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Using no more than a tray of sand, water and a selection of figures, participants build scenarios that help them step outside the confines of their everyday point of view. Therapeutic and non-therapeutic forms are available.
View our Testimonials.
Wind Oak & Dove's own story is closely linked to sandplay.
Experience in the environmental sector made it clear to Johanna that a method was needed to help multi-party groups break free from their fixed positions, genuinely appreciate another's point of view and together work out solutions that are innovative and sustainable. She envisioned people gathering around a tray of sand to tell their stories and start a new kind of conversation for a different relationship to themselves and the world.
It was while taking the first steps to make her idea a reality that Johanna discovered therapeutic sandplay. Sure that she needed to have her own experience first, she did her personal process with a certified sandplay therapist and subsequently enrolled in training. Johanna is now an advanced candidate towards certification and expects to finish in the first half of 2010.
Since 2003, Wind Oak & Dove has been offering narrative, non-therapeutic applications of sandplay, for the purpose of developing healthy, resilient and related organizations.
Sandplay and the Resilient Organization
Wind Oak & Dove designs interventions that may incorporate some form of sandplay with other expressive and cognitive tools to "diagnose" organizational or leadership issues, collaboratively search for and implement appropriate change, and promote personal growth.
Our interventions follow the model Image, Story, Reflection, Conversation, which is patterned on the mind's own learning style. By linking imaginative activity with guided conversation and an applied focus, our sandplay approach engages both the left and right halves of the brain, making the most of the mind's capacity for development.
The non-therapeutic sandplay approach is available for team sessions, seminars and workshops and may be used in conjunction with individual work.
Resilience & Leadership
Educators, not-for-profit and corporate leaders have found the sandplay approach beneficial to:
- Find a narrative of common interest and consensus
- Increase self-understanding
- Overcome conflict and emotional impasse
- Develop collaborative and creative capacity
- Set priorities and make decisions.
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Here's what some participants have said about Sandplay:
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"The Sandplay approach is of considerable value where face-to-face discussions are not likely to be fruitful. It allows individuals to convey graphically their analysis of a particular problem at hand."
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- Peter Homenuck, Senior Vice-President, DPRA Canada
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| "I would recommend Sandplay for anyone putting on a group workshop that is designed to foster greater understanding. It was really useful and enjoyable!"
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- Derek Can, D.C.
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| "Dr. Beyers's session with our board provided an unexpected opportunity to deepen the dialogue among the members of an already close-knit group. I highly recommend her methods. They are creative, fun and effective."
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- Madelyn Webb,
Chair, FutureWatch Environment and Development Education Partners
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| "We were all impressed with your gentle yet firm prompting to have each of us articulate our unique perspectives on the organization, which was then followed by the exercises to better integrate our views and craft a renewed sense of purpose."
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- Douglas Worts, President, Ecotecture
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Sandplay helps participants find the balance, critical insight, generosity and wisdom they need to make appropriate decisions and to 'say' what needs saying in unthreatening ways. And it's fun too!
| "Sandplay is an easy way for people who do not express their innermost feelings easily to get in touch with those feelings. The discussion afterwards is particularly good."
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- Olga Gil, Principal, Olga Gil Research Services
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| "I knew playing in the sand could be fun but I didn't realize how much we could learn from it. I was truly inspired by the creative scenes that were developed by the team."
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- Jodi Ball, Environmental Consultant, DPRA Canada
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| "The focusing power of sandplay is impressive."
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- Manuel Almeida, IT Canopy
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For those who want to work with the sand on a regular basis and explore a particular issue more deeply, Johanna offers Sandplay Therapy. She is an advanced candidate towards certification in this field. She is a member of the Canadian Association for Sandplay Therapy and abides by its code of ethics.
Psychotherapy
| "I'm an artist, and I was trying to solve my relationship to my art practice, which was lagging at the time. Through the use of Sandplay imagery, I came to understand better where I was, and where I could go, what potential I was overlooking. Now a photo of my sandpicture hangs over my studio and has seen many happy, creative hours there."
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| - A.G.
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