Child and Family Therapy Through Sand Tray

About This Event

June 22–26 | Trinity Western University

Mon–Thurs (In-Person): 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Friday (Virtual Day): 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

This advanced child and family therapy course is experiential and examines Sand Tray Therapy grounded in trauma-informed, neurobiological, developmental, attachment, and relational frameworks. Participants will expand their theoretical and practical knowledge of Sand Tray for emotion regulation, attachment repair, co-regulation, and transformation applied to children, youth, parents, and families.

This course emphasizes applications in family therapy, parental involvement, and child-centered practice, guiding therapists to shift towards a nervous system and relational perspective. Through hands-on experiential learning, we will explore assessment, case conceptualization and treatment planning through in-class and small group processes. Students will also develop the ability to integrate experiential, somatic, and digital modalities to enhance attunement, safety, nervous system regulation, and connection within therapeutic relationships.  

Paid Parking on site.

Provided: tools to participate, completion certificate, experiential learning.

Trainers:

Patricia Felzien MACP, C.C.C., R.C.C.

As a registered clinical counsellor, I specialize in working with children, youth, and their caregivers, focusing on trauma through somatic and experiential therapies, including Neuro-Science Satir Sand Tray Therapy (NSST) and more. I have facilitated numerous educational and therapeutic groups over the past 15 years. I discovered Sand Tray Therapy in 2017, became certified in NSST in 2022, and also have a Level 1 NSST Trainer certification. For more information visit thrivewellbc.com/meet-the-team

Beth Scholes MACP, R.C.C.

As a family systems therapist, I specialize in developmental relational trauma, including anxiety and complex chronic shame. In my private practice, I work with families, children, and individual adults. I’ve been using Sand Tray Therapy since 2017 with clients for trauma intervention, play therapy, families, and so much more. I am excited to share this powerful tool! I bring to this training both Jungian and NSST approaches. Additionally, I am certified in adult education, which I deeply love, with 20+ year of experience. For more information visit bethscholes.com

Course Objectives

• Assessment, Symptoms, & Treatment Planning: Understanding presenting concerns through a right brain, attachment, nervous system, developmental, and relational lens. 
• Intervention & Anchoring: Applying attuned, flexible interventions that support regulation, connection, and integration.
• Integrative Clinical Framework: Grounded in trauma-informed, neurobiological, developmental, attachment, and relational approaches.  Participants will explore integrating theoretical orientation from a diverse range of options.
• From Behaviour to Nervous System: Shifting from behavioural management toward relationship-based, co-regulating therapeutic work AND teaching and modelling this to parents.
• Child, Family & Parent Integration: Learn to facilitate growth and healing for child, youth, parents, and family systems as singles, dyads and the family system. Learn the power of parent support.
• Experiential Skill Development: Learning through, lecture, hands-on Sand Tray, case conceptualization, triads, demonstrations, and group process. 
• Expressive, Somatic & Digital Modalities
  Integrating multiple modalities to enhance attunement, safety, and therapeutic presence.
• Online/Virtual Play Therapy & AI Integration
  Exploring ethical and creative use of online sand tray/play therapies and AI tools to support accessibility and connection while maintaining relational integrity with current ethical standards of practice.

Experiential Learning

The course is highly experiential and includes Sand Tray practice, demonstrations, case conceptualization, triads, and group process. It also includes a one-day online/virtual experiential play therapy component incorporating AI in counselling.  We will be meeting online that day.

Who This Course Is For

• Master’s level counselling students
• Therapists working with children and families
• Clinicians wanting to deepen experiential and relational practice

Designed for both new and returning participants from Introduction to Sandtray