Sandtray

Sandplay therapy for Trauma-Exposed Children (2024-2025)

Systematic review of sandplay interventions with children exposed to trauma

Findings show improvements in emotional regulation, PTSD symptoms, and internalizing behaviors.
Emphasizes nonverbal processing and symbolic integration.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11014889/

Effectiveness of Sandtray Therapy for Emotional & Behavioral Problems (2024)

Meta-analytic and narrative review

Reports moderate to large effect sizes for anxiety, aggression, and emotional expression.
Highlights sandtray as especially effective for children with limited verbal capacity.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042824000937

Sandtray Therapy with Children with Anxiety Disorders (2023-2024)

Controlled outcome study

Significant reduction in anxiety symptoms compared to wait-list controls.
Notes increased emotional insight and improved parent-reported functioning.

https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/12/3/356

School-Based Sandtray Therapy Outcomes (2024)

Demonstrates improvements in classroom behavior, self-regulation, and peer relationships.
Supports sandtray as a developmentally appropriate intervention in schools.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10568514/

Sandtray Therapy for Grief and Loss in Children (2023-2024)

Qualitative and mixed-methods research showing symbolic processing of grief themes.
Useful for clinicians working with death, trauma, or ambiguous loss.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/13591045231175409

Peer-Reviewed Articles on Sandtray Therapy

Boik, B. L. (2000). Sandtray therapy as a therapeutic modality: Review of the literature. Journal of Humanistic Counseling, Education and Development, 39(1), 31–40. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2164-490X.2000.tb00090.x

Swank, J. M., & Lenes, E. A. (2013). The use of sandtray therapy with preadolescents experiencing academic difficulties. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 8(2), 180–194. https://doi.org/10.1080/15401383.2013.792223

Swank, J. M., & Shin, S. M. (2015). Effectiveness of sandtray therapy on classroom behavior of children with externalizing behavior problems. Journal of Counseling & Development, 93(4), 418–428. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcad.12040

Swank, J. M., & Smith-Adcock, S. (2013). A developmental approach to sandtray therapy. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 8(2), 155–168. https://doi.org/10.1080/15401383.2013.792221

Shen, Y. (2016). Effects of group sandtray therapy on the emotional intelligence of maladjusted children. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 11(1), 44–57. https://doi.org/10.1080/15401383.2015.1056928

Shen, Y., & Armstrong, S. A. (2008). Impact of group sandtray therapy on the self-esteem of children in need. International Journal of Play Therapy, 17(1), 13–26. https://doi.org/10.1037/1555-6824.17.1.13

Homeyer, L. E., & Sweeney, D. S. (1998). The impact of sandtray therapy on children with severe emotional disturbance. Arts in Psychotherapy, 25(4), 245–255. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0197-4556(98)00019-2

Schoonover, T. J., Jha, P., Romito, M., Arogundade, B., & DePinto, A. (2024). Sandtray therapy’s impact on trauma symptoms in adults: A single-case research design. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health. Advance online publication. DOI: 10.1080/15401383.2024.2377410.

Holliman, R., & Foster, R. D. (2023). The way we play in the sand: A meta-analytic investigation of sand therapy, its formats, and presenting problems. Journal of Child and Adolescent Counseling, 9(2), 205–221. https://doi.org/10.1080/23727810.2023.2232142

Conroy, S., & Magee, C. (2025). Trusting play to be meaningful data: Using sand tray as a qualitative research method. Qualitative Research in Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/21594937.2025.2464334

Anekstein, A. M., Hoskins, W. J., Astramovich, R. L., Garner, D., & Terry, J. (2014). Sandtray Supervision: Integrating supervision models and sandtray therapy. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 9(1), 122–134. https://doi.org/10.1080/15401383.2014.876885

Bahrudin, S., & Ku Johari, K. S. (2020). The application of sandtray therapy in dealing with adult conflicts. International Journal of Education, Psychology and Counseling, 5, 01–09. https://doi.org/10.35631/IJEPC.535001

Even. T. & Armstrong, S. (2011). Sandtray for early recollections with children (SEARCh) in Adlerian play therapy. Journal of Individual Psychology, 67, 391-407

Garrett, M. (2017). Enhancing counselor supervision with sandtray interventions. Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice, 17(5).

James, L., & Martin, D. (2002). Sand tray and group therapy: Helping parents cope. The Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 27(4), 390–405. https://doi.org/10.1080/714860201

Lee, S., Kwak, H. J., Ahn, U. K., Kim, K. M., & Lim, M.-H. (2023). Effect of group sand play therapy on psychopathologies of adolescents with delinquent behaviors. Medicine (Baltimore), 102(40), e35445–e35445. https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000035445

McCormick, R., Rosenblad, S. R., & Newmeyer, M. (2021). Untapped therapeutic potential: Using sandtray in substance abuse treatment groups. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 16(4), 522–536. https://doi.org/10.1080/15401383.2020.1789016

Mason, M. (2022). An exploratory investigation of using sandtray in couples therapy. Psychological Applications and Trends, 27-31. https://doi.org/10.36315/2022inpact006

Perryman, K., Houin, C. B., Leslie, T. N., & Finley, S. K. (2021). Using sandtray as a creative supervision tool. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 16(1), 109-124. https://doi.org/10.1080/15401383.2020.1754988

Stark, M. D., & Frels, R. K. (2014). Using sandtray as a collaborative assessment tool for counselor development. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 9(4), 468–482. https://doi.org/10.1080/15401383.2014.897663

Wang Flahive, M.-H., & Ray, D. (2007). Effect of group sandtray therapy with preadolescents. Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 32(4), 362–382. https://doi.org/10.1080/01933920701476706

Rottier, M. J. (2025). The Fawn Finds Her Voice: How Neuroscience and Sandtray Therapy Rewire the Brain After Trauma. Sandtray Scribe, Volume 2 https://sandtraytherapy.org/sandtray-scribe/.

Rottier, M. J. (2025). Sandtray and Animal Assisted Therapy. Sandtray Scribe, Volume 1 https://sandtraytherapy.org/sandtray-scribe/.