SANDPLAY  THERAPY: INFORMATION FOR PARENTS

It may appear that your child is simply playing in the sand. This is not so. The sandtray becomes a setting for children, adolescents and adults to gain a different or new perspective on a situation.

 

The process connects with the unconscious material, allowing the child to ‘sort’ out and make sense of experiences and information. By creating a scene in the sand using symbols (small figurines, toys, ornaments, shells, rocks) a child can regain a sense of strength or hope. The feelings related to the death of a pet or someone close can be expressed in a sandplay. ‘Bullying’ is another common theme in the sandtray.

 

Children are often asked to explain behaviour or verbalise how they feel. This information may not be easily accessible to a child. She or he may not know why they behaved in a certain way or how they feel. Symbols provide a means for expression and exploration in non-verbal form.

 

Children can unconsciously process an issue by representing it in the sand. Allowing free creation, and working with the ‘story’ can help to modify acting out behaviour. For example anxieties about school, once expressed through sandplay may be reduced or resolved. By manipulating the symbols, the child has ‘control’ of the situation.

 

Many children are overwhelmed with the problems of the world and are able to gain a new perspective by expressing this in a creation in the sand tray. Generally, children will create a sandtray without direction or a theme, allowing free play and the mystery to unfold.

 

The symbols are not interpreted by anyone other than the child. It can be confusing for a child to have an adult or sibling comment on the sandtray or a symbol if the comments are not consistent with the child’s own interpretations. For example, a monster may represent feeling powerful for the child. An adult labelling it as scary or horrible can be counter-productive. Commenting that a sandtray is ‘lovely’ or ‘very good’ may undermine the child’s confidence if the sandtray represents frustration.

 

Although it is not usual practice for parents to see the tray at the end of the session, your child may wish to talk about it and share the picture of the sandtray. It is helpful to ask the child to tell you something about it and refrain from your own opinions and comments. A good start could be: “Would you like to share anything about your sandtray?” “What would you like to share with me about your sandtray?” Your child may not wish to share at all and parents are encouraged to accept this too. The PDF below is a valuable read especially for parents who might consider sandplay as an option for counselling.

 

It was Carl Jung who said:  “Often the hands will solve a mystery that the intellect has struggled with in vain.”  Sandplay is also very useful for clients whose language skills are not as well developed for counselling that has a strong verbal component, and for young children who are still developing their language skills and are therefore not able to verbalise their feelings.  Children/adolescents/adults who are diagnosed with language disorders are also well-served by sandplay.  

 

MINDFULNESS: (Authentic and otherwise?)

“Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally.” Jon Kabat-Zinn.Feb 10, 2017

 

Much has been written about mindfulness of late, and there is a plethora of programs, apps etc., extolling the virtues of the many philosophies/practices associated with Mindfulness.  It is not my intention to discuss this much further here, but in my opinion, 'authentic' Mindfulness has been devalued in many, many ways by its over-commercialisation, and 'quick-fix' mentality that is all too prevalent in today's society!

 

*Mindfulness has many benefits for adults and children of all ages. Some of the benefits are listed below:

• Concentration and Attention Training

• Emotional Regulation

• Relaxation Techniques

• Body Awareness

• Creativity

• Imagination

• Visualising a Peaceful Place

• Moral and Spiritual growth

 

*No matter how much training people do regarding mindfulness/meditation etc., without regular practising outside the counselling environment, very little improvement is possible! So it is imperative that anyone thinking of making appointments for counselling, Meditation/Mindfulness/Kindfulness/Compassion meditation sessions is committed to regular, consistent practising at home.

 

The first PDF below is an article by Shamash Alidina regarding some questions, statements about Mindfulness; the other two are the accreditations for the two Mindfulness courses I have completed with Shamash to-date: This year (2018), I am privileged to say, that I am 1 of only 10 students that Shamash has chosen to complete his Advanced Mindfulness and Kindfulness course, which is the first course in the world to offer such comprehensive training combining both qualities. Shamash has been instrumental in setting-up the Museum of Happiness in the UK.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It should be noted that ACT uses mindfulness techniques as well as many other strategies (see Hexaflex), and sandplay is very much an 'in the present moment, non-judgmental experience.

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KINDFULNESS

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What is Kindfulness? Kindfulness is a concept that builds on top of Mindfulness, developed by Ajahn Chah, Ajahn Brahm, Shamash Alidina; and originally from  core Buddhist principles that  have often been lost in modern Mindfulness training programs. Here are some of the key differences: 

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Emphasisng physical comfort and listening to one's body - if you are to be kind your body, you need to ask your body what is the right posture for you.  There is no such thing as the right or wrong physical posture - every body is different and every day is different

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Mindfulness offers feedback - The function of Mindfulness is to offer feedback.  What's your body doing? What's your mind doing?

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Kindness heals and transforms - Kindness is the power that transforms.  Being kind  to your body and mind is the key to making peace: Being kind and gentle is the way.

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BRAIN ENTRAINMENT

 

I have been a member of Project Meditation for a number of years. The project links with the LifeFlow program that offers information and programs that utilise research on brainwaves and their function with regard to meditation etc.  I have used the program to great effect over the past four years.  One of my strategies with clients is to use a Cardiotech relaxation- chair and play LifeFlow tracks (starting at Level 10), for twenty minutes during a session time. This is of course by arrangement, because not everyone is convinced of the research on Brain Entrainment. The levels range from 10 to 1, and it is important to follow the instructions that come with the program, which can be purchased from LifeFlow, should clients wish to practise at home as opposed to using counselling-session time. The PDF below is the LifeFlow Brainwave Chart from the booklet that accompanies the purchase of the program.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES (ACEs)

 

Having worked in education from 1974 to 2017, with twenty years as a Guidance Officer both in high school and primary settings in Queensland, there is no doubt in my mind that since the advent of NAPLAN, the anxiety levels of both teachers and students have risen substantially and continue to do so! I believe there are many more students now, since the introduction of NAPLAN, for whom education is an ACE. The PDF below is an extensive document that sets-out the very serious ramifications, both short and long-term, for children who experience ACEs in their childhood years and beyond: https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/acestudy/index.html

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I tried for five years to introduce mindfulness into the schools in which I worked, in the hope of teaching students (and teachers) the benefits of mindful-based programs to help students cope with anxiety and stress, but with no uptake on a school-wide basis, because teachers believed they did not have the time to implement a program due to the time-constraints forced upon them by the demands of the NAPLAN curricula.  One teacher, however, liaised with me for almost two years implementing a 'basic' mindfulness program and was convinced that there were benefits to be had by all.

ANXIETY & EDUCATION (or REGULATION!)

As I have stated, I am concerned about the increasing problems with mental health problems that are manifesting themselves in children, younger and younger! Anxiety is the fastest growing mental health condition in the world.  During my many years as a Developmental Guidance Officer, I witnessed a steadily growing population of anxious children, parents and teachers due, in-part, to the ever increasing complexity of education and the constant 'demand' for improvement from education authorities, and so-called 'experts', most of whom have never taught and do not understand the process of learning from a child's perspective!  Children are now likely to enter formal education at the age of 3 years of age in the very near future.  My belief is that this  a way to save the cost of childcare that continues to spiral beyond the means of many parents.  Children at this age have very little language abilities, may might not be toilet trained, have very little attention  and concentration skills, learn more from play rather than purely academic learning (especially if the learning has a high language loading, which it will, believe me!) and overall are just not developmentally ready for formal, academic education or ready for the long school day that they will be 'forced' to endure. Developmentally, children age 3 are, cognitively at Piaget's  Preoperational (see below):

 

The Preoperational Stage:

Ages: 2 to 7 Years

Major Characteristics and Developmental Changes:

• Children begin to think symbolically and learn to use words and pictures to represent objects.

• Children at this stage tend to be egocentric and struggle to see things from the perspective of others.

• While they are getting better with language and thinking, they still tend to think about things in very concrete terms.

 

The concept of Developmentalism is not in Education Queensland's vocabulary.  Neither is the *Psychosocial Learning framework (Erikson, Piaget, Vygotsky etc.). Whilst both frameworks have their critics, and some of the data are outdated, there is still consensus that these two developmental frameworks still need to be addressed in very young children attending formal education, if they are to succeed cognitively, emotionally and socially.  Unfortunately, due to the 'NAPLANISATION' [my wording and italics] of the curricula, even 3 year old children will follow an academic education (getting ready for NAPLAN!) as opposed to a developmentally balanced program, because governments, be they state or federal, will take the opportunity impose yet another a mini academic curriculum that will ignore the importance of, and need for play and the developmental frameworks mentioned earlier: 

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*Psychosocial Learning:

During this period the primary feature involves the child regularly interacting with other children at school. Central to this stage is play, as it provides children with the opportunity to explore their interpersonal skills through initiating activities. Children begin to plan activities, make up games, and initiate activities with others. If given this opportunity, children develop a sense of initiative and feel secure in their ability to lead others and make decisions. 

 

Conversely, if this tendency is squelched, either through criticism or control, children develop a sense of guilt. They may feel like a nuisance to others and will, therefore, remain followers, lacking in self-initiative. The child takes initiatives which the parents will often try to stop in order to protect the child. The child will often overstep the mark in his forcefulness, and the danger is that the parents will tend to punish the child and restrict his initiatives too much.

 

It is at this stage that the child will begin to ask many questions as his thirst for knowledge grows. If  parents/ teachers treat the child’s questions as trivial, a nuisance or embarrassing or other aspects of their behavior as threatening then the child may have feelings of guilt for “being a nuisance”. Too much guilt can make the child slow to interact with others and may inhibit their creativity. Some guilt is, of course, necessary; otherwise the child would not know how to exercise self-control or have a conscience.

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The foundations of language development may have been laid during the previous stage, but it is the emergence of language that is one of the major hallmarks of the preoperational stage of development. Children become much more skilled at pretend play during this stage of development, yet still think very concretely about the world around them. At this stage, kids learn through pretend play but still struggle with logic and taking the point of view of other people. They also often struggle with understanding the idea of constancy.

 

In Australia, children enter school with marked differences in the cognitive, non-cognitive and social skills needed for success in the school environment (Centre for Community Child Health and Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, 2007). These initial differences are predictive of later academic and occupational success (Boethel, 2004; Dockett & Perry, 2001, 2007; Le et al, 2006).The key factor in promoting children’s school readiness in all environments – families, early childhood services, community settings and schools – is the nature of the relationships they experience; the primary mechanisms through which children acquire the underpinning skills are the social relationships they form with parents, care-givers, teachers and peers (Mashburn & Pianta, 2006; Rimm-Kaufman & Pianta, 2000; Thompson & Raikes, 2007).

 

I have seen first-hand what has happened to many students and teachers since the introduction of NAPLAN 10 years ago. In both cases, there has been a marked growth in mental health conditions, especially Anxiety and Depression, due to the pressures on both parties to continually do more, learn more, regurgitate more and test more. As much as politicians (the know-it-all-know-nothings) and their respective governing bodies, and the plethora of 'educational experts', few of whom have ever taught in the classroom, state that NAPLAN does not govern what teachers teach and how they teach it, I can assure you, that is not the case: education is now, in my view, 'regulation'.

 

With the introduction of STEM (Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) into the curriculum over recent years, which is meant to prepare students for a more technologically advanced workforce in the future, but the curriculum overall fails to address the social emotional issues that students will face when only casual/part time work is available to them on leaving school – if they are lucky! Education Queensland has a Social Emotional Learning (SEL) policy that is meant to be implemented as a regular classroom feature in all schools: however, in my experience over many years with  Education Queensland state schools, this policy is rarely implemented; and if it is, it is very much on an ad-hoc basis.  This is due in part to the significant increase that I have personally witnessed in the pressures on teachers to constantly improve academic results since the introduction of NAPLAN 10 years ago.  In my opinion, the social and emotional well-being of students, as a regular mainstream curriculum subject is sadly lacking and much more needs to be done to prepare students emotionally for the future - not just academically, but sadly this is not the case at this time! 

 

The lack of Social and emotional Learning in schools is the reason I left my job as a Developmental Guidance Officer, and starting this no-fee enterprise to give something back by way of offering 'future-proofing' mental health instruction in dealing with the pressures that I know will be facing students in a  world that is fast becoming automated; where full-time jobs will be much fewer than they are now; having to deal with the ever growing prevalence of part-time / casual work, and where adults (single, or married with a family of their own) will have to live with their parents for extended periods of time because of the exorbitant cost of housing.  These issues (and maybe more as yet unknown) may well cause significant mental health problems for more and more people as the impact of  automation and robotization of work gradually erode job opportunities and job security. Governments keep assuring us that there will always be plenty of jobs - but for whom, I wonder?

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So, if you think I can help in any way, please complete the contact form below. I only work three days a week, due to other commitments, but I am willing to negotiate days and times.  I am not a psychologist, but a psychotherapist (there is a distinct difference).  As in all counselling practices, not everyone is suited to the work I do, and there is little point in working with 'coerced' clients, but I am willing to see what I can do if you have a reluctant person you might wish to refer.  

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