and categories necessary for clinical work, and leading ways of displaying the collection in the consulting room. The Jungian definition of a symbol, its roots in the archetypes, and its role as an expression of the psyche will be addressed, as well as case vignettes illustrating how symbols can facilitate the connection between conscious and unconscious material. In the experiential component, we will examine both the personal and collective aspects of symbols, including how an individual client's associations with the symbol and symbol amplification can lead to a greater understanding of the client's internal world. Finally, we will examine the relationship of each sandplay therapist to the figures in their collection and their relevance in the transference and countertransference relationship.

What you'll learn:

Describe the differences between symbol and sign in Jungian psychology.
Explain the role of the symbol in Jungian psychology.
Identify the importance of symbols for sandplay.
Describe the archetypal roots and collective use of small figurines.
Compare the different levels of interpretation of a symbol.
Analyze the personal and therapeutic components of a sandplay collection.

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What you'll learn:

View unit details

Mar 21 — May 16, 2026

Unit 2: The Jungian Foundation of Sandplay

This unit delves into core Jungian concepts—individuation, complexes, shadow, archetypes, and the transcendent function—and applies them to the sandplay process.

3

lessons

6

segments

18

hours

6

CE credits

Lesson 1

Segment 1

Mar 21, 2026 | 9:00am — 12:00pm

Segment 2

Mar 28, 2026 | 9:00am — 12:00pm

Mar 21, 2026 | 9:00am — 12:00pm

Segment 1

Jungian Psychology and Sandplay

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This seminar will introduce Jungian theory and practice, and its application to sandplay. We will begin with Jung's concept of individuation, the process of the psyche unfolding over a lifetime, leading to a greater awareness of one's internal world, including a deeper connection to the unconscious, the personal, the cultural, and the collective. We will consider the psyche and its individual parts with an emphasis on the Self, the ordering function of the psyche, and the ego-Self axis, the connecting link between consciousness and the unconscious. All concepts will be illustrated with examples from sandplay cases. A sandplay case will be presented to illustrate the evolution of psychological growth and development in the context of the sandplay process.

What you'll learn:

Describe Jung's concept of the Self.
Describe what is meant by the Ego/Self axis.
Define what is meant by Jung's concept of individuation as it pertains to psychological development.
List the different aspects of the Jungian Self and give an example from clinical practice.
Describe what is meant by an archetype.
Distinguish between the personal unconscious, the cultural unconscious, and the collective unconscious in the context of a sandplay tray.

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What you'll learn:

Lesson 2

Segment 1

Apr 11, 2026 | 9:00am — 12:00pm

Segment 2

Apr 18, 2026 | 9:00am — 12:00pm

Apr 11, 2026 | 9:00am — 12:00pm

Segment 1

Complexes and Shadow

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Jung's theory of the complex, an amalgam of images and ideas constellated around a common emotional and affective experience, is both personal and archetypal in nature. It is our individual response to these personal and archetypal aspects of a complex that alerts us to the emotional valence of a particular complex. In this workshop, which is both theoretical and experiential, we will examine some of Jung's basic concepts, including the complexes, the shadow or disavowed parts of the Self, and the role of the transference and countertransference as they are expressed in the context of sandplay work. Drawing from examples of patients' sandplay work, theoretical and visual material, and embodied experience of writing and working with art materials, participants will have the opportunity to work with their own complex and shadow material to explore the impact on both clinician and patient.

What you'll learn:

Describe what is meant by the Jungian concepts of complex and shadow.
Describe what is meant by an embodied experience of transference or countertransference.
Describe Jung's concept of the therapeutic relationship.
Describe Kay Bradway's concept of co-transference.
Give an example of how a sandplay scene can reflect a patient's complex.
Give examples of how a clinician's unconscious response to a patient can impact the therapeutic field.

Segment 2

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What you'll learn:

Lesson 3

Segment 1

May 9, 2026 | 9:00am — 12:00pm

Segment 2

May 16, 2026 | 9:00am — 12:00pm

May 9, 2026 | 9:00am — 12:00pm

Segment 1

Symbols, Archetypes and The Transcendent Function

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One of Jung's most profound contributions based on his confrontation with the unconscious was the idea of the transcendent function, a function of the psyche that holds conscious attitudes in a contained tension with images from the unconscious so that a metaphorical third, a new attitude, can arise. In this process, the individual is able to move from a more binary or reactive stance to a more reflective one, which includes a recognition of the whole. Jung was interested in helping patients find their way to this new attitude experientially by working directly with their symbolic imaginative process, as he did himself, through drawing, painting, or writing. He called this active imagination and used it as a method to bring the ego into contact with the images of the unconscious psyche. Images also appear in sandplay that allow the analytic pair to experience this evolving process of transformation in the co-tranferential field. The differences and relationships between personal and collective unconscious, archetypes, images, and symbols will be discussed in the context of sandplay.

What you'll learn:

Describe what is meant by the transcendent function.
Describe how a clinician may recognize an archetypal theme and give an example from clinical practice.
Identify symbolic expressions of the Transcendent Function using sandplay case examples.
Give an example of how to differentiate personal unconscious material from archetypal themes in the context of sandplay therapy.
Explain how the transcendent function can facilitate growth and healing in the individuation process.
Describe what is meant by the personal unconscious vs the collective unconscious.

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What you'll learn:

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May 30 — Aug 19, 2026

Unit 3: Jungian Sandplay with Children

Focused on child-specific sandplay practice, this unit examines therapeutic play with children, trauma-informed approaches, and managing clinical complexities like transference and the “free and protected space.

3

lessons

6

segments

18

hours

6

CE credits

Lesson 1

Segment 1

May 30, 2026 | 9:00am — 12:00pm

Segment 2

Jun 6, 2026 | 9:00am — 12:00pm

May 30, 2026 | 9:00am — 12:00pm

Segment 1

Working with Children: A Jungian Perspective

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"(It is) only in playing that the individual child or adult is able to be creative and to use the whole personality, and it is only in being creative that the individual discovers the self." - D. W. Winnicott, Playing and Reality, p. 54) This seminar will examine some major differences in the kinds of play with children: the differences between ordinary and therapeutic play, child analysis and child therapy, and the unique characteristics of Jungian child therapy. A case will be used to demonstrate the use of sandplay, play therapy, and work with the parents around the symbolic manifestation of a tic disorder. To explore the images used in this case, we will look at their meaning and the context in which they occurred, as well as the child's developmental phase of life, his position in the family, and the associations to relevant myths/fairy tales, which amplify the themes inherent in his psychotherapeutic process.

What you'll learn:

Identify the differences between ordinary play, play therapy, and Jungian child analysis.
Describe what is meant by a tic disorder in children and the neurological and psychological factors which contribute to the diagnosis.
Discuss what Jung meant by the symbol and give an example from the case presentation.
Using the case example, identify a diagnosis and describe the importance of developing a working hypothesis for intervention.
Using Neumann's stages, describe the boy's development stage in the case presentation and the resultant challenges he faced.
Identify the initial problem presented in the first tray in the case example and how to intervene with parents.
Give an example of utilizing the metaphors or stories from the child's tray to intervene therapeutically.

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What you'll learn:

Lesson 2

Segment 1

Jul 11, 2026 | 9:00am — 12:00pm

Segment 2

Jul 18, 2026 | 9:00am — 12:00pm

Jul 11, 2026 | 9:00am — 12:00pm

Segment 1

Complex Clinical Issues with Children

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This seminar will address complex clinical issues in sandplay processes of children and adolescents, such as psychosocial anxieties, which are pervasive among youth today, and contrast these presenting problems with developmental stages and issues illustrated in a detailed case description. Another clinical focus of the day will be on the implications of the transference relationship, the importance of a free and protected space, and the need for silence and what arises in the silence. These concepts will be addressed and illustrated with clinical case examples as well.

What you'll learn:

Describe what is meant by a complex clinical issue and give a case example.
Describe how to identify changes in transference relationships when working in sandplay.
Describe aspects of the transference relationship that are unique in the work with children.
Describe what is meant by the importance of the free and protected space in the context of sandplay work.
Describe a complex clinical issue in sandplay therapy with children.
Explain the role of silence in therapy.

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What you'll learn:

Lesson 3

Segment 1

Aug 8, 2026 | 9:00am — 12:00pm

Segment 2

Aug 15, 2026 | 9:00am — 12:00pm

Aug 8, 2026 | 9:00am — 12:00pm

Segment 1

Treating Trauma and Anxiety in Children with Jungian Sandplay

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Using case material of an adopted six-year-old girl, this seminar will address how to treat the symbolic expressions of anxiety and trauma, using both play therapy and sandplay. Unconscious and distressing feelings and themes of wounding and healing will be identified as they emerged in the context of her work in sandplay. The interweaving of play therapy and sandplay will be used to demonstrate how the interaction of both a verbal and non-verbal approach to working with children can lead to a deeper expression of integration of traumatic material.

What you'll learn:

Explain how sandplay therapy can foster affect regulation and facilitate treatment addressing trauma.
Describe how the non-verbal method of sandplay and the verbal interaction that occurs in play therapy can enhance each other.
Describe some of the ways in which bodily symptoms can be seen through sandplay.
List the developmental stages of a sandplay process.
List the clinical stages of a sandplay process.
Give two examples of images of wounding in trays and their healing function in the tray.

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What you'll learn:

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Nov 7. 2026 — Feb 27, 2027

Unit 4: Jungian Sandplay and the Body

This unit explores how somatic and preverbal experiences—especially those rooted in trauma—can be accessed, symbolized, and integrated through the embodied, imaginal process of sandplay therapy.

3

lessons

6

segments

18

hours

6

CE credits

Lesson 1

Segment 1

Nov 7, 2026 | 6:00pm — 9:00pm

Segment 2

Nov 14, 2026 | 6:00pm — 9:00pm

Nov 7, 2026 | 6:00pm — 9:00pm

Segment 1

Jung Sandplay and The Body

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Traumatic and somatic symptoms can be difficult to treat because they are registered in the unconscious and are often not available as mentalized experience. In these often wordless places, sandplay offers a means by which the individual can begin to experience and express affective material in the context of a contained and supportive environment. Sandplay can enhance psychosomatic integration by creating an opportunity in which physical symptoms can gradually move from the somatic unconscious to the imaginal through the physical creation of scenes in the sand. As the images in the sand begin to be formed into a coherent scene, the underlying affects can be brought to the conscious mind where they can be thought about, communicated to, and witnessed by the other, and ultimately lead to a greater sense of psychological integration and wholeness. Case examples will be used to illustrate the evolution of the sandplay process in patients who have experienced trauma and somatic symptoms.

What you'll learn:

Describe the basic concepts of Jungian psychosomatics theory.
Using a case example, give an example of how to apply Jungian psychosomatics theory to clinical practice.
Describe a clinical example in which sandplay therapy was utilized in the treatment of someone with symptoms of trauma.
Describe a clinical example in which sandplay therapy was utilized in the treatment of someone with psychosomatic symptom.
Give an example of how to assess progression in a sandtray process, e.g. movement from the literal to symbolic expression or from fragmentation towards integration.
Give an example of how the sandplay process can mirror the resolution of a psychosomatic illness.

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What you'll learn:

Lesson 2

Segment 1

Jan 9, 2027 | 3:00pm — 6:00pm

Segment 2

Jan 9, 2027 | 9:00am — 12:00pm

Jan 9, 2027 | 3:00pm — 6:00pm

Segment 1

Images of Preverbal Experiences in Children's Sandplay

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Preverbal experiences can manifest unconsciously in relationships and are an important aspect to consider in the context of the therapeutic process. Early body-related experiences often include preverbal trauma and become visible as pre-symbolic impressions in the sand. This seminar will introduce the essential characteristics of intrauterine and postnatal development, including exploring how this early development phase manifests in the therapeutic relationship. A discussion of symbolic representations of the mother-child unit will demonstrate how these dynamics appear both in Sandplay and children's drawings. The seminar will include how these images can serve to open new pathways for understanding the psychic contents of this early phase of development, and explore how the expression of early prenatal, birth, and postnatal experiences can lead to a sense of greater psychological cohesion.

What you'll learn:

Describe the relationship between transference and countertransference in terms of the preverbal phase.
Describe what is meant by preverbal engrams and their application to clinical practice.
Describe what is meant by the affective nucleus and how to recognize it in sand images.

Segment 2

The Body in Jungian Sandplay

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The figurines in the sand tray often reveal aspects of the sandplayer's relationship with their body, such as experiencing an identification with or dissociation from a particular sandplay image or the overall scene. In this seminar, we will focus on how to identify a sandplayer's body confidence in their sandplay images, as well as their dissociation from an image. We will look at how the therapist's own embodied response to the tray, including the conscious, unconscious, and archetypal elements, the degree of attunement, and symbolic associations, can affect the development of a therapeutic alliance, leading to a new attitude, what Jung called the transcendent function.

What you'll learn:

Describe the sandplayer's body's involvement in sandplay therapy, including the conscious, unconscious, and archetypal aspects.
Describe the therapist's body's involvement in sandplay therapy, including the conscious, unconscious, and archetypal aspects.
Describe what is meant by somatosensory immersion and its role in sandplay therapy.

Lesson 3

Segment 1

Feb 20, 2027 | 9:00am — 12:00pm

Segment 2

Feb 27, 2027 | 9:00am — 12:00pm

Feb 20, 2027 | 9:00am — 12:00pm

Segment 1

Complexes and Somatic Symptoms Revealed in The Sand

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Jung wrote, "Often the hands know how to solve a riddle with which the intellect has wrestled in vain...by shaping it, one goes on dreaming the dream in greater detail in the waking state…even though it remains at first unconscious to the subject." One lesser-known aspect of sandplay involves giving patients the opportunity to work directly with the sand itself, rather than using figurines. The act of moving and shaping the sand seems to support the emergence of affective experiences in both client and therapist, a phenomena which Ruth Ammann described as resonance. In this seminar, we will examine several vignettes that illustrate how deeper layers of the psyche, such as the shadow, complexes, and archetypal motifs, emerge when the client's hands begin to explore the sand. A detailed case description will illustrate how working in this way revealed a previously unknown physical illness.

What you'll learn:

Demonstrate the validity of Jung's theory on the autonomy of hands.
Describe the importance of resonance in retrieving affective material.
Describe how the exploration of sand with the hands can stimulate mental images of an affective experience.
Describe the therapeutic importance for clients of working only with sand.
Give a clinical example of the translation of somatic symptoms into words.
Explain the relationship between dreams and sand images as evidenced in a clinical case.
Describe recent research about the expression of somatic symptoms through Sandplay.

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What you'll learn:

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Mar — May 8, 2027

Unit 5: Alchemy and Transformation in Jungian Sandplay

This unit explores how Jungian alchemical symbolism and processes illuminate the transformational dynamics of the psyche as revealed through sandplay therapy.

3

lessons

6

segments

18

hours

6

CE credits

Lesson 1

Segment 1

Mar 2027 (Date TBC)

Segment 2

Mar 2027 (Date TBC)

Segment 1

The Great Work of Alchemy: A Journey of Transformation

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This seminar will introduce the concept of alchemy, what it is, and how it relates to Jungian sandplay. We will begin with an overview of how alchemical processes develop, explore how the prima materia transforms, examine how Jung's insight into alchemy relates to the individuation process and the collective unconscious, and consider the presence of alchemical imagery in sandplay case material.

What you'll learn:

Describe the key concepts of alchemy.
Describe what is meant by the prima materia and its relationship to the analytic process.
Describe the nature of alchemical operations.
Identify the psychological aspects of alchemical processes.
Describe the personal and therapeutic components of an alchemical process.
Explain how alchemy relates to the individuation process.
Describe the meaning of alchemical images in sandplay case material.

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What you'll learn:

Lesson 2

Segment 1

Apr 2027 (Date TBC)

Segment 2

Apr 2027 (Date TBC)

Segment 1

The Alchemy of Sandplay

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This seminar will introduce the application of alchemical symbolism and imagery as a means of understanding the imagery and processes observed during sandplay therapy. We will focus on color symbolism and the alchemical images that appear in a Renaissance illuminated manuscript, the Splendor Solis, which contains three series of paintings depicting a process of inner transformation and development. Like the alchemists who conducted experiments with matter, in sandplay we engage with matter, such as sand and figurines, which are arranged in a metaphorical scene from which symbolic meanings emerge. These images and symbols may express an attitude that is compensatory to consciously held beliefs and open the individual to emerging solutions to conflicts. Recognizing alchemical imagery in sandplay case material can help the clinician recognize themes and processes emerging from the unconscious as creations in the sand tray.

What you'll learn:

Describe the symbolic nature of Sandplay therapy and when it would be appropriate to introduce sandplay in the context of psychotherapy.
Using a case example, describe how Jung viewed the ancient process of alchemy as a metaphor for psychological change.
Give an example of how to recognize alchemical imagery in the context of sandplay case material.
Give an example of how an alchemical symbol can contain an opposite of two sets of beliefs.
In the context of sandplay therapy, give an example of how a symbol can be used to express an attitude that is compensatory to a patient's consciously held beliefs.
Give an example of how sandplay can help a patient discover a new attitude to an unresolved conflict.

Segment 2

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What you'll learn:

Lesson 3

Segment 1

May 1, 2027 | 9:00am — 12:00pm

Segment 2

May 8, 2027 | 9:00am — 12:00pm

May 1, 2027 | 9:00am — 12:00pm

Segment 1

Lead Makes The Diamond Suffer: An Exploration of Alchemical Elements in Jungian Sandplay

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According to Jung, alchemy is a symbolic representation of the individuation process. It illustrates how the psyche transforms and/or develops through the ego's relationship with the contents of the unconscious. Jung recognized both creative and destructive qualities in the four alchemical elements, lead, sulfur, salt, and mercury, and used them as metaphors for stages of psychological development. This seminar will provide an overview of the alchemical elements as representations of psychological states of being. It will also illustrate how to identify their clinical implications as they arise in the context of dreams, encounters in nature, and sandplay case material.

What you'll learn:

Describe what is meant by the individuation process in Jungian analysis.
Describe how Jung used the imagery of alchemy as a metaphor for stages of psychological development.
Describe the psychological aspects of the four alchemical elements.
Describe the creative and destructive qualities of lead, sulfur, salt, and mercury alchemical elements.
Give an example of how to identify the alchemical elements in sandplay scenes.
Describe what is meant by alchemical active imagination.

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What you'll learn:

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Jun — Aug 14, 2027

Unit 6: Individuation, Chaos, and the Self in Jungian Sandplay

This unit explores the complex relationship between ego, Self, and the unconscious, emphasizing transformation through symbolic imagery, archetypes, and the therapeutic relationship in sandplay therapy.

3

lessons

6

segments

18

hours

6

CE credits

Lesson 1

Segment 1

Jun 2027 (Date TBC)

Segment 2

Jun 2027 (Date TBC)

Segment 1

Crossing Thresholds

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Jung's concept of individuation includes analyzing our defenses, taking back projections, identifying our complexes, disidentifying from our persona, understanding our relationship to the collective as well as the personal unconscious, and developing our relationship to the Self, an archetypal image of one's fullest potential. In this seminar, we will examine Jung's theoretical orientations and those of early analysts in terms of their ideas about individuation. Images from the Villa of Mysteries in Pompeii will be used to demonstrate how the individuation process was expressed in antiquity. These early archetypal images reflect an understanding of the connection between ego consciousness and the collective unconscious and how this relationship between the personal and the archetypal can activate experiences of the numinous. Sandtrays of both a child and an adult woman will be used to illustrate some of the ways in which symbolic imagery reflected new stages of psychological development and a deeper connection between the ego and the deeper Self.

What you'll learn:

Describe the concept of individuation as defined by Jung and selected analysts.
Compare the developmental stages of childhood with the Jungian view of the individuating factor and the phases of individuation.
Describe how developing a connection to the symbolic expression of unconscious material through sandplay can instigate psychological development within the child's psyche and enhance the individuation process in the adult.
Describe what is meant by the collective unconscious and some of the ways in which archetypal imagery can represent the contents of the collective unconscious in sandplay
Describe some of the differences between the personal vs. the collective unconscious.
Give an example of how symbolic imagery, as expressed through sandplay, can bring ego-consciousness and the collective unconscious into relationship on behalf of the process of individuation.

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What you'll learn:

Lesson 2

Segment 1

Jul 10, 2027 | 9:00am — 12:00pm

Segment 2

Jul 18, 2027 | 2:00pm — 5:00pm

Jul 10, 2027 | 9:00am — 12:00pm

Segment 1

Tolerating Chaos and Glimpsing The Self

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This seminar will focus on the sandplay process of a child struggling with self-regulation and confidence. The development of ego strength and personality is a normal part of a child's individuation process. Still, it can become compromised when there are disturbances, like, for example, in attunement, attachment, and/or trauma. Children's access to the unconscious and archetypal world is often revealed in their dramatic play, but can be observed more specifically in their sandplay. Although in sandplay the therapist functions primarily as a non-verbal witness to the child's process, the child's emotions, body sensations, and images also infuse and impact the therapist. In this case, the primarily non-verbal interplay between therapist and client created an often-messy field, filled with regressions and progressions, chaos and creativity, which ultimately led to the development of a more secure and reliable internal scaffolding and a deeper connection to the Self. Participants are asked to bring art and writing materials as a means of expressing and clarifying their own counter-transference responses to the case material.

What you'll learn:

Describe some of the key differences between Jung and Fordham about the individuation process and the relationship to the Self in children.
Give an example from clinical practice of how themes of differentiation and individuation unfold in the sandplay process of a child.
Give an example of how sandplay therapy can be utilized to help a child with issues of self-regulation.

Segment 2

Discovering Gold in The Chaos

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Lucia Chambers in sandplay in Three Voices (2005) reminds us: "…you have to seek out the dark. You have to go to a place that is very, very dark before you can see those stars. Out of the darkness, arises the seeds of Self and transformation." This seminar will utilize Jungian and sandplay theory and a Jewish creation myth of the shattered vessels to meet chaos, destruction, and transformation via early and later trays. Perhaps most importantly, participants will be encouraged to "meet" the material from "inside", sharing their own reactions and experiences in holding chaos and ambiguity.

What you'll learn:

Describe the symbolic meaning of the Jewish creation myth of the shattered vessels as a metaphor for helping patients manage feelings of chaos, destructive rage, the urge to change, and the resistance against change.
Identify the importance of chaos and destruction in a sandplay process from a theoretical and technical standpoint.
Describe what is meant by Jung's concept of the Self, and how to identify symbols of the Self in the context of Sandplay therapy.

Lesson 3

Segment 1

Aug 7, 2027 | 3:00pm — 6:00pm

Segment 2

Aug 14, 2027 | 3:00pm — 6:00pm

Aug 7, 2027 | 3:00pm — 6:00pm

Segment 1

The Emergence of The Self Through The Transference-Countertransference Relationship

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The seminar will introduce the primary concepts of the transference and countertransference dynamic from a Jungian perspective as they pertain to the sandplay Therapy setting. The transference can be expressed through the image that the client creates in the sandtray and his behavior in the sandplay room. The image itself can be created to express unconscious content and send a message to the therapist, which will be illustrated through slides. We will also examine how the emergence of the Self can be observed in the free and protected space of the sandplay room. Using images from a sandplay process, we will focus on ways in which the transference can manifest itself in the sandtray as well as on the countertransference reactions of the therapist to the images. This dynamic relationship between the therapist and the client can activate and support the relationship with the Self.

What you'll learn:

Describe the transference-countertransference dynamics in sandplay therapy from a Jungian perspective.
Give an example of the importance of the transference-countertransference relationship in the context of sandplay therapy.
Give an example of a sandplay process that illustrates the unfolding of the individuation process and the manifestation of the Self.
Illustrate the clinical relevance of these dynamics through the presentation and discussion of a short, complete sandplay process.
Give an example of how aspects of the transference can manifest in sandplay images and in the context of the sandplay setting.
Describe how resistance may appear in the sandtray and the sandplay setting.
Give an example of countertransference expressions and their clinical relevance in the context of sandplay work.

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