The Reflective Play & Sand Therapist: Cultural Humility & the Clinical Self – Live Webinar/Kansas City
The Reflective Play & Sand Therapist: Cultural Humility & the Clinical Self
Description:
This experiential workshop explores cultural humility and the person of the therapist within sandtray play therapy. Participants will engage in guided sandtray experiences to examine how their own cultural identities and lived experiences shape their clinical lens and influence interpretation of symbolic play. Through reflective practice and a client-centered sandtray activity, attendees will explore how to understand and represent a client’s experience without imposing meaning. The training emphasizes culturally responsive, inclusive approaches that reduce interpretive bias and support ethical decision-making. Participants will leave with practical strategies for increasing self-awareness and enhancing culturally attuned practice.
Objectives:
- Cultural Awareness & Knowledge: Describe at least three ways cultural and social identity variables (e.g., race, family structure, religion, socioeconomic status, ability, gender roles) influence symbolic expression in sandtray play.
- Decolonizing & Clinical Insight: Identify at least two limitations of dominant Western interpretive frameworks in sandtray play therapy and explain potential risks of cultural misinterpretation or harm.
- Person of the Therapist (Self-Reflection): Analyze how their own cultural identities, lived experiences, and personal values influence their perception, emotional responses, and interpretation of symbolic play.
- Culturally Humble Interaction: Demonstrate at least two culturally humble and inclusive responses to client-generated symbolic material, including use of curiosity-based inquiry and client-led meaning-making.
- Applied Empathy & Perspective-Taking: Construct a sandtray representation of a client’s experience and articulate at least one way to approach the tray without imposing therapist-generated meaning.
- Harm Prevention: Recognize at least two potential risks of cultural bias or interpretive overreach in sandtray work and identify one strategy to reduce the likelihood of harm.
Instructor: Lori Peterson, LSCSW, LCSW, RPT-S™, RST
Workshop Schedule:
10:30-10:45 Morning Break
10:45-12:00 Training Continues
12:45-2:30 Training Resumes
2:30-2:45 Afternoon Break
2:45-4:15 Training Continues with Workshop Conclusion
Live Webinar Policy:
For a successful Live Webinar that ensures full CE credit, you will need:
- A device (computer or tablet preferred) with a working camera and microphone.
- A strong and reliable internet connection.
- A designated safe space of your choosing free from disruption.
- A reliable childcare plan (if applicable).
- A commitment to keep your webcam on the entire workshop.
- The workshop supplies nearby that have either been requested in the workshop email or provided in the supply shipment (if applicable).
Workshop Cancellation:
- Cancellation requests should be submitted by email to Heartlandpti@gmail.com no later than 7 calendar days prior to the scheduled workshop date in order to receive a full refund of the paid workshop fee. Cancellation and/or rescheduled requests that are submitted after 7 calendar days prior to the scheduled workshop date will result in a refund of the paid workshop fee – with the exception of a $25 administrative fee for a half-day workshop, a $50 administrative fee for a full-day workshop a $75 administrative fee for 2-day workshop.
- Heartland Play reserves the right to cancel a workshop due to insufficient enrollment. Heartland Play will email workshop students at least 5 calendar days in advance of the scheduled workshop date to notify students of the cancellation. Notice will be provided with the option to reschedule for a future course date or to receive a full refund of paid workshop fees.
- Heartland Play reserves the right to cancel a workshop due to inclement weather, instructor illness or instructor family emergency. If a workshop is canceled, students will be notified via e-mail prior to the workshop start time. Heartland Play will notify the students of a reschedule date for the workshop within 10 calendar days of the cancelled workshop. Notice will be provided with the option to reschedule for the future course date or to receive a full refund of the paid workshop fee.