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How do you identify themes in sand tray therapy sessions?

One of the most important skills for play therapists is learning how to recognize themes in play therapy, especially when working with sand tray therapy.

Themes reveal the deeper emotional experiences children are trying to process through symbolic play.

In this week’s free weekly podcast episode, you’ll learn how to identify themes in sand tray therapy sessions and what to look for when a child creates a sand tray scene.

We’ll explore:

• What a theme in play therapy actually is and how to identify them
• How symbols in the sand tray communicate meaning
• What to notice about placement of miniatures (buried, elevated, outside the tray, or stacked)
• How use of space and proximity between symbols can reveal relational dynamics
• Why what a child says—and doesn’t say—during the play therapy session matters
• How your theoretical play therapy model influences how you understand themes

You’ll also learn the important theoretical distinctions between sandplay therapy and sand tray therapy.

Understanding themes in play therapy helps play therapists move beyond simply observing play to developing a clinical lens for case conceptualization and therapeutic intervention.

If you’re a play therapist who has ever wondered: "What does this sand tray scene mean?"

That’s exactly what we’re discussing during this week’s free podcast episode that will help you begin recognizing the patterns and themes that emerge in symbolic play.

Resources for Play Therapists

If you're looking to deepen your play therapy skills, explore training opportunities, consultation, and community support:

🌿 Play therapy and sand tray therapy trainings
🌿Play Therapy Academy for strategic play therpay skill building
🌿Play Therapy Elevation CIRCLE community for support and feedback
🌿 Resources for working with children and adolescents

Visit:
https://rhplaytherapytraining.com

Join my free Facebook Community Play and Expressive Arts Therapy Playground.

Check out my free resources for mental health professionals working with children, adolescents, and families who want to integrate play therapy and expressive arts into their clinical work.

I work with individuals and agencies to develop successful strategies and meet the treatment needs of your child and adolescent clients and their families using play therapy & expressive arts.

Contact me to schedule a free 30-minute video call if you're ready to level up your skills

Send us Fan Mail

You can have the most beautiful playroom… the best toys… even strong rapport…

But if you’re not assessing what’s actually happening beneath the play, you might be missing the very thing your client needs most.

In this episode of Next Level Play Therapy, we’re breaking down one of the most overlooked (and misunderstood) skills in play therapy: assessment—and why it directly impacts your case conceptualization, treatment planning, and outcomes.

If you’ve ever wondered:
→ “How do I know if play therapy is actually working?”
→ “What are kids really communicating through their play?”
→ “Do I need formal assessment tools to be effective?”

This conversation will shift how you see your role as a play therapist—moving you from guessing… to grounded clinical clarity.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:

✔ The difference between formal vs. informal assessment in play therapy—and when each matters
✔ Why assessment isn’t a one-time event (and how it evolves across the entire treatment process)
✔ How your theoretical model shapes what you notice—and what you might be missing
✔ The connection between assessment → case conceptualization → treatment decisions
✔ How to identify the root causes behind behaviors like tantrums, emotional dysregulation, and oppositional patterns
✔ When to refer for standardized assessments (and why missing this step can stall progress)

WHY THIS MATTERS:

Without clear assessment, play therapy can easily become a collection of play therapy activities instead of a targeted, theory-driven process.

Because here’s the truth…

Two children can present with the exact same behavior—
…but have completely different underlying needs.

And if you’re treating the behavior instead of the root?

You’ll feel stuck.
Your clients will plateau.
And that quiet voice of self-doubt starts creeping in.

Assessment is what turns you into a clinical detective—helping you understand not just what is happening… but why.

🌱 READY TO GO DEEPER?

If you’re ready to stop second-guessing and start practicing with confidence, check out my course:

👉 Getting Grounded in Play Therapy Case Conceptualization
Learn the core skills every play therapist needs to build a strong clinical framework and create meaningful, lasting change.

🔗 Explore here: https://www.rhplaytherapytraining.com/courses/case-conceptualization

👉 Want support from a community of like-minded play therapists? I have two types of memberships depending on your needs. Here’s the link for more information about Play Therapy Academy and Play Therapy Elevation CIRCLE: https://www.rhplaytherapytraining.com/supervision

Join my free Facebook Community Play and Expressive Arts Therapy Playground.

Check out my free resources for mental health professionals working with children, adolescents, and families who want to integrate play therapy and expressive arts into their clinical work.

I work with individuals and agencies to develop successful strategies and meet the treatment needs of your child and adolescent clients and their families using play therapy & expressive arts.

Contact me to schedule a free 30-minute video call if you're ready to level up your skills

Send us Fan Mail

Are you feeling stuck in your play therapy sessions… unsure what to do next or why your play therapy interventions aren’t working?

You might be missing the most important step in the entire play therapy treatment process: case conceptualization in play therapy.

In this episode, you’ll learn what case conceptualization actually is (without the grad school confusion) and how it becomes your clinical roadmap for helping children and teens heal.

Because here’s the truth—when you skip this step, you’re not just guessing… you’re treating the
🎯 In this episode, you’ll learn:
✔️ What case conceptualization in play therapy really means
✔️ How to identify the root causes behind a child’s behavior
✔️ Why information gathering alone is NOT enough
✔️ How your play therapy theoretical model shapes what you see (and miss)
✔️ How to create a working hypothesis that guides your sessions
✔️ Why strong case conceptualization

🧠 Why this matters:
Case conceptualization isn’t just a clinical task—it’s the foundation of effective play therapy.
When you understand what’s happening underneath the behavior, you can:
→ Target the right play therapy interventions
→ Stop feeling lost in play therapy sessions
→ Build confidence in your clinical decisions
→ Actually see meaningful change in your clients

The mistake most play therapists make:
They jump into play therapy sessions without fully understanding the why behind the child’s struggles.

And that’s when therapy starts to feel confusing, overwhelming… and ineffective.

Ready to go deeper?

If you want a clear, step-by-step framework for building strong case conceptualizations:
👉 Check out Getting Grounded in Play Therapy Case Conceptualization
https://www.rhplaytherapytraining.com/courses/case-conceptualization
👉 Learn more about Play Therapy Academy (advanced consultation & skill-building)
https://www.rhplaytherapytraining.com/play-therapy-academy

Join my free Facebook Community Play and Expressive Arts Therapy Playground.

Check out my free resources for mental health professionals working with children, adolescents, and families who want to integrate play therapy and expressive arts into their clinical work.

I work with individuals and agencies to develop successful strategies and meet the treatment needs of your child and adolescent clients and their families using play therapy & expressive arts.

Contact me to schedule a free 30-minute video call if you're ready to level up your skills

Send us Fan Mail

What do you do after you’ve identified the symptoms in a struggling teen?

Failing grades. Emotional withdrawal. “I don’t care.”

High-conflict divorce. Estrangement from a parent. Identity confusion.

It’s one thing to recognize the patterns.

It’s another to know how to turn that understanding into a clear, effective plan to help your teen clients heal.

In this week’s podcast episode, I walk through a case example of “Ethan,” a 16-year-old navigating academic decline and emotional shutdown in the aftermath of parental conflict and attachment rupture.

Using a neuroscience and attachment-informed lens, we explore how case conceptualization directly shapes clinical decision making in adolescent play therapy.

You’ll learn:

• How your play therapy theoretical model influences what you prioritize in treatment
• How to sequence expressive arts interventions instead of reacting to symptoms
• What progress actually looks like when working with withdrawn teens
• How to avoid pulling random expressive arts activities “hoping something works”

I’ll also share two attachment-based sand tray interventions designed specifically for adolescents — grounded in nervous system regulation and identity integration.

Because effective treatment planning isn’t about doing more play therapy techniques.

It’s about choosing expressive arts interventions that align with your clinical hypothesis.

Join me for this week's podcast!

When your play therapy theory guides your decisions, your sessions become intentional, strategic, and far more impactful.

Join my free Facebook Community Play and Expressive Arts Therapy Playground.

Check out my free resources for mental health professionals working with children, adolescents, and families who want to integrate play therapy and expressive arts into their clinical work.

I work with individuals and agencies to develop successful strategies and meet the treatment needs of your child and adolescent clients and their families using play therapy & expressive arts.

Contact me to schedule a free 30-minute video call if you're ready to level up your skills

Send us Fan Mail

What do you do when a 16-year-old walks into your office, shrugs, and says, “I don’t care”?

Low motivation. Failing grades. Emotional shutdown. Estrangement from a parent after divorce. On the surface, it can look like depression, defiance, or typical teen apathy.

But what if those symptoms are telling a much more layered story?

In this free livestream episode, I’m walking you through a real-world adolescent case study to demonstrate why case conceptualization is the backbone of effective play therapy with teens.

Without a clear framework, it’s easy to chase symptoms, try random expressive arts interventions, or second-guess every clinical decision.

With a solid case conceptualization, your play therapy sessions become intentional, focused, and grounded in theory.

Before you pull out your best expressive arts activities – like art or the sand tray – you need to get clear on what’s at the root of the problem and that’s your case conceptualization (aka - working hypothesis)

We’ll explore:

• Why symptom-based thinking keeps play therapists stuck
• How your theoretical lens shapes the way you interpret adolescent behaviors
• Practical tips for formulating a culturally relevant case conceptualization
• Key questions to ask before choosing expressive arts or play therapy interventions

If you’ve ever left a session with a teen wondering, “What just happened—and what do I do next?” this conversation is for you.

Case conceptualization isn’t paperwork. It’s your clinical GPS.

Learn how to move from reacting to symptoms… to leading with clarity and confidence in your adolescent play therapy work.

Join my free Facebook Community Play and Expressive Arts Therapy Playground.

Check out my free resources for mental health professionals working with children, adolescents, and families who want to integrate play therapy and expressive arts into their clinical work.

I work with individuals and agencies to develop successful strategies and meet the treatment needs of your child and adolescent clients and their families using play therapy & expressive arts.

Contact me to schedule a free 30-minute video call if you're ready to level up your skills

Send us Fan Mail

Can you really use sand tray therapy with adolescents?

Absolutely—and when you understand how to adapt it developmentally, sand tray becomes one of the most powerful expressive arts tools to use with teens.

In this podcast episode, I’m diving into how to use sand tray with teens in a way that respects their autonomy, supports emotional regulation, and deepens therapeutic insight.

If you’re a play therapist who has ever wondered whether sand tray feels “too young” for adolescents—or you’re unsure how to introduce it without resistance—this conversation is for you.

You’ll learn:

• Practical tips for introducing sand tray therapy to adolescents
  
  
• How to frame sand tray in a developmentally appropriate way
  
  
• Sand tray prompts designed specifically for teens

Adolescents often struggle with traditional talk therapy when their nervous system is overwhelmed.

Sand tray therapy provides a non-threatening, expressive pathway that allows teens to communicate complex internal experiences without relying solely on words.

Join me for this free weekly podcast!

Whether you’re new to sand tray therapy or looking to strengthen your clinical confidence using sand tray with teens, this episode will give you practical strategies you can use immediately in your next play therapy session.

If you work with adolescents in play therapy and want fresh sand tray ideas that actually engage teens, join us for this training.

Join my free Facebook Community Play and Expressive Arts Therapy Playground.

Check out my free resources for mental health professionals working with children, adolescents, and families who want to integrate play therapy and expressive arts into their clinical work.

I work with individuals and agencies to develop successful strategies and meet the treatment needs of your child and adolescent clients and their families using play therapy & expressive arts.

Contact me to schedule a free 30-minute video call if you're ready to level up your skills

Send us Fan Mail

This week I’m sharing one of my favorite ways to help teens access the therapeutic powers of play using poetry.

Yes - poetry!

If you’re rolling your eyes and remembering your high school English class feeling tortured by reading poetry, then rest assured - this is not your high school English class version of poetry.

Poetry is an expressive arts modality that allows clients to use words and language for expression - like the lyrics of your favorite songs.

This week I’m sharing my favorite ways to use poetry with my adolescent clients to help them access the therapeutic powers of play

Join me for this free weekly podcast!

If you work with adolescents and want some great strategies using expressive arts then you don’t want to miss this week’s free podcast episode.

Join my free Facebook Community Play and Expressive Arts Therapy Playground.

Check out my free resources for mental health professionals working with children, adolescents, and families who want to integrate play therapy and expressive arts into their clinical work.

I work with individuals and agencies to develop successful strategies and meet the treatment needs of your child and adolescent clients and their families using play therapy & expressive arts.

Contact me to schedule a free 30-minute video call if you're ready to level up your skills

Send us Fan Mail

Play therapy isn’t for adolescents. It’s just for little kids.

There’s a misbelief in the mental health community that play therapy is only for little kids.

Maybe you’ve wondered that yourself.

Play therapy can be an amazing way to help adolescents engage in healing and in a way that meets their developmental needs.

Rather than asking IF play therapy works for adolescents –

Ask –HOW is play therapy beneficial for adolescents?

Using play therapy with adolescents requires a foundational paradigm shift from traditional talk therapy where you’re trying to help teens talk about what’s causing their difficulties.

There’s a better way to help struggling teens than trying to get them to talk about their problems.

If you’ve been trying to figure out how to use play therapy with adolescents in a way that respects their developmental stage and helps them heal, then 👇

Join me for this free weekly podcast!

I’m going to break down 4 Strategic Shifts to use play therapy effectively with adolescents in a way that feels authentic and not treating them like little kids.

🧭How do you introduce play therapy to adolescents?

🧭How do you choose play therapy activities for adolescents?

🧭How to you hold the therapeutic space for adolescents?

🧭 How do you make sure play therapy is effective for adolescents?

If you’ve ever wondered how to use play therapy effectively with adolescents, then you don’t want to miss this week’s free livestream episode.

And - share the love with your colleagues and invite them to join us!

Join my free Facebook Community Play and Expressive Arts Therapy Playground.

Check out my free resources for mental health professionals working with children, adolescents, and families who want to integrate play therapy and expressive arts into their clinical work.

I work with individuals and agencies to develop successful strategies and meet the treatment needs of your child and adolescent clients and their families using play therapy & expressive arts.

Contact me to schedule a free 30-minute video call if you're ready to level up your skills