Review: Sandtray Play and Storymaking: A Hands-On Approach to Build Academic, Social, and Emotional Skills in Mainstream and Special Education

This is a well-written and stimulating book that has had rave reviews, mainly from Canada, the author’s home country. But, in my view, it is also a dangerous one.

If it is read and applied to the developing emotional literacy of mainstream primary school pupils, then all well and good. The problem lies with those children who have emotional, behaviour and mental health issues or special needs, who need therapeutic support.

The author does distinguish between the skills advocated and psychotherapy fairly early in the text and states that teachers should not interpret what they observe, but the techniques described will often have therapeutic implications, some of which could have disastrous consequences. The essential four pillars of sound therapeutic work –assessment, clinical supervision, ethical framework and clinical audit – are missing.

The nub of the problem lies in the proposed delivery mode of a universal group. Unless the children who need therapeutic support are separated from the others, the sandtray play will stimulate unconscious processes that need to be supervised by a trained play therapist or child psychotherapist.