Storytelling in the Sand: Using Sandtray Therapy to Cope with Perinatal Trauma and Loss
This workshop will explore how parents cope with trauma and loss in the perinatal period through the use of sandtray therapy as a therapeutic intervention. Real case examples of clients' sandtray work will be presented and dynamics of traumatic birth experiences, pregnancy loss, termination for medical reasons, stillbirth, NICU trauma, infant loss, fertility struggles and trauma that gets reactivated in pregnancy and childbirth will be discussed. This training with offer a unique way to process and learn the dynamics of reproductive trauma and loss. The training will be full of case examples, pictures and videos of clients trays and creation of your own trays, even virtually! No prior training in perinatal mental health or sandtray is required and it will give great examples to start a deep dive into that type of work if you are interested in either. Approved for PMH-C renewal credits and the advanced psychotherapy requirement for certification. 3 hours of multicultural competency are included.
Objectives:
1. Participants will learn a basic overview of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders;
2. Participants will review the basics of sandtray therapy;
3. Participants will discover how sandtray therapy is appropriate to use with adults in the perinatal period;
4. Participants will expand their awareness of multicultural considerations while using sandtray therapy with the perinatal population;
5. Participants will discuss the impact that trauma and loss have on perinatal mental health;
6. Participants will explore how perinatal trauma and loss themes can be generalized to broader grief & loss and trauma themes with multiple populations who access sandtray therapy;
7. Participants will review specific case examples that show how trauma and loss themes appear in the sandtray;
8. Participants will witness how sandtray can be integrated with EMDR principles and IFS through review of specific case examples; and
9. Participants will process their own experiences and assumptions related to reproductive mental health though experiential sandtray work.
