When Words Aren’t Enough: Using Sandplay Therapy with Traumatized Children

Full Zoom Event Description

When Words Aren’t Enough: Using Sandplay Therapy with Traumatized Children

August 12 | Live on Zoom

Children who have experienced trauma often cannot access or articulate their experiences through language alone. This workshop explores how sandplay therapy offers a powerful, developmentally attuned pathway for expression, regulation, and healing—engaging the body, the senses, and the symbolic mind.

Led by Kaitlyn Barbee, AMFT #159550 (supervised by Douglas Kasle, PsyD #20824), this talk will examine how trauma lives in the nervous system and how nonverbal, “bottom-up” approaches can support integration when traditional talk therapy is not enough. Drawing on principles from Polyvagal Theory, participants will learn how sandplay facilitates safety, co-regulation, and the gradual processing of traumatic material without overwhelming the child.

We will explore key clinical themes including:

• The role of sensory regulation (touch, movement, and spatial play) in trauma recovery

• How to differentiate symbolic reenactment from retraumatization

• The phases of healing as they emerge through sandplay processes

• Supporting attachment repair through symbolic storytelling and play

• Clinical applications with children impacted by physical trauma and CPS involvement

The training will also contextualize children’s play within the broader cultural moment, reflecting on how global events—such as exposure to violence and instability—are showing up in children's symbolic worlds, including themes of injury, caregiving, and survival.

Through case examples, clinical reflection, and practical tools, this workshop offers therapists a deeper understanding of how to meet children where they are—beyond words—and support the innate healing intelligence of the psyche through play.