The symbolic expression of a boy's masculinity through sandplay therapy

Abstract

This paper explores the use of narrative sandtray therapy as an assessment tool for the exploration of a young boy s masculine development. A case study, which originated from a community outreach project, of a young black male participant from a resource constrained community is briefly described. The participant engaged with sandtray over a once a week sessions, over a 6 week period, lasting approximately one and a half hours each. The data collected during these sessions were thematically analysed and the findings suggest that sandtray therapy can help explore the masculine development in young boys. Narrative-sandtray therapy offers a form of assessment to help understand and explore the influences on a young boys masculine development.