A Whole New World: Introduction to Sand Tray Therapy Retreat
To be added to our email list for notifications of training dates, complete our Interested in Play Therapy Training form.
Play Therapy Training
APT Approved Provider 15-439
“A Whole New World: Intensive Introduction to SandTray Therapy.“
A small group retreat-style experience
Friday, October 9, 2026, 6 – 8 pm
(You are welcome to arrive earlier to get settled)
Saturday, October 10, 2026, 9 am – 12 pm and 2 – 6 pm
Sunday, October 11, 2026, 9 am – 2 pm
Presented by: Meg Clark Soriano, LPC, ACS, RPT-S, RST-C/T
In-Person Training:
Center for Counseling and Education
Oceanfront in Avon by the Sea, NJ
Training Fee: $750 – 850 (depending on room selection)
Includes accommodations and casual meals
12 Contact Play Therapy CEs
APT Approved Provider #15-439
This program is approved to provide 12 contact APT and NBCC CEs
Center for Counseling and Education, LLC has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7528. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Center for Counseling and Education, LLC is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
APT Approved Provider 15-439
Join us for transformative training overlooking the ocean, where you will gain clarity, intentionality, and the ability to articulate the rationale behind your work. Through experiential practice and practical demonstrations, you will deepen your understanding of Sand Tray therapy. Elevate your practice and take a deeper dive with us bridging the gap between theory and practice!
Learning Objectives:
- Explain the historical context of Sandtray Therapy.
- Describe how to set up a space for the practice of sandtray therapy, including trays, sand, and specific categories of miniatures.
- Explain two important aspects of creating a safe, protected space for the sandtray client.
- Demonstrate the steps in a sandtray play therapy process by leading a client through creating a sand tray.
- List three possible processing questions that can be used with a client after creating a sandtray.
- List three ways for the therapist to deepen their understanding of the client’s tray.
- Explain how to identify entry points in a client’s sand tray and create 3 possible amplifying questions about a specific sand tray.
- List 3 benefits of Sandtray therapy for clients impacted by trauma.
- Describe a directive that may be helpful if a client becomes dysregulated during sandtray therapy.
- Describe the differences between left and right hemisphere (mode) processing and provide supportive arguments for grounding sandtray therapy in the right hemisphere.
- Identify a client’s current state within the Window of Tolerance (Siegel) based on their somatic and sandtray presentation, and select a corresponding “top-down” or “bottom-up” intervention to maintain optimal arousal.
- Discuss, from a neurobiological perspective, the relative pros and cons of directive versus nondirective techniques in play therapy using the sandtray.
- Describe how to apply Ecker’s Memory Reconsolidation theory by creating “mismatch” experiences in the sand, successfully juxtaposing a client’s traumatic “Old Rule” with a lived “New Truth” to facilitate synaptic unlocking.
- Utilize the concept of Cognitive Load Management to help clients move “slippery” internal working models into concrete sandtray representations, thereby reducing prefrontal overwhelm and facilitating internal dialogue.
Registration fee: $750 – 850
Payment plans are available
(Register before July 1, 2026, for a discounted rate of $700-800)
Registration may be canceled with a full refund (minus credit card processing fees and a $25 administrative fee) by contacting info@cfcenj.com with this request a minimum of 30 days prior to Day 1 of the workshop series.