A transformational experience in therapy moves beyond symptom reduction to foster deep and lasting personal growth, empowering individuals to live more authentic, fulfilling, and meaningful lives.

I invite you to step away from the everyday and into a journey of learning, connection, and rejuvenation. This 5-day Sandplay Therapy Congress is more than just a training event—it’s an immersive experience where you’ll expand your therapeutic knowledge, gain practical tools, and nurture your own well-being.

What to Expect:

✅ Renowned experts sharing groundbreaking insights on the unconscious in therapy
✅ Hands-on training sessions to refine your skills
✅ Engaging discussions with fellow professionals from around the world
✅ A breathtaking African setting with game drives, authentic cuisine, and 5-star accommodation
✅ A unique opportunity to combine professional growth with personal renewal

Who Should Attend?
📌 Psychologists, counselors, social workers, and mental health professionals passionate about deepening their practice

Register Now

📩 Dr. Celia van Wyk – celia@sandplay.co.za

👉 Don’t miss this opportunity to be empowered and inspired!

A Note on the Transformational Experience of Training

Aspiring Sandplay Therapists might be surprised to discover that the training process itself often unfolds as a deeply transformational experience. This isn’t merely about learning techniques; it’s an immersion into the symbolic language of the unconscious, a journey that inevitably touches the trainee’s own inner landscape. The act of witnessing and engaging with the sand trays of others, coupled with personal exploration within the training, can gently bring unacknowledged emotions and experiences to light.

This inherent aspect of Sandplay Training is crucial because an unhealed therapist risks having their own past traumas triggered by the client’s symbolic expressions. When this occurs, it can cloud objectivity and hinder the therapeutic process. Therefore, Sandplay Training offers a powerful “double whammy” – it not only provides you with potent therapeutic skills but also acts as a catalyst for your own healing and growth. This personal transformational experience ensures that as you learn to facilitate healing for others, you are simultaneously cultivating greater self-awareness, resilience, and the capacity to hold space with genuine presence.

A Transformational Experience from a therapeutic perspective can be defined as a profound and enduring shift in an individual’s core beliefs, values, sense of self, and way of relating to the world, often resulting in significant improvements in psychological well-being and overall life functioning.

Here’s a breakdown of key aspects within this definition:

• Profound and Enduring Shift: It’s not a superficial or temporary change. A transformational experience goes deep, altering the fundamental structures of how someone perceives themselves and their reality. The effects are lasting and continue to shape their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors over time.
• Core Beliefs and Values: These are the foundational principles that guide a person’s understanding of themselves, others, and the world. A transformational experience can challenge and reshape these deeply held assumptions.
• Sense of Self: This encompasses identity, self-esteem, and the narrative a person holds about who they are. Transformation can lead to a more integrated, authentic, and empowered sense of self.
• Way of Relating to the World: This includes patterns of behavior in relationships, how one navigates challenges, and their overall perspective on life. Transformation often fosters healthier and more adaptive ways of interacting with others and the environment.
• Psychological Well-being: Transformational experiences in therapy often lead to reduced symptoms of mental health issues like anxiety and depression, increased emotional regulation, and a greater sense of inner peace and fulfillment.
• Overall Life Functioning: These shifts translate into tangible improvements in various areas of life, such as relationships, work, personal growth, and the ability to pursue meaningful goals.

In the context of therapy, a transformational experience is often facilitated by the therapeutic relationship and the specific techniques employed. It can involve:

• Gaining new insights: Understanding the root causes of problems and developing a new perspective on past experiences.
• Emotional breakthroughs: Experiencing and processing previously suppressed emotions in a safe and supportive environment.
• Corrective emotional experiences: Having new relational experiences within the therapy that challenge and heal old patterns of relating.
• Shifting perspectives: Seeing oneself and the world in a fundamentally different light, often leading to increased empathy and compassion.
• Developing new skills and capacities: Learning healthier coping mechanisms, communication skills, and ways of managing emotions.