This sandplay program extends over a ten-month period beginning in September 2020 and ending in June 2021. It is structured around seminar courses on Saturdays, once a month, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm (Pacific Time), each focused on a different aspect of Jungian sandplay. This program is intended for licensed mental health professionals, including Psychologists, Clinical Social Workers, and Marriage and Family Therapists, and Clinical Interns.

Due to the current corona pandemic, the format of this program is hybrid: online through a secure videoconference service, and in-person if /when speakers and most attendants can be present in the same room. A number of places will be reserved for online-only attendees from other states. 

Continuing Education:

Psychologists/MFTs/LCSWs/MFCCs: The C.G. Jung Institute of Los Angeles is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for Psychologists. The C.G. Jung Institute of Los Angeles maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

Nurses: The C.G. Jung Institute of Los Angeles is an accredited provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing.

A maximum of 60 CEs can be earned, based on class attendance.

Sandplay: Continuing Education units can also be counted toward certification as a Sandplay therapist with the Sandplay Therapists of America (STA): 18 hours of “Jungian Theory”; 6 hours of “Introduction to Sandplay Therapy”; 12 hours of “Symbolism”; 52 hours of “Electives”.

Abbreviations:

STA: Sandplay Therapists of America

ISST: International Society of Sandplay Therapy

CST-T: Certified Sandplay Therapist, Teaching member

CST: Certified Sandplay Therapist

RSP: Registered Sandplay Therapy

RPT-S: Registered Play Therapist, Supervisor


Schedule of Seminar Courses

Saturday, September 12, 2020; 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

The Multilayered Psyche and Sandplay: A Jungian Model

Presented by Liza Ravitz, Ph.D.

C.G. Jung based his theory of analytical psychology on a multilayered human psyche that contained not only the personal unconscious, but also the more universal or collective aspects of the unconscious which are part of a shared human experience.  In this workshop, we will identify four layers of the unconscious which are integral to sandplay work, namely the archetypal, cultural, personal, and relational aspects of the unconscious.  We will examine ways of identifying and differentiating these different aspects of the unconscious as they appear in the context of sandplay work, and the extent to which they are moving towards integration. In the afternoon we will focus on an adult case as a means of illustrating how to work with these aspects of the psyche through the medium of sandplay.

Learning objectives:

  • Describe what is meant by the archetypal aspect of the unconscious;
  • Describe what is meant by the cultural aspect of the unconscious;
  • Describe what is meant by the personal aspect of the unconscious;
  • Describe what is meant by the relational aspect of the unconscious;
  • Describe what is meant by individuation and its relevance to sandplay work
  • Describe the symbolic aspect of sandplay work and what types of patients could benefit from this approach.

Liza J. Ravitz, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist and Jungian analyst in private practice in Petaluma, where she sees both children and adults.  In addition to teaching and training internationally, Dr. Ravitz is a teaching faculty member at the C. G. Jung Institute of San Francisco, a seminar faculty member at Sonoma State University, and a teaching member of the ISST.  Dr. Ravitz has published on various topics, most recently in the book Jungian Child Analysis.


Saturday, October 10, 2020; 10:00 am  – 4:00 pm

When Children Carry A Parent’s Unconscious Pain

Presented by Betty Jackson, L.C.S.W.

In Sandplay therapy, children not only reveal their own internal conflicts and pain but often those of their parents as well.  In this case study of a 5-year-old boy who was referred to therapy because of his aggressive behaviors and self-hatred, we will examine some of the ways in which his behavior and sandtrays were an attempt to make sense of family secrets which were later revealed by the mother. His frequent comment upon completing a tray was that “everything is dead”.  Through his work with sandplay he began to make contact with these deadened parts of himself, and move towards a more integrated and differentiated sense of self.

Learning objectives:

  • Describe and give an example of how a child can carry an aspect of a parent’s unresolved internal conflict in their symbolic play;
  • List three factors which make some children more vulnerable to carrying a parent’s unconscious material;
  • Identify three symbolic motifs of self-hatred in the first series of sandtray images presented in the case material in terms of assessing the patient’s ability to manage aggressive and destructive affects;
  • Describe how anger, helplessness, and hopelessness can combine to form a defensive structure designed to limit meaningful emotional contact with others;
  • Describe and give an example of how differentiating from the mother led towards the development of a more integrated sense of self, and how this was mirrored in the sandplay therapy.

Betty Jackson, C.S.W, CST-T, is a clinical social worker in private practice in southeastern Pennsylvania, where she has established the Center for Jungian Sandplay, which provides training in the tradition of Dora Kalff with whom she trained, beginning in 1975.  A teaching member of STA and the ISST, she also serves on the Board of ISST. She has authored articles for the Journal of Sandplay Therapy and teaches sandplay nationally and internationally.


Saturday, November 7, 2020; 10:00 am – 12:30 pm

When the Child Carries a Parent’s Conflicts

Presented by Debbie Mego, Ph.D., L.C.S.W.

C.G. Jung believed that children are deeply influenced by their parent’s unresolved and secret conflicts, and often unconsciously carry them as if they were their own.  In the first case, an adolescent boy worked through school refusal and other phobias while struggling with parental discord and anxiety which he had internalized.  In the second case, a latency age girl experienced grief and sibling rivalry related to her parent’s patterns of separation and reunification. Drawing from sandplay, play therapy, talk therapy, and dream material, we will look at some of the ways in which children can begin to differentiate from their parent’s unconscious conflicts and move towards a greater sense of psychological separation and individuation.

Learning objectives:

  • Give an example of how Sandplay therapy combined with traditional talk therapy can help a child begin to identify and differentiate from their parent’s unconscious conflicts;
  • Give an example of how Sandplay therapy combined with traditional talk therapy can address issues of school refusal and other phobias in the context of family discord;
  • Give an example of how Sandplay therapy combined with traditional talk therapy can address issues of sibling rivalry and divorce.

Debbie Mego, Ph.D, L.C.S.W., CST-T, is in private practice in West Los Angeles where she also offers Sandplay supervision and training.  A teaching member of the STA and the International Society for Sandplay Therapy (ISST).  Dr. Mego has published in the Journal of Sandplay Therapy and has taught sandplay nationally and internationally. Her background as a classical pianist and previous training as a Gestalt therapist have been integrated into her approach to depth psychotherapy.

Saturday, November 7, 2020; 1:30 pm – 4:00 pm

Natural Disaster: A Boy Uses the Nature Elements to Process Trauma

Presented by Adele Marie Luttrell, L.M.F.T.

During the course of a sandplay therapy process, the Sandplayer will often use the four nature elements to express aspects of their inner world.  In this case study, a young boy prominently featured the four nature elements: earth, water, fire, and air in his sandplay process.  Within the “free and protected space” using symbolic language, this boy was able to communicate his inner turmoil and distress; feelings he was unaware of in his daily conscious life. We will look at some of the ways in which sandplay can encourage the development of mentalization through symbolic play and its effect on the ego, especially in light of traumatic events.

Learning objectives:

  • Describe how sandplay utilizes symbolic, non-verbal communication as a means of expressing and working through trauma;
  • Describe how sandplay can support the process of mentalization;
  • Describe how the child in the case presentation utilized nature elements (earth, fire, water, and air) to communicate distress in his sandplay therapy.

Adele Marie Luttrell L.M.F.T., CST-T, is in private practice in Torrance, where she also provides clinical supervision and training. She integrates psychoanalytic, spiritual and family systems approaches in her work, which has ranged from community mental health to school settings. Adele has traveled to Cambodia to provide sandplay therapy for children in an orphanage with HIV and complex trauma.


Saturday, December 5, 2020; 10:00 am – 12:30 pm

Finding Meaning at the End of Life 

Presented by Harriet Friedman, L.M.F.T.

This presentation will demonstrate how sandplay can promote and activate an unconscious process within an analytic relationship. This case study illustrates how deep-seated shadow issues, that had been alive for decades, were finally confronted by a patient who was nearing the end of her life.  Sandplay helped her connect to early traumatic memories that had been buried for many years, and which emerged as images in the sand which could then be explored and eventually integrated over the course of her analytic work.

Learning objectives:

  • Describe how the loss of a parent or traumatic experience early in life can affect psychological growth and development;
  • Identify at least two ways that Jungian concepts in sandplay case material;
  • Describe how sandplay can help a patient recover from traumatic loss early in life.

Harriet S. Friedman, M.A., L.M.F.T. CST-T, is a Jungian Analyst, founding member of STA. She is co-author with Rie Rogers Mitchell of Sandplay: Past, Present and Future and Supervision of Sandplay Therapy. For the last 35 years, she has lectured nationally and internationally on integrating sandplay and Jungian psychology.

Saturday, December 5, 2020; 1:30 pm – 4:00 pm

The Mystery of Labyrinth: The Journey to the Heart Castle

Presented by Sachiko Taki Reece, Ed.D., M.F.T. 

This case presentation will focus on a 52-year-old man with a history of early trauma and current somatic distress due to a diagnosis of HIV/AIDS.  Initially, he reported a sense of almost total isolation, loneliness, and a profound fear of death. Over time, he utilized sandplay as a means of exploring some of the things he had hoped to achieve in his life, which ultimately led to the development of a sense of resolution, purpose, and meaning.

Learning objectives:

  • Describe the symbolic nature of a sandplay tray from a Jungian perspective;
  • Give an example of how to assess a patient’s initial sandplay tray(s);
  • Describe what to look for in assessing whether or not progress is occurring in sandplay therapy.

Sachiko Taki-Reece, Ed.D., L.M.F.T., CST-T, is a Jungian analyst and certified child analyst in private practice in Silver Lake, and a teaching member of ISST and STA.  In addition to her book Sandplay with Children with Severe Emotional Disturbance (published in Japanese), she has authored numerous research papers and book chapters in both English and Japanese on the topics of sandplay supervision, working with people with HIV/AIDS, as well as Jungian perspectives issues related to trauma and end of life transitions.  Her current focus involves training candidates at the Jung Institute, utilizing Hakoniwa group sandplay. She teaches throughout the United States as well as internationally.


Saturday, January 9, 2021; 10:00 am – 12:30 pm

The Power of Medusa as seen in a Sandplay process

Presented by Antoinette Eimers, Psy.D., L.M.F.T.

In this case study, we will examine some of the ways in which a 13-year-old girl carried aspects of her mother’s unresolved internal conflicts into her symbolic sandplay.  Deeply affected by her parent’s divorce and their ensuing two-year custody battle, she utilized the figure of Medusa in her sandtrays as a symbol of feminine power.  Over time, this young woman began to develop a more integrated sense of her own identity as she became increasingly able to manage the power that her mother held over her, and move towards a recognition of a separate and individuated sense of self.

Learning objectives:

  • Describe how to differentiate between progress and regression in sandplay therapy;
  • Describe the role of symbolic language in sandplay and how it is different from other forms of play therapy;
  • Describe the process of separation and individuation in the context of a sandplay process.

Antoinette Eimers, Psy.D., L. M.F.T., CST-T, is a member of STA and the ISST, and a member of Sandplay Community of the Greater Los Angeles Area (SPCLA).  Dr. Eimers has presented at the Sandplay Intensive in Chanhassen, Minnesota and in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at the Sandplay National Conference in Berkeley and Internationally at the CAST conference in Vancouver, British Columbia. She has a private practice in Tustin, California where she specializes in sandplay with children and adults.  She has also been published in the Journal of Sandplay Therapy. She is currently the Vice president of STA.

Saturday, January 9, 2021; 1:30 pm – 4:00 pm

Meeting The Mystical Other: The Anima In The Sandplay Process

Presented by Joan Concannon, L.M.F.T.

While adapting to the expectations and demands of professional and family life, a young adult man was called by the deeper aspect of the psyche to begin the process of individuation, an exploration of his internal sense of self. This case exemplifies the challenge to understand one’s masculine energy and ego drive, as well as develop a relationship with the inner feminine. The sandplay process illustrates the manifestation of the anima and how it emerged symbolically over the course of his analytic work.

Learning objectives:

  • Describe what is meant by Jung’s concept of individuation and its role in the therapeutic process;
  • Describe what is meant by Jung’s concept of the anima and its role in the development of masculine identity;
  • Describe how the anima was expressed symbolically in the sandplay process of an adult man.

Joan Concannon, M.A., M.F.T., CST-T, is in private practice in Calabasas. Her clinical focus is on the symbolic language of the psyche, including sandplay, dream work, and active imagination. A teaching analyst at the C.G. Study Center, Joan has presented sandplay cases for STA and the ISST, and has been published in the Journal of Sandplay Therapy.


Saturday, February 13, 2021; 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

The Sublime Nature of Instinct: Archetypal Animal Symbolism in Sandplay 

Presented by Sally Sugatt, L.C.S.W. 

Jung suggested that it is our instinctual animal nature that ultimately allows us to connect to a more primal and intuitive sense of self.  In this workshop, we will examine some of the animal symbolism that characterized the sandplay process of an adopted boy who used animal figures as a means of symbolically expressing aspects of himself that he was both trying to reconnect to and ultimately integrate.  There will be time allowed for participants to experience working with miniatures and art materials as a means of amplifying the clinical material.

Learning objectives:

  • Describe challenges in developing healthy attachment in cases of adoption, using material from the case presentation;
  • Describe why sandplay therapy might be indicated for a child who was adopted;
  • Describe the symbolic meaning of 3 wild animals that commonly appear in the sandplay process as described in Barbara Hannah’s lectures on sandplay therapy;
  • Discuss what factors in the therapeutic relationship are essential in working with children who have been adopted;
  • Describe how to introduce and utilize sandplay therapy when working with children;
  • Describe the therapeutic value of utilizing miniature figures in clinical work with children.

Sarah (Sally) Sugatt, M.S.W./M.P.A., L.C.S.W., CST-T, is a licensed social worker and psychotherapist in private practice in Exeter, N.H.  She is a certified sandplay therapist and teacher (since 2002) in the tradition of Kalffian sandplay by STA and the ISST.  Sally has served on the Board of Trustees of STA and is currently the Past President. She has written several articles for the Journal of Sandplay Therapy, and has taught both nationally and internationally.


Saturday, March 13, 2021; 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Unearthing Hidden Creative Power

Presented by Marion Anderson, Ph.D.

Using the hands in the sand to explore the depth of the unconscious has been shown to activate untouched layers of the psyche, permitting us to connect to and symbolize raw undigested contents.  Working with the sand directly, before adding figurines, seems to loosen defensive structures, allowing the emergence of primitive mental states which have not yet become symbolized through language or image.  A case presentation of a 32-year-old woman with high anxiety will illustrate the changes that occurred in her sandplay process when she started her sandplay sessions exploring the sand more deeply before beginning to use figurines.

Learning objectives:

  • Identify clinical processes which indicate to the therapist, the client’s readiness to utilize sandplay;
  • Describe the clinical use of sand and figurines in sandplay therapy;
  • Describe how to integrate sandplay in the context of analytic work as a means of amplifying unconscious material;
  • Describe how working with the sand directly, without figurines, can loosen defensive structures;
  • Give a clinical example of how the use of sandplay, a non-verbal modality, can be utilized to reduce symptoms of anxiety;
  • Give a clinical example of how a series of sandplays can reveal a resolution of an internal conflict.

Marion Anderson, Ph.D., CST-T, is a clinical psychologist, Jungian analyst, and certified sandplay therapist and teacher (STA/ISST) in private practice in Santa Monica. A native German, she is a founding member of the Sandplay Society in Brazil where she lived and practiced as clinical psychologist for 13 years before her move to the USA. She teaches and lectures nationally and internationally, including at the Reiss-Davis Graduate Center and C.G. Jung Institute in Los Angeles, where she also gives workshops on painting inner images. Her work has been published in the Journal of Sandplay Therapy, as well as in China and Brazil.


Saturday, April 10, 2021; 10:00 am – 11:30 am

Sand: The Constant Element In Sandplay

Presented by Gail Gerbie, L.M.F.T.

The talk will examine the dynamic aspect of sand in sandplay therapy, both as a medium for the patient to manipulate in the process of engaging in sandplay, as well as its symbolic associations. We will discuss the healing benefits of sand as a constant element in sandplay, and some of the ways in which it impacts the psyche by its fluid nature.  Clinical examples and case study material will be used to demonstrate the variety of ways the sand may appear during sandplay therapy. 

Learning objectives:

  • Describe two more more ways in which sand can be utilized in the context of sandplay therapy;
  • Describe the difference between utilizing the sand with vs. without figurines as a means of exploring unconscious material.

Gail Gerbie, L.M.F.T., CST, is in private practice in Escondido where she works primarily with clients who are healing from loss, grief, and profound change. She is regional representative for STA, co-facilitator of the San Diego Friends of Sandplay community, and facilitator of a monthly Sandplay special interest group. Gail has published in the Journal of Sandplay Therapy and has presented her work to numerous local and national professional groups.

Saturday, April 10, 2021; 11:45 am – 4:00 pm

Sandplay in Cambodia with Orphaned Children

Presented by Adele Luttrell, L.M.F.T., CST-T, Shawnee Isaac Smith, M.S.W., M.F.T., Marci Loftin, M.A., L.M.F.T., Janet Blaser, M.A., L.M.F.T.

In 2015 the Heart Touch Project expanded its yearly outreach program of compassionate touch therapy to include the sandplay experience. In addition to living with HIV, many children have suffered multiple traumas including a history of genocide, loss of parents and siblings, loss of community, extreme poverty, neglect, physical, sexual and emotional abuse. Case material will highlight trauma, resiliency, and transformation within the “free and protected space”, as well as the numinous which holds the potential to develop a sense of personal destiny. The sacred spiritual symbols of Eastern philosophy: Hindu and Buddhist traditions, as well as some of the unique symbols used by the Cambodian orphans will inform our talk.

Learning objectives:

  • Describe a quality of transcultural transference in sandplay therapy;
  • Demonstrate how trauma in the personal and collective unconscious is portrayed though sandplay images;
  • Utilizing case material, give an example of symbols utilized by children which reflect aspects of the personal and collective unconscious;
  • Utilizing case material, give an example from the spiritual or mythological aspect of Cambodian culture as depicted in sandplay.

Janet Blaser, M.A., L.M.F.T., RSP,  is a licensed marriage and family therapist and Jungian Analyst in private practice in San Pedro, CA. Her area of focus is the development of the individual thorough healing images in dreams, sandplay and active imagination. Janet has presented at STA conferences and published in the Journal of Sandplay Therapy. Janet is also a teaching analyst at the C.G. Jung Study Center of Southern California.

Marci Loftin, M.A., L.M.F.T., RSP,  is in private practice in Los Angeles and an Associate Member of STA. She has served on the board of Counseling West since 2011. An alumna of Pacifica Graduate Institute, Marci trained at Coldwater Counseling Center, a Jungian oriented family agency. In 2017 she completed a certificate program in Sandplay at the Los Angeles C.G. Jung Institute and is active in sandplay supervision groups.

Adele Marie Luttrell,  L.M.F.T., CST-T, is a licensed family therapist working in private practice in Torrance, CA. In Addition, Adele has over 12 years of experience providing clinical supervision and training for therapists. She studied depth psychology at the C. G Jung Institute of Los Angeles, and has integrated psychoanalytic, spiritual and family systems approaches in her work which has ranged from community mental health to school settings. Adele traveled to Cambodia to provide sandplay therapy for children in an orphanage who have HIV and complex trauma.

Shawnee Isaac Smith, M.F.A., M.S.W., is a psychotherapist in private practice in Santa Monica CA. As the Founder of The Heart Touch Project and an ordained Buddhist chaplain, Shawnee’s work has led her to focus on terminally ill patients and those who are in the end stages of their lives using sandplay therapy, dreams and active imagination in her practice. Shawnee has traveled to Cambodia for the last 15 years to work with the Cambodian children and has previously presented her work at the STA national conference.


Saturday, May 8, 2021; 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Life After Oz: The Hero’s Return As Seen In Sandplay

Presented by Gita Morena, Ph.D., L.M.F.T.

In the magical world of story, heroes often emerge through unexpected challenges and inspire the exploration of unchartered territories. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is one of these powerful wisdom stories that has inundated American culture by providing a template for finding the way home when feeling lost. In this presentation, Gita Dorothy Morena, the great-granddaughter of L. Frank Baum, sandplay teacher, author, and psychotherapist, will explore some of the issues that arise when a hero or heroine returns to ordinary reality after a transformative experience. Joseph Campbell refers to this phase of the hero’s journey as The Return. Dr. Morena will draw on images from the Oz legacy, as well as sandplay case material to demonstrate the struggles encountered when the hero enters this phase of the journey home.

Learning objectives:

  • Identify three situations from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz that represent trauma and personal distress;
  • Identify three situations from The Wonderful Wizard of Ozthat represent the resources needed to address trauma;
  • Describe three patterns in sandplay scenes that represent trauma and emotional distress;
  • Describe three patterns in sandplay scenes that represent the resources needed to address trauma and emotional distress;
  • Describe three patterns in sandplay scenes that represent the resolution of trauma and emotional distress;
  • Describe three emotional stressors that arise in the Return phase of the Hero’s journey.

Gita Morena, Ph.D., L.M.F.T., CST-T, is in private practice as a transpersonal psychotherapist in Santa Monica, California, and offers sandplay training and consultation around the world. In her book, The Wisdom of Oz: Reflections of a Jungian Sandplay Psychotherapist, she sheds light on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as a tale of individuation and spiritual awak­ening.


Saturday, June 12, 2021; 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Navigating Marital Rupture:  A Young Boy’s 6-Year Journey

Presented by Audrey Punnet, Ph.D.

The psychological impact of a separation and/or divorce can often be emotionally devastating for the child or children involved.  In this presentation we will examine the initial and long-term psychological effects of divorce and separation on children, focusing on the case of a young boy who presented with oppositional behavior and aggressiveness.  Drawing from Jungian theory and practice we will examine how sandplay and other therapeutic techniques were utilized in the service of strengthening the ego and fostering his resilience as well as supporting his parents through this challenging time.

Learning objectives:

  • Identity issues specific to children experiencing marital rupture;
  • Describe the usefulness of sandplay with children whose parents are separating or divorcing;
  • Give an example of 3 basic Jungian concepts as seen in sand tray therapy.

Audrey Punnett, Ph.D., CST-T, is a licensed psychologist, certified child, adolescent and adult Jungian analyst in private practice in Fresno, and an Associate Clinical Professor at UCSF-Fresno, Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Punnett is a RPT-S and CST-T of  STA and ISST, where she has also served on their boards, as past President and current Vice-President of the Americas. She has authored two books, The Orphan: A Journey Towards Wholeness and Jungian Child Analysis (Ed) as well as numerous journal articles, and teaches and consults both nationally and internationally.