This tool is for use by trained therapists. Not a substitute for professional therapy.
AI interpretations are not clinical diagnoses.
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What is Sand Tray Therapy?
Sand tray therapy is an expressive therapeutic technique where clients create scenes using miniature figures in a sandbox. Originally developed from Jungian sandplay therapy, it helps clients — especially children and adolescents — express emotions and experiences that are difficult to put into words. A 2022 meta-analysis found moderate effect sizes across 16 randomized controlled trials for various mental health conditions.
How to Use This Tool
- 1. Browse miniatures — Use the sidebar to search or browse 50 miniatures across 8 categories: people, animals, buildings, nature, vehicles, fantasy, feelings, and objects.
- 2. Build your scene — Click any miniature to place it on the sand. Drag to move, use handles to resize and rotate.
- 3. Draw in the sand — Switch to drawing mode (D key) to trace patterns in the sand texture.
- 4. Share with clients — Start a shared session so your client can build their scene while you observe in real time.
- 5. Export and document — Save scenes as images or generate shareable links for supervision and case consultations.
Features
- ✓ 50 curated miniatures with symbolic meaning
- ✓ 5 sand textures (beach, zen, moon, snow, forest)
- ✓ Shared sessions for telehealth
- ✓ Draw in the sand
- ✓ Export scenes as PNG
- ✓ Shareable read-only scene links
- ✓ Undo/redo with keyboard shortcuts
- ✓ Free, no signup required
Keyboard Shortcuts
D Toggle drawing mode
Cmd+Z Undo
Cmd+Shift+Z Redo
Delete Remove selected
Esc Deselect
Document Sand Tray Sessions Automatically
CoralEHR saves sand tray scenes alongside your session notes. Every scene is linked to the client's chart with timestamps and clinical context.
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