Sandplay Therapy Research Articles

A systematic review of the effect of sandplay therapy on social communication deficits in children with autism spectrum disorder.

To explore the efficacy of sandplay therapy in intervening social communication deficits in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and whether this efficacy is influenced by the age of the children and the dosage of sandplay therapy intervention. Following the PICOS principle, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) related to sandplay therapy for social communication deficits in ASD children were retrieved from seven databases: PubMed, WOS, The Cochrane Library, Embase, CNKI, Wanfang, and VIP, from the inception of each database to November 10, 2023. Two experimenters independently conducted study screening and excluded studies with concomitant diseases, incomplete data, unextractable data, and non-randomized controlled trials. The PEDro scale was used for methodological quality assessment, and the GRADEprofiler method was employed to evaluate the quality of evidence. Stata17 software was used for meta-analysis, subgroup analysis, sensitivity analysis, and publication bias testing. The standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were used as the effect statistics. A total of 12 RCTs (791 cases) were included. Sandplay therapy had a positive impact on the social communication deficits of ASD children [SMD = -1.42, 95%CI (-1.79, -1.04), P < 0.001]. Subgroup analysis revealed that sandplay therapy administered during the early school age (449 cases, SMD = -1.44, P < 0.05), for a duration of 22-28 weeks (208 cases, SMD = 1.69, P < 0.05), and with a frequency of once per week (218 cases, SMD = -1.67, P < 0.05) was most effective in improving on social communication deficits of ASD children. The quality of evidence in this study was rated as high, with good methodological quality, including 12 studies with better quality and no detection of bias risk. The study had high heterogeneity, which was attributed to the measurement tools and intervention duration through subgroup analysis, with no inconsistency found. Additionally, no downgrade factors related to imprecision, publication bias, or indirectness were identified. In conclusion, sandplay therapy is an effective measure to improve social communication deficits in children with ASD, and current evidence recommends early intervention using an individual sandplay therapy or integrated sandplay therapy intervention program once a week for 22-28 weeks, which can serve as evidence-based clinical guidance. www.crd.york.ac.uk, identifier (CRD420234821750).

Utilising sandplay therapy to support children with intellectual disabilities and complex mental health needs in China’s child welfare institutions: a case study

Sandplay therapy (SPT) has demonstrated significant effectiveness for children with intellectual disabilities, autism, and other challenges. This case study explores its impact on emotional regulation, sexual psychology, and behavior in orphaned children with significant functional limitations residing in Chinese welfare institutions. Utilizing Jungian psychology, the child’s development was assessed through 26 SPT sessions and four interviews with simulated family members. The findings showed improvements in emotional functioning, self-care capabilities, and the management of sexual energy and emotions. Furthermore, interpersonal relationships within the simulated family improved, thereby achieving the counseling goals. SPT, with its focus on the unconscious and symbolic representation, offers unique advantages in addressing the emotional and behavioral challenges experienced by children with severe functional impairments in welfare environments.

우울에 대한 모래놀이치료 연구동향 : 2007년에서 2023년까지 학위 및 학술지를 중심으로

The purpose of this study is to analyze trends in sandplay therapy research for depression conducted in Korea, seek research directions for sandplay therapy related to depression improvement, and provide basic data necessary for therapeutic research. The papers included in the study include 58 domestic studies conducted from 2007 to 2023. As a result of the study, an average of 3.4 studies on depression and sandplay therapy were continuously conducted each year. Additionally, 53.1% of the research subjects were degree theses and 46.5% were academic theses. In the case of academic papers, 44.4% of studies were published in general academic journals, 40.8% were studies published in registered journals, and 12.8% were studies published in candidate journals. In order to verify the effectiveness of depression in research, Beck's depression scale was used most often, and pre- and post-test was used in 43 studies. The subjects of the study were diverse, including children, adolescents, and adults, but the proportion of adults was high at 32%. The average number of study participants was 10, and the number of counseling sessions was 15 on average. Based on these research results, implications such as points to be considered when conducting sandplay therapy research related to depression and discussions on follow-up research were presented.

The Application of Psychological Therapies in Addressing Adolescent Disengagement from School.

The issue of adolescent aversion to school not only affects their academic performance but can also lead to psychological health problems. This article reviews the application of several psychological therapies in addressing the problem of adolescent aversion to school, including mindfulness therapy, sandplay therapy, life review method, adaptive psychological counseling, and humanistic therapy.

A Comprehensive Assessment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder Treatments

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), which is commonly known as a mental health disorder. GAD has the characteristic of sustained and excessive anxieties, which seriously affects the daily lives of patients. The present study comprehensively evaluated the clinical characteristics, treatment methods, and efficacy of GAD. The research involves Pharmacotherapy (such as benzodiazepines and antidepressants), psychotherapy (such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and mindfulness based cognitive therapy (MBCT), and innovative therapies such as sandplay therapy (SPT). The results indicate that psychotherapy and drug therapy are still the first choices, and innovative therapies can be used to assist and improve treatment. Choosing a treatment method requires comprehensive consideration of multiple factors, including the individual condition of the patient and possible side effects. In this study, a systematic review of the typical features of GAD and its etiology was performed. In addition, the advantages of different therapies as well as typical representatives are discussed and analysed. The results of this study provide implications for related research and suggest future research directions.

A Single Case Study of Sandplay Therapy for a First-Year Middle School Female Student Complaining of Helplessness.

A Single Case Study of Sandplay Therapy for a First-Year Middle School Female Student Complaining of Helplessness.

A Case Study of the Efficacy of Group Sandplay Therapy in Improving Parent-Child Relationships

Group sandplay therapy is a useful instrument for healing family rifts. This article is a case study where the group sandplay therapy method was used to address the client’s conflicts with his family members. The therapy outcomes show that group sandplay therapy is efficacious in enhancing communication and interaction between family members, improving interpersonal relationships within a family, particularly the parent-child relationship, and alleviating parent-child tensions as barriers to effective home education.

Investigation of the effect of the sandplay therapy in the open area to improve the social behaviour of children with autism spectrum disorder

AbstractSandplay therapy helps the person develop social skills and acts as a therapy method where they can reflect and repair their inner world. This study aims to test the feasibility of sandplay therapy method in an open area for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and investigate its effect on the development of social skills. In addition, the reorganization of sandplay areas where children with disabilities receive education and treatment, and the introduction of design proposals for integrating them with sandplay therapy in the open area, have been one of the other objectives of this study. The study group of this research, has a quasi‐experimental design in which pre‐test and post‐test measurements are made on the experimental groups of children between the ages of 8 and 12 years with autism diagnosed were formed. This research consisted of five stages: the planning of the study, the implementation phase, the post‐tests, the analysis of the data and the explanation of the design proposals. As a result of the studies conducted on children with ASD, increasing their interaction with society contributed to the development of children with autism socially and psychologically. In this context, group sand therapy was applied to the experimental groups for 7 weeks, one session a week and a total of seven sessions of two children with autism were selected using the selective assignment method. The effect of open area sandplay therapy method on the development of autistic‐disabled people was compared with the values taken before and after the sandplay therapy sessions. The findings revealed that increasing interaction with society contributed to the development of children with ASD socially and psychologically. In addition, the development of suggestions for the design of barrier‐free sandplay areas and the evaluation of the connection between sandplay therapy and design in the open area was made.

The Classical Jungian Sandplay Therapy: it’s Possibilities and Application Practice in Reality of Existential Crises

The purpose of the article is to introduce the reader to the method of Sandplay therapy, to give an idea of the historical context of the creation of the method, its place in the development of child psychoanalytic therapy, about the author of the method – Dora Kalff. It contains a concise description of the main theoretical concepts and concepts underlying the method, which make it possible to understand the essence and dynamics of the therapeutic sandplay process. The categories necessary for the analysis of the sand-tray are considered. The directions of Sandplay research as a therapeutic technique and development prospects are outlined.

Sandplay Therapy and Active Imagination: What Are the Similarities and Differences? Reflections about Jung's Writings on Active Imagination.

Jung stated that active imagination is a fundamental component of the second phase of an analysis that can continue even outside the analytic setting. Since it can be conveyed through various expressive techniques, such as writing, drawing, and painting, it is possible to argue that all forms of psychotherapy based on art (e.g., poetry, dance, and theater) originate from Jung's contribution about active imagination. This paper focuses on Sandplay Therapy as one of the forms of expression rooted in active imagination. Apart from some critical differences between the two analytic processes (e.g., active imagination is usually prompted in the last phase of the analysis, while Sandplay Therapy might be used since the first sessions), there are several convergences. Among the principal analogies, consciousness lends its expressive means to the unconscious, which decides what to depict. Also, the resulting image is determined from both the consciousness and the unconscious and is related to the person's conscious situation. Finally, I suggest that Sandplay Therapy-aside from contributing to the subsequent development of active imagination itself (as suggested by Dr. Carducci)-might also be used to practice active imagination in a "facilitated" and protected setting. It would help let the unconscious come up while creating the image in the sandtray, and it fosters the confrontation between the unconscious and the consciousness through the contemplation of the image in the sandtray.

The Kalffian Tradition in Sandplay Therapy

The Kalffian Tradition in Sandplay Therapy

Instrumental support for increasing personal resilience against destructive manipulations

The article confirms the possibility of metaphorical description by clients of options for manipulating their behavior that are significant to them. It has been shown that Sandplay Therapy can be used to successfully design and rehearse the desired forms of behavior and form associated sensory standards for subsequent ideomotor training. Evidence is presented of the validity of an assumption that the very elements of such materialized displays of the existing orientation schemes and their photographs support to quickly assess the intensity of the emotional experiences accompanying such modeling and the physiological processes associated with them. It has been established that cardiac measurements followed by calculation of the stress index of the various components of the autonomic nervous system make it possible to assess the level of stress caused by the client’s imagination of a problematic situation for him/her, where he/ she is facing a traumatic manipulation. It is noted that measurements of changes in galvanic skin reactions also allows judging the intensity of experiences that accompany the rebuilding of the associative connection of the depicted items with those manifestations of manipulation of which it is a metaphorical representation. Another assumption has also been confirmed that Sandplay Therapy can be used to effectively prevent some undesired manipulative influences on the client’s personality. At the same time, in addition to establishing the effectiveness of therapeutic procedures, cardiometric measurements and recording of electrodermal activity for the client himself/herself serve as a kind of bio-feedback. Using the latter, the client gets an opportunity to assess how much the response to metaphorical representations of manipulative influences corresponds to how exactly he/she would like to act if they are detected.

The effects of sandplay therapy on the limbic system and prefrontal cortex in women with generalized anxiety disorder

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is a common disorder characterized by psychological and neurophysiological impairments. Previous studies show that Jungian Sandplay Therapy (SPT) effectively improves anxiety symptoms in individuals with GAD. This study explores whether clinical symptom improvement from using SPT also involves changes in brain functioning. The study focused on the brain regions implicated in GAD, including the hippocampus, amygdala, thalamus, and prefrontal cortex (PFC). Magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to target these brain regions to measure metabolite changes, specifically in the N-Acetylaspartate to creatine (NAA/Cr) ratio—a measure of neuronal viability. A within-subject pre-post design was utilized with adult females from Indonesia diagnosed with GAD (n = 6, ages 21 to 40). Thirty sessions of SPT were provided weekly. Results from both clinical measures of anxiety (HAM-A and GAD-7) indicated mean pretest scores in the clinical range, with average posttest scores below the clinical range for GAD. Likewise, the NAA/Cr ratio mean scores for the hippocampus, amygdala, and PFC were outside the healthy range before and trended toward or into the healthy range after treatment. The NAA/Cr ratio mean scores in the thalamus were in the healthy range before treatment and remained in the healthy range after treatment. This study concludes that SPT effectively improves clinical anxiety symptoms in individuals with GAD and may also improve metabolic brain functioning in the limbic system and PFC. Limitations, implications, and further research are discussed.

Analysis of mental health problems of hospitalized sick adolescents guided by psychology and intervention with sandplay therapy

Analysis of mental health problems of hospitalized sick adolescents guided by psychology and intervention with sandplay therapy

A Case Study on Improving the Quality of Parent-Child Relationship of Rural Children with the Sandplay Therapy

A Case Study on Improving the Quality of Parent-Child Relationship of Rural Children with the Sandplay Therapy

Sandplay Therapy to Promote Children’s Social and Emotional Development of the Kindergarten-based Curriculum Research

Sandplay Therapy to Promote Children’s Social and Emotional Development of the Kindergarten-based Curriculum Research

A Pilot Study of Group Sandplay Therapy on College Students with Social Anxiety

A Pilot Study of Group Sandplay Therapy on College Students with Social Anxiety

A Case Study of Sandplay Therapy for a Mother with Insecure Attachment and the Impact on Family Members

The purpose of this study was to investigate the changes in a mother's attachment and emotional control resulting from Sandplay Therapy in cases of insecure adult attachment. Additionally, the study aimed to examine the changes in family perception and attachment to the mother's changes. One mother with a high insecure adult attachment score and her family were selected as subjects for this study. Attachment scales, emotional control scales, sentence completion tests (SCTs), and interviews were conducted before and after the therapy to study the subjects' changes in attachment and emotional control, as well as the changes perceived by family members. The mother then underwent 12 sessions of Sandplay Therapy. The results showed that: After Sandplay therapy, the mother's attachment and emotional control demonstrated positive changes. The mother's changes through Sandplay Therapy contributed to the improvement of the family's positive perception and attachment level. The Sandplay box underwent a process of individualization, leading to self-realization. In conclusion, Sandplay Therapy helps stabilize the attachment and emotion of insecure attachment mothers, and the changes in mothers have a positive impact on the perception and attachment of family members. A follow-up study, it is necessary to expand the number of study subjects by attachment type.

An Exploratory Study on Sandplay Therapy for Enhancing School Adaptation of Elementary School Students: A Focus on Domestic Research Since 2010

This study examines the implementation of Sandplay Therapy in schools and conducts a comprehensive analysis of 25 domestic studies to explore its effects on the school adaptation for elementary school students. Our findings reveal that Sandplay Therapy, when applied to this demographic, primarily comprises semi-structured or unstructured case studies with a strong emphasis on individual counseling. Various assessment methods were employed, including qualitative data such as sandbox pictures, observation logs, and supervision records, as well as objective tools like K-CBCL and projective tools such as HTP and KFD. The results demonstrate that Sandplay Therapy has a positive influence on elementary school students' self-development, self-esteem enhancement, and the mitigation of maladaptive issues. Moreover, it contributes to the improvement of their social skills, ultimately facilitating a successful adaptation to the school environment. This research provides valuable insights into the potential benefits of Sandplay Therapy for enhancing the well-being and adaptation on elementary school students.

A Study on Development of a Countertransference Scale Based on Variables of Therapist-Client Relationship Models in Sandplay Therapy

In this study, we aimed to develop a countertransference scale based on the therapist-client relationship model in Sandplay Therapy. Additionally, we sought to validate the developed scale by examining its relationship with therapeutic alliance and the therapeutic relationship. Sandplay Therapy practitioners participated in data collection. The collected data were analyzed by calculating frequencies and percentages, conducting factor analysis, reliability testing, and correlation analysis. As a result, the countertransference scale comprised 30 items organized into five subfactors: ‘Mother-Child,’ ‘Power,’ ‘Scenery,’ ‘Shamanism,’ and ‘Wounded Healer.’ The validation of construct validity revealed significant positive correlations between the entire countertransference scale and the entire therapeutic alliance scale, as well as between the entire countertransference scale and the entire therapeutic relationship scale. The analysis revealed significant positive correlations between the overall reverse transfer scale and the alliance scale, as well as significant positive correlations between the overall reverse transfer scale and the therapeutic relationship scale.