The Value of Sandplay as a Therapeutic Tool for School Guidance Counsellors

Abstract

Sandplay therapy is a technique that is a potentially valuable tool for guidance counsellors working in the context of challenging school environments. It is particularly suited to work with children and adolescents as it provides unique and developmentally appropriate opportunities for them to engage in the therapeutic process. In fact, as it is play-based and developmentally appropriate, sandplay may be a useful adjunct for the mainly cognitive and behavioural techniques most commonly used by school guidance counsellors. It provides a multiple intelligences perspective and may meet the specific needs of children with particular cognitive and socio-emotional difficulties more effectively than the traditional ‘talking’ therapies.