What is Sandplay therapy?

Sometimes our experiences are difficult to express through words alone. We may know that something feels important, uncomfortable or unresolved without being able to explain exactly why. Sandplay offers a different way to explore those experiences.

Jungian Psychoanalytical Sandplay uses a sand tray and a collection of miniature figures, objects and symbols to create a space for expression and exploration.

What happens in a Sandplay session?

During a Sandplay session, you have access to a sand tray and a collection of miniature objects and figures.

You are invited to use these to create whatever feels right to you in the tray. There is no correct way to do this. You don't need to consider yourself artistic or creative, and you don't need to arrive with an idea of what you are going to make.

Sometimes a person may immediately feel drawn to a particular object. At other times, knowing where to begin can feel more difficult. Both are part of the process.

Do I have to explain what I have created?

No. One of the aspects of Sandplay that particularly interests me is that we don't always need to translate an experience immediately into words.

A completed tray might bring up memories, feelings or associations. Its significance may also be unclear at first.

My role isn't to look at what you have created and tell you what it means. Instead, Sandplay provides space to be curious about what emerges and what, if anything, it comes to mean to you.

Why use something other than talking?

Talking is an important part of psychotherapy, but language has its limitations. Some experiences are easy to describe. Others are much harder to articulate.

You might understand something intellectually but struggle to express how it feels. An experience from much earlier in life may be difficult to put into a coherent story. Sometimes you simply know that something matters without yet knowing why. Working symbolically can offer another route into exploring those experiences.

My own experience of Sandplay

As part of my ongoing Jungian Psychoanalytical Sandplay training, I have experienced the process myself. It has been an important reminder that we don't always know where therapeutic exploration will take us.

During my own Sandplay process, objects and symbols sometimes appeared in my trays without me consciously planning their significance. Connections emerged over time, including connections with experiences from much earlier in my life.

On one occasion during earlier Sandplay training, I struggled to begin at all. While other people selected objects and created their trays, I sat looking at an almost empty tray, unsure what to do. What eventually emerged was extremely sparse, yet it proved personally significant.

That experience has stayed with me. It reinforced why I don't believe Sandplay should be about producing something impressive, interpreting someone's creation for them or forcing meaning where it doesn't yet exist. Sometimes the process begins simply by seeing what appears.

Is Sandplay just for children?

The use of miniature figures and sand can understandably make people associate Sandplay with children's therapy.

The Sandplay work I offer is with adults. Adults don't lose the capacity to think through images, symbols, imagination and metaphor simply because we get older. My own training has shown me how personally meaningful this form of exploration can be in adult life.

How is Sandplay different from my other therapy?

My private CBT, EMDR and integrative psychotherapy is provided online. Sandplay is different because it is a physical, in-person process. My Sandplay sessions therefore take place in Glasgow.

I offer 60-minute sessions, with 90-minute sessions recommended where appropriate. The additional time can allow the process to unfold without feeling rushed. Allene has confirmed fees of £70 for 60 minutes and £100 for 90 minutes.

You don't need to decide for yourself whether Sandplay is the "right" therapy before getting in touch. We can discuss what has brought you to therapy and consider together whether it may be an appropriate approach.

My Sandplay training

I am currently undertaking professional training in Jungian Psychoanalytical Sandplay with the British and Irish Sandplay Society (BISS).

My Sandplay work is covered through my ACC and BISS membership. My wider clinical background includes more than 25 years' experience in counselling and psychotherapy, BABCP accreditation and EMDR practice.

Interested in exploring Sandplay?

You can find more information about the approach, practical arrangements and my current training on my Sandplay page.

If you're unsure whether Sandplay might be appropriate for you, you're also welcome to get in touch

 and arrange a free introductory call.