Sandtray Therapy’s Impact on Trauma Symptoms in Adults

Abstract

ABSTRACT Adults exposed to trauma report symptoms that harm their emotional and behavioral health affecting their functioning for a prolonged period. Creative interventions have been suggested as a unique expressive approach to assist adults with trauma symptoms. Sandtray therapy is one such technique; however, there is limited literature showcasing the effectiveness of the technique when working with adults with trauma symptoms. In this article, we assess the effectiveness of sandtray therapy on trauma symptoms for five adults with trauma exposures, using an A-B-A single-case research design. Participants completed seven to nine, 50-minute sandtray therapy sessions throughout the study. Results showed a decrease in trauma symptoms for four of the five participants. Thus, sandtray therapy could be an effective intervention for counselors to use with adults with trauma symptoms.