Winter Schedule 2012-13

Individual consultations and private groups are arranged separately from the Scheduled Training below.

All training is kept to 6 or fewer participants

Ethics in Sand Therapy: Supervision and Clinical Practice  3 hrs.  $90.
NOV. 17 Saturday  1:00 pm – 4:00 pm 


Grief and Loss: The Clinician’s Journey  6 hrs.  $ 180.
NOV. 26  Monday  9:30 am – 3:00 pm

Transformation: Spiritual Journeys in the Sand  6 hrs.  $ 180.
JAN. 5  Saturday  10:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Ethics in Sand Therapy: Supervision and Clinical Practice  3 hrs.  $90.
JAN. 13 Sunday  1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Narratives in the Sand: The Power of Metaphors  6 hrs.  $ 180.
FEB. 9  Saturday  10:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Jungian Sandplay Therapy  6 hrs.  $ 180.
FEB. 24  Sunday  10:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Advanced Narrative Sand Therapy   6 hrs.  $ 180.
MARCH 2  Saturday  10:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Advanced Sand Therapy  12 hrs.  $ 340.
MARCH 17 & 18  Sunday & Monday  10:00 pm – 4:00 pm


Email sandplayvoices at gmail.com for registration and information.

Essentials of Sand Therapy at Allegany College MD

 Essentials of Sand Therapy: Principles and Practice
Dee Preston Dillon, PhD 

Allegany College of Maryland
Monday, October 8 

Contact: Christa A. Snyder, Human Services Coordinator
casnyder [at] allegany.edu  301-784-5530


Six Hour Training

Course Description and Objectives
 Witnessing, Containment, Reflection and Responding, Amplification and Facilitation are core components for effective sand therapy – both sandplay and sand tray. This workshop presents the basic theoretical foundation for sand therapy, the difference between Jungian Sandplay and sand tray therapy, and  demonstrates the skill sets for each of these four areas.

Our goal is safe and competent sand therapy no matter the clinician’s theoretical orientation. This training presents both theory and experiential practice.
Purpose: Through a graduated process this training will help participants

* Conceptualize ways for using sand with diverse  populations.* Explore ways to understand and respond to sand scenes especially with a mindful presence.

*  Understand the role of the clinician to witness and contain activity in the sand.

*  Gain initial skills for creating a safe and protected space for client use of sand.

* Appreciate the rigor, depth, skills, and process that ground sand therapy and clinician efficacy.


Upon completion of this workshop participants will:

*  Describe the function of symbols to bridge intrapsychic  phenomena with a client’s life world, and externalize trauma and developmental injunctions.

*  Point out how sand is a projective process wherein the  role of the clinician and the client differ from other play therapy approaches.

*  Describe the ethics for professional training, the role of the clinician, and the four grounding components for clinical use of sand: Witnessing, Containment, Reflection and Responding, Amplification and Facilitation.

-- Please register with Christa (contact info above) by 26 September to insure your space!

CEs for Social Workers and Counselors

Advanced Sand Therapy

With Dr. Preston-Dillon

CEs for Social Workers and Counselors

§  Private Sessions & Case Consultation

·       Monthly Small Group meetings

o   Staff On-Site Training

§  Retreats in Sand Therapy

·       One and Two-Day Workshops

Certificate in Sand Therapy

A continuation of our professional development courses and consults since 2000

Our certificate is grounded in theory and research, case analysis, integrity in sand practice, and guidance to adapt sand therapy to your client population.

Specializations in Sand Therapy:

         Narrative Sand Therapy

                 Metaphors in Sand Therapy

                          Jungian Sandplay Therapy

For Information, to reserve or participate in a small group and for individual consults

Contact: Dee Preston-Dillon, Ph.D.

Email [sandplayvoices at gmail.com] for details.

Our 2012 Training Schedule

ADVANCED SAND THERAPY Workshops 2012
Dee Preston-Dillon, Ph.D.

Private workshops for staff and colleagues can be set up anytime. For those who wish to join a small gathering the fall schedule follows. All sessions are kept to 6 or fewer participants. Course objectives and descriptions will be sent on request. Additional dates upon request.

Narrative Sand Therapy
Sunday August 19

Advanced Sand Therapy
Sunday September 2

Narrative Sand Therapy
Monday September 10

Advanced Sand Therapy
Sunday and Monday October 21 and 22

Narrative Sand Therapy
Sunday November 4

Advanced Sand Therapy
Saturday November 10

For further info: sandplayvoices at gmail.com

November Presentations

Dr. Preston-Dillon will present at the MACD Conference on November 11th, and will offer a workshop through the Institute for Advanced Psychotherapy Training and Education, Inc. on November 14th.


Friday, November 11 Sand, Symbols and Metaphors: The Depths of Wellness for Counselor and Client
MACD annual conference
John Hopkins University, Columbia Center
For information, visit http://www.mdcounseling.org where you can find a printable flyer and program listing.


Monday, November 14th
Healing Trauma Through Narrative Sand Therapy
The Institute for Advanced Psychotherapy Training and Education, Inc.
For registration and information: http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07e46n2j7ce7624b85
   

March Announcements

A New Location for the Center for Culture and Sandplay

We are moving to Brandywine, Maryland

Dear Colleagues,

It has been a joy to work with you here in College Park for the past ten years. We are now taking the next step in our transition and moving to Brandywine, Maryland. The move will likely be in the setting-up stage during the month of May.

There have been so many meaningful sand sessions at the Center for Culture and Sandplay. For many of you there were significant moments of transformation in the sand with your colleagues. The memories of your work will be carried forward, metaphorically, in the symbols you used. Your work has been profound, bridging individual unconscious healing with transpersonal human spirit. Thank you for your presence, the gift of depth, and the honor to witness your representations in sand.

Our move to Brandywine includes a magical morph from our 4-room collection of symbols to a smaller but separate space of its own. In any transition there is grief -- a letting go - a growing forward. Once we are set up in the new space I will plan an open house and will be delighted to welcome you to take in the new world of symbols.

I will continue with individual and small group consults through March and probably most of April before I pack. If you wish to do a personal scene before we move please let me know. More about advanced training below.

We welcome your continued support. I am able to pass along what I have learned because of your referrals. You understand the integrity we hold for the work in sand as we continue to support your work with clients. I will now take a deep breath and move forward with the transition to a new space, a new formation of symbols, and a new professional practice.

With Much Gratitude, Dr.Dee


~~ ~~
TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

April: Trauma Healing Through Narrative Sand Therapy
(for Level II participants and advanced practitioners)
presenter: Dee Preston-Dillon, Ph.D.
Thursday, April 28th 8:45-4:00pm
Contact: The Institute of Advanced psychotherapy
http://www.lisaferentz.com/

March: Dr. Preston-Dillon is presenting The Power of Symbols and Metaphors at the Johns Hopkins University, graduate counseling student organization.

Summer: We are planning to do one retreat at a retreat facility, and one workshop at the Brandywine location. Details will be announced when finalized.

~~ ~~
ADVANCED TRAINING IN SAND

Philosophy: Advanced training in the clinical use of sand helps therapists to focus on the process of co-transference. While an introduction to sand should offer a wide range of ideas for work with diverse populations, boundaries for responding to clients, and the appropriate use of sand; advanced work offers clinicians experience and feedback to deepen insights and skills.

And, while an introduction to sand can be done in a large group, advanced sessions require more safety, immediacy, and presence to participants' sand scenes. These three principles are absolutely vital to authentic reflection on the process. Therapists must have a sense of the primacy of confidentiality and integrity while in training. Without in-depth exploration the use of sand remains an external observation and vulnerable to clinician projections. The danger is that the process begins to serve the therapist rather than the client. Without practiced boundaries and insight into personal dynamics there is the risk of misappropriation of sand and manipulation of the process. Advanced training to understand and respond to client work involves more practiced ways to conceptualize and facilitate sand therapy.

Over the last decade, in our efforts to follow best practices and ethical considerations, our advanced training has remained focused on small groups and individual work. In the traditions of Kalffian sandplay training, we encourage clinicians to pursue individual work in sand, to immerse in a series of sand scenes, and study case work and the literature.


Private Consults Continue through April . . .

The Clinician Must Have Time to Pause . . . to Honor the Healer Within.

Advanced individual sessions are not therapy. Advanced sessions provide safety for a meaning-filled experience, for quiet reflection away from the exposure inevitable in large trainings. An hour and a half to explore the connection between symbols and self honors the healer within. Clinicians who come for individual and small group consults often share how valuable insights culled here ripple out to their clients. Our focus: to engage your creative self through symbols and metaphors . . . to amplify clinical sensibilities, and to honor the depth of insights within.

For an appointment for private consultations, to join a small group, or set up a staff retreat please email your request to sandplayvoices@cultureplay.com. Private consults are for clinicians of any specialization; not only for sand therapists. Consults are set on a once-a-month basis. Each 90 minute session is $120, and $160 for two hours. For colleagues who travel for a series of sessions we will assist with locating local accommodations.

IMAGINE

Please keep our creativity consults in mind for your colleagues in non-clinical professions. IMAGINE is our framework to offer sessions to enhance creativity and explore personal narrative -- yoga for the creative soul.


~~ ~~
EDITING FOR PROFESSIONALS

Need assistance with your research paper, thesis, article, or other professional documents, including APA style check? Our colleague Meg Chatfield is accepting projects for professional editing. Meg comes highly recommended and has worked directly with Dr. Preston-Dillon. Find information on her website: PsychologyEditor.com

~~ ~~
SAND SYMBOLS BY TIFFANY

Looking for custom symbols to enhance your practice? Tiffany creates unique objects for your sand trays. Find her on Facebook: Sand Symbols by Tiffany and click on Photos to find samples of her work. Also, look for her guest feature on our site/blog soon, with photos.

~~ ~~
NOTES

Our blog (where you are now!) will soon take over for the website. The Cultureplay.com address will still be valid and will take you directly to the blog. We wanted to make you aware of this change so you don't think you've found yourself in the wrong spot!

We now have a separate space to highlight special guests from the play therapy community. If any of our colleagues would like to be a guest, please email sandplayvoices@cultureplay.com with your feature idea.


We wish you all well with your own spring transitions!

January 2011 Announcements

A New Path for the Center for Culture and Sandplay

It Is Such a Rarity to have Time for Yourself . . .

While there are a great many continuing education sessions for clinicians, individual private sessions that are not therapy are often missing in clinician services.

Our space is designed specifically and solely for clinician consultation and supervision. With over three decades of purposeful cultivation of symbols, icons, cultural and sacred images, our work supports your creativity, transformation, and mindful, meaningful experience.

The Healer Must Have Time to Pause . . . to Honor the Healer Within . . . and Renew

Clinicians who come for individual consults often share how valuable the sessions are for increased personal insight, and how insights culled here ripple out to their clients. Exploration through symbols and metaphors engages the creative soul. A private consult opens the brain to perceive one's work and one's self in new ways . . . to nurture your creative energies, augment your perceptual sensibilities, and access the depth of insights within you.

Take a step out of time, a moment to see the world differently, to explore your inner world, and honor the great beauty and depth within you.

If you would like a private consult (not therapy), or if staff and colleagues seek a private retreat for renewal, please consider our Center. Renewal from a day-long retreat can last for months.

Private consults are for clinicians of any specialization; not only for sand therapists. Consults are set on a once-a-month basis. Each 90 minute session is $120.

IMAGINE . . . Another Way of Being

We honor the clinician's life as a journey for meaning, depth, and creativity. And now, through our new program, IMAGINE, we are serving those outside the clinical sphere.

A New Program for Non-Clinicians

IMAGINE is designed specifically for professionals, those in law, media, medicine, and the arts; scientists, writers, and educators. We focus on mining your rich imagination -- to break through blocks to creativity, re-conceptualize problems, and rejuvenate your sense of connection.

We welcome your referrals of colleagues, friends and family to experience Imagine. Imagine is a consult for perceptual shifts; it is not therapy.

For information, please email us at sandplayvoices@cultureplay.com

~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~
Training Opportunities with Dr. Preston-Dillon

The Meaning of Symbols in Play Therapy
Virginia Association for Play Therapy
Presenter: Dee Preston-Dillon, Ph.D.
March Date TBA
Information: http://vapt.cisat.jmu.edu/

Trauma Healing Through Narrative Sand Therapy
(for Level II participants and advanced practitioners)
presenter: Dee Preston-Dillon, Ph.D.
Thursday, April 28th 8:45-4:00pm
Contact: The Institute of Advanced psychotherapy
http://www.lisaferentz.com

Fall Sand Schedule 2010

Association for Play Therapy provider # 05-161
National Association for Social Workers provider # 886477192
National Board for Certified Counselors # 6305

AUGUST 13 FRI -- Ethics and Clinical Practice (Sponsored by Chesapeake Beach Professional Seminars, contact: www.cbpseminars.org or info@cbpseminars.org)

AUG 22 & 23 SUN & MON – CULTUREPLAY--  Narratives in the Sand (noon to 6 p.m.)

SEPTEMBER 13 MON -- Ethics/ Supervision College Park Youth Services, MD (contact Chesapeake Beach Professional Seminars: www.cbpseminars.org or info@cbpseminars.org)

SEP 17 & 18 FRI & SAT -- Creative Counseling with Play for Children and Adolescents (The George Washington University, Graduate School of Education and Human Development, one graduate credit, register through GWU)

OCTOBER 1 & 2 FRI & SAT – CULTUREPLAY--  Understanding Sand Scenes – The Meaning of Symbols sandplayvoices@cultureplay.com

OCT 12 TUE -- Narrative Sand Therapy: Transformative Journeys for Clinician and Client (day-long session at the APT conference, register through www.a4pt.org)

OCT 29 FRI -- Transformation in Sand Therapy: Spiritual Journey, Mindful Metaphors (Loyola University Maryland) 6 CEus 9 am to 4 pm (contact www.loyola.edu/psatoralcounseling/myc)

NOV 7 & 8 SUN & MON – CULTUREPLAY--  Grief and Loss (noon to 6 p.m.) sandplayvoices@cultureplay.com

DEC 5 & 6 SUN & MON – CULTUREPLAY--  Advanced Sand Therapy (noon to 6 p.m.) sandplayvoices@cultureplay.com

** All CULTUREPLAY dates will be held in College Park, MD.  Directions sent upon registration. All Cultureplay workshops are kept at very small groups to allow for individualized in-depth training, and are conducted by Dr. Preston-Dillon, Director of The Center of Culture and Sandplay. Descriptions will soon be posted at www.cultureplay.com. Registration required. Email sandplayvoices@cultureplay.com for info and registration.
--

Book Review (psychology, fiction): Still Alice by Lisa Genova

Still Alice
Lisa Genova
Pocket Books 2009
http://www.stillalice.com/

(review by LK Hunsaker of LKHunsaker.com)

Alice is a 50 year old psychology professor at Harvard who has co-authored a text book with her husband, a research scientist, and has established an incredible reputation as not only a preferred teacher but also as a world-traveled speaker. As she celebrates her birthday, she is struggling with memory issues and even starting to get lost close to home in an area she's very familiar with. Going privately to a neurologist, she is diagnosed with early onset alzheimer's disease.

Since Alice is the POV character, you have to wonder how Genova will continue to follow her story as Alice lapses further into the disease. I was rather impressed with how well she managed to show the early struggles as well as the progression. All of the characters are well drawn from Alice's POV and we get to know some of them better than others. I found it interesting that the child she says she knows the least is the one we know the most. The other two are mainly background.

Her husband, John, is an interesting character and at times, I wanted to yell at him for being so self-centered, but then looking back at their history, I couldn't help but think Alice partly made him that way with her work obsession. The novel is a nice look at marriage-combined-with-work issues, as well as the dementia issue.

From the beginning, we bond with Alice. Anyone who has ever been so busy finding a set of keys seems an impossible task will relate. This makes us truly sympathetic of her plight and we pull for her to keep going, keep trying. As we do, we learn much about Alzheimers and how it progresses and how they are working to find ways to slow or stop it. There is also information about how to keep the brain healthy in general.

At times, the writing is a bit stiff, especially at the beginning, but Genova is a first time novelist and I believe she may find her stride with the next.

This is a must read for anyone dealing with dementia in a loved one, anyone with dementia in their family history, as well as for anyone who wants to better understand this disease. It is truly educational and heartwarming and sad and hopeful all at once.


This review was originally posted at http://lkhunsaker.blogspot.com. The book was purchased by the reviewer and no compensation has been offered or received. Posted here with permission.

-

February Announcements

Hello Sandplay Enthusiasts,

Dr. Preston-Dillon is just back from VAPT's winter conference at Regent University in Virginia Beach where she presented Narratives in the Sand: Practice and Ethics for Metaphors in Play Therapy on Friday and Exploring Sand Therapy in the Supervision of Play Therapists on Saturday. Almost 100 attendees including seasoned clinicians, faculty, and graduate students, worked in groups to explore the power of cultural experience in sand, boundaries and caution for sand therapy, the value of play therapy to help build counselor connection with clients, the importance of self reflection and personal work to increase counselor skills using play therapy, and ways to incorporate narrative ideas in play therapy supervision.

~~ Our next training opportunity is on March 14th with Ethics, Supervision, and Clinical Practice: Three Dimensions for Play Therapists, Supervisors, Clinicians, and Students. Space is currently available. Please request a registration form at sandplayvoices@cultureplay.com if interested. This workshop will be held in College Park and directions are sent when registration is received.

~~  On Friday, March 19th, Dr. Preston-Dillon will present Identifying Archetypes in the Sandtray: An Experiential Exploration for  Clinicians and Supervisors in Play Therapy  Cosponsored by the Virginia Association for Play Therapy and the Phoenix Family Counseling & Play Therapy Center, PLL this training will take place in Gainesville VA. It runs from 10 am to 4 pm, provides 6 CE. For registration and information, contact Liz Fong: contacteliteprogram@gmail.com http://www.phoenixfamilycounseling.com

~~ Dr. Preston-Dillon will present Amplifying Cultural Worlds: Meaning and Integrity in Sandplay at the 2010 National Sandplay Conference in June at Boulder, Colorado. Email us for information.

~~  We have been asked about offering week day training opportunities. Before we can set one up, we'd like to ask how many of you would be interested in attending during a week day instead of a weekend. You may want to create personalized day-long training for your staff, or let us know you’d like a weekday training and what kind of training you would like. Please email sandplayvoices@cultureplay.com and let us know your interest.

~~  A clarification: Our July 11 & 12 Ethics workshop notes that personal consults are combined with the training. This is an offer to set up individual consultations for a separate fee over the same weekend specifically for those who come from a distance. They are not included with the workshop fee. Consults are available at other times, also, through appointment.

~~  Sandplay Voices Network Coordinator Loraine Hunsaker (writing as LK Hunsaker), has a new novel out titled Off The Moon.  The story involves a teenage girl dealing with loss and abuse, and a self-absorbed pop star who pulls her in from a window ledge and provides a safe haven. The story includes counseling issues, specifically creative counseling and family relationships.  For more information about the book, see http://www.lkhunsaker.com/OffTheMoon/main.htm or ElucidatePublishing.net where there is a book club guide.

~~ Sometimes we are asked how our training in sand therapy differs from other training. In brief, Dr. Preston-Dillon was trained in Jungian Sandplay and over the last 25 years has incorporated narrative, humanistic and existential approaches. Training and consulting defines her practice; it is not an incidental she does on the side. Her doctoral research and writing focus on sand and she continues to work on theoretical foundations for the phenomenal experience of symbolic work and transformation in sand.

Spring 2010 Schedule

WORKSHOPS
for Play Therapists, Supervisors, Clinicians, & Students

All clinicians are welcome, no matter your theoretical practice. No previous training in sand is necessary. The purpose of our training is to ground and inspire clinicians for their practice and offer small intensives
to replenish your creativity and connect with colleagues. Workshops embrace seasoned professionals and graduate students.

The following will be held in College Park, Maryland. Directions will be emailed upon registration. Find full descriptions on our website or email to have them sent as a Word file.

Jan 24 Heal the Healer: Personal Renewal (6 CE)
Sunday 12pm-6pm Fee: $160

Mar 14 Ethics, Supervision, and Clinical Practice: Three Dimensions (6 CE)

Sunday 12pm-6pm Fee: $160

Apr 11 Grief and Loss: Reflective Practice (6 CE)

Sunday 12pm-6pm Fee: $160

May 16 Transformation: Spiritual Journeys in the Sand (6 CE)
Sunday 12pm-6pm Fee: $160

June 13&14 Advanced Sand Therapy: Part I & II [Understanding Sand Scenes in Play Therapy & The Meaning of Symbols in Play Therapy] (12 CE)
Sun & Mon 12pm-6pm Fee: $350

____ July 11&12 Ethics, Supervision, and Clinical Practice: Three Dimensions of Sand for Play Therapists and Supervisors & Amplifying Cultural Worlds: Meaning and Integrity in Sandplay [Combined Training with 3^rd day Personal Consults] (12 CE)
Sun & Mon 12pm-6pm Fee: $350

Personal Consultations in Sand Therapy for Clinicians and Supervisors
Private Consultations for individual and small groups of up to three clinicians/ supervisors in Maryland and Virginia

A Time To . . .

Nourish Your Psyche, Re-Engage Personal Insights, Re-Energize for Clinical Practice, and Rejuvenate Creativity and Inspiration . . .
Explore Theory, Practice Ways of Responding to Sand Scenes . . .
Journey into Your Creative Heart, to Horizons You Have Yet to Explore . . .

Personal consultations by appointment only. Workshops require registration and deposit. Contact us at sandplayvoices@cultureplay.com

Fall 2009 Sand Schedule

Association for Play Therapy provider # 05-161
National Association for Social Workers provider # 886477192
National Board for Certified Counselors # 6305

Two Groups and Five Workshops

Group Process

Group process for therapists who use sand is vital to nourish the creative self, increase skills to understand the depths and complexity of sand scenes, and rejuvenate one’s soul for meaningful work with clients. A support group with the same peers each month helps further a sense of safety and cohesion for more advanced work. Dr. Preston-Dillon is a specialist in group process and sand therapy. She has been facilitating groups since the early 1970s and teaches group psychotherapy at the master’s, doctoral level, and post graduate level.

Both groups with provide work in supervision, case work, personal sand trays, and new ideas for the use of sand with clients.

NEW

Group: Dimensions of Creativity, Sand, and Clinical Play for Clinicians and Supervisors

Contact Hours: 15 (5 sessions, 3 hr. each) 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Participants will have a choice between two ongoing groups. Both groups will meet once a month. The Sunday group is a closed cohort group to allow for advanced and cohesive group process and participants attend all sessions. Saturday is the alternative group. It is open and participants can select to attend any of the sessions they wish for 3 CEU hours for each session. Please select either Sunday Group or Saturday Group.

SATURDAYS: Sept. 26, Oct. 24, Nov.28, Dec. 19, Jan. 23 Cohort Group 15 CE credits

SUNDAYS: Sept. 27, Oct. 25, Nov. 29, Dec. 20, Jan. 24 Open Group, 3 CE credits for each session

ETHICS & SUPERVISION

Ethics, Supervision and Clinical Practice: Three Dimensions of Sand for Play Therapists, Supervisors and Clinicians

Contact Hours: 6 CE credits Noon to 6:00 p.m.

SUNDAY: October 18

Grief and Loss -- for Play Therapists, Supervisors and Clinicians

Contact Hours: 6 CE credits Noon to 6:00 p.m.

SUNDAY: November 8

PERSONAL GROWTH

Heal the Healer: Personal Renewal for Play Therapists, Supervisors, and Clinicians

Contact Hours: 6 CE credits 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

SATURDAY: November 14

NEW

COMBINED 4-DAY TRAINING

Advanced Sand Therapy & Ethics and Supervision: for Play Therapists, Supervisors, and Clinicians

Contact Hours: 24 CE credits

November 20, 21, 22, & 23 Friday noon to 6:00 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday noon to 6 p.m., Monday 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

PERSONAL GROWTH

Transformation: Spiritual Journeys in the Sand -- for Play Therapists, Supervisors, and Clinicians

Contact Hours: 6 CE credits Noon to 6:00 p.m.

SUNDAY: December 6

~~~ Check our website or email sandplayvoices@msn.com for more information and to request registration.

July Announcements

Hello Sand Therapy Enthusiasts,

Happy Summer!

We have two seats available for Essentials for Sand Therapy this weekend. If you would like to attend please email Loraine at sandplayvoices@msn.com. The workshop fee includes your CEUs, meals, and training. You’ll find our hands on approach to professional training allows for depth, skill development, personal rejuvenation, and time to collaborate with colleagues.

Essentials of Sand Therapy: Four Principles for Effective Practice (10 CE)
July 11 & 12 Saturday 3pm-9pm & Sunday 12pm-5pm

  Registrations are open for:
Advanced Grief and Loss: The Experience of Loss for the Clinician and Play Therapist (8 CE)
July 24 & 25 Friday 7pm-10pm Saturday 11am-4pm

Please Note: Dr. Dee and Helena Andrade will be conducting a workshop in Brazil late August so the August Group workshop is cancelled.  We will reschedule Group and send you the fall schedule before the end of July.

  We will be starting a monthly group for sand therapists interested in getting together with colleagues for conversation and sand work. Please send us an email if you would like to be informed when the group begins.

Staff Announcements:

We are pleased to announce our new Clinical Education Director! Sara Cahanin, M.A., Ed.D. candidate in Counseling Psychology has joined the Center for Culture and Sandplay.

Dr. Preston-Dillon has a new article for the culturally conscious counselor – “The Power of Symbols and Narrative: A Multiverse of Meaning.”

_________________
Full Descriptions of our workshops can be found on our website:
http://www.cultureplay.com  under Training

Please sign up to receive email notification of new posts made to this blog. We look forward to having guest bloggers very soon!
__________________

Sand Tray Clinician Toy Exchange

This Saturday, October 5th, The Center for Culture and Sandplay in College Park, Maryland is hosting its annual Clinician Toy Exchange. The purpose of the event is to help fill out your symbol shelves while mingling with colleagues.

This is a free event. Bring any extra toys you have and make like-kind exchanges directly with other participants. Some tables will be provided, but if you have a lot of toys, bring a sheet or blanket to lay on the grass.

A drawing will be held for two custom, hand-made sand trays.

In case of rain, the event will be rescheduled.

Please email sandplayvoices@msn.com for information and directions and see www.cultureplaycom for information on our center.

 

Technorati Tags: sandplay,sand tray,psychology,toy exchange,clinician

Review of Sand Therapy Article: discussion

 

In response to a sand tray article in the June 2008 edition of APT Magazine, Dr. Preston-Dillon wrote a critical review highlighting the kinds of problems that contribute to the misunderstanding and distortions of the clinical use of sand. The review is available on our Wiki: http://sandplayvoices.pbwiki.com/Resources  or access it directly with the following link that opens in Word format: REVIEW_OF_APT_ARTICLE_2008.doc

(The review is copyrighted and available for personal use only.)

Please feel free to add comments, concerns, and questions here. You do not need to have an account to post. We do prefer a name or initials instead of anonymous posts, however. Pass this link along to any colleagues you feel may be interested.

Best Wishes,

Dee Preston-Dillon, PhD
Loraine Hunsaker, Network Coordinator

 

Technorati Tags: sand therapy,APT,sandplay,psychology

Fall 2008 Schedule

Our fall schedule is now available. The full version with descriptions is available on our Wiki.

Jungian Sandplay: An Introduction

Sept 28 Sunday – 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. (6 CEUs)
Fee: $165.00, dinner included

Supervision, Ethics, and Clinical Practice: Three Dimensions of Sand 

Oct. 25 Saturday – 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. (7 CEUs)
Fee: $175.00, dinner included

Narrative Therapy in the Sand: Theory & Practice

Nov. 15 Saturday - 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. (7 CEUs)   
Fee: $175.00, dinner included

Healing the Healer: Clinician Renewal in the Sand (2 day)

Nov. 22 Saturday - 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Nov. 23 Sunday - noon to 5 p.m. (10 CEUs)
Fee: $250.00, dinner included on Saturday

Grief & Loss : Healing and Reclamation in Sand Therapy  (2 day)

Dec. 13 Saturday - 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.    
Dec. 14 Sunday - noon to 5 p.m. (10 CEUs)
Fee: $250.00, dinner included on Saturday
~~~~~~~

Group Series: Advanced Group for Clinicians using Sand

Wednesday nights 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. (meets twice a month)

Email sandplayvoices@msn.com to request a registration form.

Technorati Tags: sand tray,sandplay,sand therapy,play therapy

Book Review: Asking for Murder by Roberta Isleib

 

Asking For Murder
Roberta Isleib
Berkley Prime Crime
ISBN: 978-0-425-22331-4

“People who aren’t in our profession don’t like to hear that their shrinks might have these thoughts – especially about them.”

In “Asking For Murder,” Roberta Isleib crosses a line or two: she makes therapists sound human, and she reveals that “shrinks” don’t always have all the answers. I’m all for crossing lines, especially when doing so open doors into formerly private worlds and aids in understanding.

Dr. Rebecca Butterman, a clinical psychologist, finds her best friend who happens to be a social worker specializing in sand therapy beaten and close to death in her own home. Rebecca, as a sideline to her therapy, has already come to the local police agency’s attention as an amateur private detective without credentials. To their consternation, and while raising eyebrows from the rest of the local therapy world, she refuses to let the police handle the case alone. Oh, it should be mentioned that Rebecca is also secretly an advice columnist.

In a story full of twists, including the therapist dealing with her own family-related issues and failing relationships, Rebecca is not what “people who aren’t in our profession” would expect from a clinical psychologist. She is human – fallibly and laughingly human while jumping to conclusions, searching everywhere she looks for possible suspects, admitting she doesn’t have a clue about what a sand scene could mean or even what sand therapy is all about, and ignoring advice she would give clients when it comes to her own affairs of the heart. She is a delightful character, full of energy and ambition with a charming mix of arrogance and insecurity, and leads the search for a killer through routes we can’t guess, up until the time of revelation.

In the midst of the story, we get to peak into the world of a therapist, inclusive of professional conundrums and defined disorders. We also get a look at a therapy technique the public has often never heard of: sand tray. While I would have liked to see the definitions of sandplay versus sand tray more differentiated, I enjoyed Isleib’s inclusion of sand tray and her way of handling this branch of the art therapies.

An admission: I don’t read mysteries. However, if more were like this one, I would be searching them out. “Asking For Murder” does open a door – to a large audience, including those in the psychology field, those not in the field who may want a closer look, to romance readers interested in something different, to readers looking for a light weekend or beach read, and to anyone who enjoys spunky fallible female lead characters. If you don’t read mystery, try it anyway. I finished the novel thinking I would have to go back and catch up on more of Dr. Butterman’s adventures in Isleib’s Advice Column Mysteries.

LK Hunsaker
Network Coordinator, Sandplay Voices
Mainstream Romance Novelist: www.lkhunsaker.com 

Technorati Tags: fiction,mystery,Roberta Isleib,review,sandplay,sand tray

Summer and Fall Schedule

Our training is certified for continuing Education by APT, NASW, and NBCC.
Association for Play Therapy provider #05-161
National Association for Social Workers provider #886477192
National Board for Certified Counselors #6305

All Workshops Developed and Given by Dee Preston-Dillon, PhD

For more information, see www.cultureplay.com or email sandplayvoices@msn.com

JULY

July 10, 11, 12 Efficacy I: Principles for Practice in Sand Therapy
July 16 and 17 Efficacy II: Ethics and Culture in Sand Therapy
July 24, 25, 26 Efficacy III: Narrative Therapy in the Sand: Theory and practice

AUGUST

August: 5, 6, 7 Supervision for Practices Using Sand Therapy
August: 16, 17 18 Efficacy I: Principles for Practice in Sand
August: 24, 25 Grief and Loss: Healing and reclamation in sand therapy

SEPTEMBER

September 7 & 8 Efficacy I: Principles for Practice in Sand
September 16 Grief and Loss: Healing and reclamation in sand therapy

OCTOBER

October 6th Myths, Dreams and Sandplay
October 26 & 27 Efficacy III: Narrative Therapy in the Sand: Theory and practice

NOVEMBER

November 3 & 4 Grounding and Renewal: Mindful practice in sand therapy
November 9 Supervision and the Sand Box: Ethical approaches for clinical supervision of graduate interns and seasoned professionals
Nov 24 & 25 Group Process: Art, Sand, and Stories

DECEMBER

December 1 Efficacy II: Ethics and Culture in Sand Therapy
December 2 Grief and Loss: Healing and reclamation in sand therapy
December 16 Humanistic Approaches in Sand Therapy: Gestalt and Transactional Analysis

JANUARY

January 5 & 6 Efficacy I: Principles for Practice in Sand
January 18 Grounding and Renewal: Mindful practice in sand
January 25 & 26 Group Process: Art, Sand, and Stories

New Children's Therapy Book

from a network member...

Dear Colleagues,
I like to call your attention on my new book about the symbolic meaning of children's drawings.

"Draw Me a Picture. The meaning of children's drawings and play from the perspective of analytical psychology" by Theresa Foks-Appelman, Creative Art therapist and Sandplay therapist ISST.

BookSurge (April 2007) ISBN 978-1-4196-6201-0

''First printed in the Netherlands in 2004, 3rd print in 2005. "Kinderen geven tekens. De betekenis van kindertekeningen en spel vanuit het perspectief van de analytische psychologie."Publisher: Eburon Delft ISBN 90 597 050 4''

This book is a NEW tool for play therapists, art therapists, Sandplay therapists and teachers. The analytical psychology of C.G. Jung, the ideas of Erich Neumann and modern developmental psychology offered excellent guidelines in the search for the significance of children's drawings.

You can order now on Amazon.com

More on my website: http://www.childrendrawings.8m.com

Yours sincerely,
Theresa Foks-Appelman

Spring Schedule

The Center for Culture and Sandplay's Spring 2007 Schedule

Online and face-to-face classes for the Certificate in Sand Therapy and for Play Therapy certification (RPT and RPT-S).

[Find more information at www.cultureplay.com]

February 10
Symbols and Meaning: Understanding symbols in creative approaches to psychotherapy
What does the sand scene mean? How is it related to the client’s story? How do I relate a sand scene to the treatment plan? This workshop demonstrates the use of symbol dictionaries, myths, fairy tales, and modern children’s literature for clinical process.
For therapists who use sand therapy this workshop is especially useful in the study of ethical interpretations and understanding of the symbolic.

Online Component: Case studies in the application of symbols and literature in clinical practice.

February 25

Explorations of the Feminine: Reclamations along life’s journey
A part of the gender and culture series.
Participants will explore the dynamics of the feminine and the implications for clinical interventions. Core archetypes: Goddess, Witch, Healer, Mother, Daughter, Sister, and Companion. An experiential workshop.


March 9 & 10
Gestalt and Transactional Analysis: Reclaiming the Inner Child in psychotherapy
Gestalt therapy and Transactional Analysis combined form a remarkable intervention. Set the process into Sand Therapy and the added dimensions of Jungs’ Shadow and Complex enliven Berne and Perl’s theories. This experiential workshop introduces these three theories into an impressively effective skill set. Demonstrations and practice include gestalt, sand therapy and TA.

Online Component: Case studies in the application of three Humanistic perspectives in sand therapy.


March 25
Explorations of the Masculine: Reclamations along life’s journey
A part of the gender and culture series.
Participants will explore the dynamics of the masculine and the implications for clinical interventions. Core archetypes: King, Warrior, Healer, Father, Son, Brother, and Companion. An experiential workshop.


April 21 & 22
Efficacy in Sand Therapy I: Four essential principles for effective practice
Containment, Reflection, Amplification, and Facilitation are core components for effective sand therapy – both sandplay and sand tray. This workshop presents the basic theoretical foundation and demonstrates the skill sets for each of these four areas. Our goal is safe and competent sand therapy no matter the clinician’s theoretical orientation.

Online Component: Case studies in the application of four skill sets for sand therapy.


April 29
Mini Retreat for Clinician Renewal
Burnout, administrative stress, and case work trauma drain the clinician of energy, enthusiasm, hope and a sound positive sense of self efficacy. This one-day mini retreat is designed to refocus attention on reclaiming self, reframing perspective, and healing the tired soul. Time for peaceful reflection, journaling, encounters with nature, and purposeful exercises in sand will support our journey for renewal.


May 11 & 12
Consciousness: Transformation in dreams and psychotherapy
Understanding the role of consciousness and altered states as a part of creative psychotherapy helps the clinician recognize this phenomenon not as an extraordinary event, but as a part of being fully present and engaged in the psychotherapeutic process. Key ideas to be explored include; mindfulness, centering, deep reflection, increased awareness, self hypnosis, and activating the intuitive. An experiential workshop.


May 20

Clinical Passages in Personal Myth: Hillman’s Acorn and Campbell’s Myths
This workshop explores the powerful perspectives in James Hillman’s The Soul’s Code and Joseph Campbell’s mythological perspective as they apply in the use of Jungian sandplay therapy. An experiential workshop, participants will map out their personal journey through story-telling and sand scenes.