Trainings with Alzi

Introduction to Sandtray in Play Therapy

A two-day, in-person experiential training with Alzirene “Alzi” Faubion, MA, LPC, CPCS, RPT-S.

November 7–8, 2026 · 9:00 AM–4:00 PM Eastern each day · Newnan, Georgia · $399 · Limited to 10 participants.

12 APT contact continuing education hours specific to play therapy. Registration is open. Sponsored by Jackie Flynn Consulting, APT Approved Provider 20-628. Play therapy credit is only awarded to mental health professionals.

Breakfast, snacks, and lunch are included both days. Participation in meals is optional. The exact venue address, parking information, and arrival instructions will be provided to registered participants before the training.

Download the training flyer (PDF). The flyer’s course information is also available as text on this page.

About the training

Sandtray offers clients a way to communicate, create, explore, and make meaning through play and symbolic expression. Using a sandtray effectively requires more than adding a tray and miniatures to the therapy room. Clinicians need a strong understanding of theory, therapist stance, development, regulation, culture, ethics, and the meaning clients give to their own work.

This 12-credit postgraduate continuing education program provides training in play therapy and sandtray therapy theory, clinical application, and ethical practice. Participants explore historical foundations; person-centered, Adlerian, Gestalt, and Jungian-influenced approaches; distinctions between sandtray and sandplay; directive and non-directive approaches; and the Therapeutic Powers of Play.

Applied instruction covers playroom and sandtray setup, sand selection and care, miniature categories, accessibility and inclusive materials, symbolic expression, developmental adaptations, trauma-informed pacing and regulation, cultural humility, privacy and consent, objective documentation, and common clinical pitfalls. Case-based teaching and experiential activities address children, adolescents, adults, couples, families, and groups.

Who should attend and prerequisites

For licensed mental health professionals, associate or prelicensed professionals practicing under appropriate supervision, graduate students enrolled in a mental health degree program, Registered Play Therapists, Registered Play Therapist-Supervisors, and mental health clinicians interested in using sandtray within play therapy. Previous formal sandtray training is not required.

Instructional level: Beginning and intermediate. Although this course introduces sandtray concepts and practices, instruction is provided at a postgraduate clinical level.

Training format

Two days of in-person learning through didactic instruction, guided discussion, case analysis, experiential learning, structured reflection, and participant evaluation. Participants should be prepared to engage in sandtray and play therapy experiential activities.

Learning objectives

At the end of this 12-credit continuing education program, participants will be able to:

Describe the historical foundations of play therapy and sandtray therapy, including the contributions of Axline, Lowenfeld, and Kalff.
Differentiate between sandtray therapy and sandplay therapy in terms of therapist stance, use of direction, symbolic process, and training pathways.
Apply principles of the Therapeutic Powers of Play to the intentional selection and use of playroom and sandtray materials.
Demonstrate developmentally responsive sandtray interventions for preschool, elementary age, adolescent, and adult clients.
Analyze client sandtray and play therapy processes to identify themes related to regulation, attachment, identity, grief, trauma, and meaning making.
Select and organize sandtray materials and miniatures in ways that promote safety, accessibility, autonomy, and symbolic expression.
Implement trauma informed sandtray practices that support containment, pacing, choice, and regulation within the client’s window of tolerance.
Demonstrate ethically and culturally responsive play therapy practices, including cultural humility, inclusive materials, and non interpretive therapist stance.
Apply non directive and directive play therapy techniques appropriately based on client needs, goals, readiness, and clinical context.
Document play therapy and sandtray sessions using objective, descriptive, and ethically sound clinical language aligned with APT standards.
Critique common clinical pitfalls in play therapy and sandtray work and apply corrective strategies to maintain therapeutic safety and fidelity.
Apply sandtray and play therapy interventions across individual, family, couples, and group settings while maintaining therapeutic boundaries, safety, and developmentally appropriate clinical practice.

Daily schedule

Saturday, November 7, and Sunday, November 8, 2026. All times are Eastern. The schedule below applies to both days. Saturday check-in begins at 8:30 AM.

9:00–10:30 AM: Saturday—Foundations and History; Sunday—Trauma-Informed Sandtray Practice
10:30–10:45 AM: Morning break
10:45 AM–12:30 PM: Saturday—Creating the Therapeutic Environment; Sunday—Experiential Sandtray Applications
12:30–1:00 PM: Lunch provided
1:00–2:30 PM: Saturday—Therapeutic Approaches in Sandtray and Play Therapy; Sunday—Sandtray Across the Lifespan
2:30–2:45 PM: Afternoon break
2:45–4:00 PM: Saturday—Developmental Applications with Teens; Sunday—Advanced Applications and Integration

Six instructional hours each day; 12 hours total. Breaks and lunch are not included in continuing education hours.

Saturday: Foundations and clinical applications

Foundations and history; creating the therapeutic environment; directive and non-directive approaches; therapist stance and clinical decision making; developmental applications with teens; reflection and integration.

Sunday: Trauma-informed practice and integration

Safety, pacing, regulation, and containment; experiential sandtray applications; grief and loss; sandtray across the lifespan; documentation; ethical considerations; common pitfalls; and family, couples, and group applications.

Continuing education

Introduction to Sandtray in Play Therapy offers 12 APT contact continuing education hours specific to play therapy.

Jackie Flynn Consulting is approved by the Association for Play Therapy to offer continuing education specific to play therapy. APT Approved Provider 20-628. Jackie Flynn Consulting maintains responsibility for this program and its content, including the quality and conduct of the training, verification of attendance, awarding of continuing education credit, issuance of certificates, and maintenance of program records.

Presented by Alzirene Faubion, MA, LPC, CPCS, RPT-S, and sponsored for APT continuing education credit by Jackie Flynn Consulting.

Attendance, evaluation, and certificates

Participants must attend the entire two-day, in-person program, arrive on time, remain until the program ends, sign in and out each day, participate in required instructional and experiential activities, and complete the participant evaluation. Additional attendance checks may occur. Partial credit is not available. No post-test is required for this in-person training.

Certificates will be issued only after all confirmed program requirements have been completed. Certificates include the participant’s name, course title, presenter, November 7–8, 2026 training dates, Newnan location, 12 APT contact continuing education hours specific to play therapy, Jackie Flynn Consulting, APT Approved Provider 20-628, completion date, CE administrator’s signature, and a unique certificate or verification number.

Alzi Faubion handles training administration, including attendance, evaluations, and certificate delivery. Jackie Flynn Consulting remains responsible as the APT Approved Provider for the program, awarding credit, and maintaining program records in accordance with APT requirements.

Materials and dietary needs

Course handouts and presenter-supplied materials are included. Registered participants will receive an email before the training explaining whether to bring personal miniatures, symbolic objects, art materials, notebooks, or other supplies. Travel, lodging, and transportation are not included.

Please identify dietary restrictions or food allergies during registration. Reasonable efforts will be made to address dietary needs, but an allergen-free environment cannot be guaranteed.

Accessibility and accommodations

Jackie Flynn Consulting is committed to providing an accessible and inclusive learning experience. For reasonable accommodation requests, contact Alzi Faubion at contact@alzifaubionlpc.com. Please submit requests as early as possible so there is time to review the request and make reasonable arrangements.

Grievance policy

Jackie Flynn Consulting is committed to addressing participant concerns fairly, respectfully, and promptly. Submit written grievances to Alzi Faubion at contact@alzifaubionlpc.com. Include your name and contact information, the course title and date, a description of the concern, relevant supporting information, and the resolution requested.

The grievance will be reviewed and a written response provided within 10 business days. When appropriate, possible resolutions may include clarification, corrective action, an opportunity to complete a requirement, a refund, or another reasonable response. Submitting a good-faith grievance will not result in retaliation or loss of future training opportunities.

Refund and cancellation policy

All participant registrations are final and nonrefundable. Because this is a limited-capacity, in-person training and a space is reserved for each participant, refunds will not be issued for cancellations, scheduling conflicts, illness, travel disruptions, weather-related travel concerns, or failure to attend.

A participant may transfer their registration to another eligible mental health professional at no additional cost. Transfer requests must be submitted in writing before the training begins and approved by Jackie Flynn Consulting. Send registration questions and requests to contact@alzifaubionlpc.com.

If Jackie Flynn Consulting cancels the training, participants will receive a full refund of the registration fee. Jackie Flynn Consulting is not responsible for travel, lodging, transportation, childcare, lost income, or other expenses incurred by participants.

Program changes and inclement weather

Jackie Flynn Consulting reserves the right to cancel, relocate, or reschedule the training due to presenter illness, severe weather, insufficient enrollment, venue concerns, public safety issues, or circumstances outside the provider’s reasonable control. Participants will be notified using their registration email address. If the training is rescheduled, participants may transfer to the new date or request a refund of the registration fee. Please monitor your email before traveling.

Confidentiality, photography, and recording

Clinical examples will be deidentified, altered, appropriately authorized, or developed as composites to protect client confidentiality. Participants must protect client privacy during discussions, case examples, and experiential activities. Do not share names or other identifying client details.

Audio recording, video recording, and photography of the presenter, slides, course materials, discussions, experiential activities, or participant-created sandtrays are not permitted without advance written authorization. Participants are responsible for obtaining appropriate consent and protecting confidentiality when photographing, storing, or sharing client-created sandtray images in clinical practice.

Professional responsibility

This training provides postgraduate professional education in play therapy and sandtray therapy. Completion does not independently establish clinical competence or authorize practice outside the boundaries of a participant’s education, license, supervision, training, professional role, or scope of practice. Participants remain responsible for applicable laws, licensing requirements, ethical codes, organizational policies, informed consent, and confidentiality standards.

Presenter and commercial support disclosures

Alzirene Faubion is the founder and Clinical Director of Faubion Therapy Inc. She receives compensation for presenting Introduction to Sandtray in Play Therapy, and her practice may benefit from professional visibility connected to this training. She has no other financial relationships or commercial interests to disclose and no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.

Alzirene Faubion is a member of the Association for Play Therapy and holds the Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor credential. She has a professional interest in advancing developmentally responsive, ethical, and culturally responsive play therapy and sandtray practices. She has no other relevant nonfinancial relationships to disclose.

No commercial support has been received for this continuing education program. No commercial organization has influenced the course content, learning objectives, instructional methods, presenter selection, assessment process, or awarding of continuing education credit.

Nondiscrimination

Jackie Flynn Consulting does not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, ethnicity, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, military status, socioeconomic status, or any other status protected by applicable law.

Training questions

Contact Alzi Faubion at contact@alzifaubionlpc.com or 678.925.3306 for registration, accessibility, and training questions.

Email Alzi