Blalock, Sarah2021-12-012021-12-012021-05-28Blalock, S. M. (2021). School-based sandtray counseling on a shoe string. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, pp. 1-12.1540-1391https://hdl.handle.net/10877/14983The purpose of this article is to provide research evidence and a rationale for use of sandtray counseling in schools, as well as serve as a practical “how to” guide on conducting sandtray sessions inexpensively in a school setting, using case examples to illustrate. Especially now, in the midst of the COVID-19 epidemic and increased awareness of racial inequity, students (and teachers) will need interventions appropriate for trauma and grief. For school-based counselors, sandtray counseling is a developmentally appropriate intervention, particularly for preadolescents, who are old enough to feel uncomfortable with playroom toys and yet are not developmentally ready to use a primarily verbal intervention. Sandtray counseling can provide a culturally sensitive, safe, and soothing bridge between experience and expression, to facilitate integration and healing. With proper training, sandtray counseling can be a valuable addition to any practitioners’ toolbox and is effectively conducted by practitioners working from various theoretical orientations.Text23 pages1 file (.pdf)enschool counselingsandtraytraumagriefschool-based counselingcreativity in counselingCounseling, Leadership, Adult Education, and School PsychologyArticlehttps://doi.org/10.1080/15401383.2021.1928575