A Case Study of Sandplay Therapy for an Elementary School-aged Girl Living in a Home Suffering from Severe Conflicts between Her Mother and Older Brother：A Focus on Fairy Tales

Abstract

This study explored the sandplay therapy case of an elementary school-aged girl living in a home in which there exist severe conflicts between her mother and older brother. This study focused heavily on fairy tales. The goal of the therapy was to encourage appropriate adjustments with the girl’s situation within the free and protected space of sandplay therapy. Forty-four therapy sessions were held. The client exhibited evidence of feelings of being abandoned and of becoming lethargic in the initial phase of therapy (1~10, forsakenness/sleeping family). In the intermediate phase of therapy (11~38, regression, opposition and purification/growth), as she displayed signs of regression, princess play, the opposition of goodness and badness and purification, she grew psychologically. In the final phase of therapy (39~ 44, redemption/rebirth of new consciousness), she was redeemed and reborn with a new sense of consciousness. Using sandplay therapy in a free and protected space, this study showed the various motives of fairy tales in the psyche of a pre-adolescence girl and the effectiveness of sandplay therapy. 색인어: 모래놀이치료, 민담, 공주, 의식의 재탄생 Keywords: sandplay therapy, fairy tales, princess, rebirth of consciousness