Documenting the implementation of sandtray therapy with clients in a rural school

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to document the process of ASL students (n=12: male=1; female=11) using sandtray therapy as educational psychology assessment and intervention technique, with young people (Grade Nine clients, n=65) in a high-risk, highneed rural school. The aim of the study was to inform knowledge on educational psychology intervention in South Africa given the need for knowledge on relevant psyhological techniques in an ecology of resource constraints, adversity and diversity. The Common Factors Model of therapeutic alliance framed the study by taking cognisance of the therapeutic relationship and therapist skills in the use of sandtray therapy with clients in the given context. A single design case study was used with a phenomenological epistemology. Qualitative data sources included observations (captured in field notes), observations (captured visually and audiovisually), as well as ASL students’ written reflections. Thematic data analysis revealed three main themes: the sandtray process and format used in a rural school; the role of the sandtray in therapeutic alliance; and the enabling and restricting roles of the rural school context during the sandtray therapy. The research findings indicated that by making certain adaptations to the standard sandtray therapy process, it could be implemented successfully as educational psychology assessment and intervention technique with clients in a high risk high need rural school. Steps that could be implemented according to the standard process and format of sandtray therapy included introduction of the sandtray and miniatures, the postcreation phase as well as documenting the completed sandtray. Steps that were adapted for implementation within the rural school context included the setup step, the creation of the sandtray as well as the cleanup of the sandtray. These adaptations were necessary as a result of certain barriers and enablers within the context of the rural school. Barriers included multilingualism, lack of privacy and group format constraints. The sandtray itself, selection of miniatures as well as the collectivist nature of clients’ culture were identified as enablers. This study can therefore inform knowledge on Educational Psychology intervention in South Africa.