Qualifications for Registration  STR , STR-C & STR-CT

See the Applications tab to apply

Registered Sandplay Therapist – STR

STR-Checklist-2

  • To start the Registration process, download the Checklist and complete the online Application Form. Gather your documentation as indicated on the Checklist and send to usYou may begin your STR membership application process after completing courses, personal Sandplay process & supervision/consultation.
    When applying:FIRST fill out the application & pay the dues.
    Do the Assessments in the order you choose.
    FINALLY, schedule your Case Review.

1. MAST Membership: STR applicants must be MAST members  of a one year minimum, prior to submitting the STR application.

2. Education:  Applicants must provide evidence of post graduate education in mental health treatment, such as psychotherapy, counseling, art therapy or social work on the Masters and/or Doctoral Level. Exceptions will be made for applicants from those countries where these options are not available. In such cases, applicants must provide evidence of some university background, training in psychotherapy, counseling, social work or art therapy and experience as a counselor, therapist or social worker.

3.  License:  Applicants must provide information pertinent to professional license or certification as required by his or her resident location.

4.  Sandplay Training Courses:  Attendance and participation in the Association’s Core Curriculum, totaling a minimum of 120 hours.

Or, applicants must provide evidence of the equivalent education received from International Society for Sandplay Therapy-ISST Certified Teachers. Such exceptions will be individually evaluated by the Council and supplemental learning and/or experience may be required where necessary. If training was taken elsewhere, candidate will take the AST online Quiz on Sandplay Understanding. See the “Assessments” tab.

5.  Elective CoursesAttendance at and participation in elective Sandplay courses taught by Registered Sandplay Therapist – Supervisors-STR-CT or International Society for Sandplay Therapy Teachers-ISST, totaling 10 hours.

6.  Online CourseworkSuccessful completion of Dr. Turner’s online Sandplay curriculum, Introductory and Intermediate courses. Courses 101-203   See www.barbaraturner.org    “Online Courses” tab.

Or, evidence of having read, studied and gained fluency with the classic works in Sandplay: Dora Kalff’s Sandplay: A Psychotherapeutic Approach to the Psyche; Estelle L. Weinrib’s Images of the Self: The Sandplay Therapy Process; and H.G. Wells’ Floor Games. Evidence will be provided by successfully passing the Association’s online quizzes designed for this purpose. See the “Assessments” tab for the Quizzes on Sandplay Fundamentals.

7.  Understanding Sandplay Assessment:  Candidates for STR must take the “Understanding Sandplay” Assessment located on the “Assessment” tab. The purpose of this Assessment is to develop and ensure clarity about what Sandplay is, and how it works. You must pay a $50 Reader’s Fee. See Payments page

8. Personal Sandplay Experience with a Registered Sandplay Therapist-STR, STR-C, STR-CT, or a Certified Sandplay Therapist-ISST to include a minimum of 11 sessions. This is in addition to the 10 sessions completed in the course work. If training was not done as an in-person AST Certified Core curriculum, the total Sandplay sessions must be a minimum of 21. The Association recognizes that a  Sandplay process is an intimate personal experience shared between client and therapist. The effectiveness, depth or sincerity of the Sandplay work cannot be insured nor measured by quantity of time or numbers of sand trays. The authenticity of the work is entrusted to the individual Candidate. The purpose of the personal Sandplay experience is for the Candidate to undergo and experience Sandplay as a client.
AST policy is to clearly separate the role of process therapist  from those of consultant, and teacher. Students will engage at least two (2) consultants in their Sandplay work for a minimum of ten (10) sessions each with each consultant to provide a diverse education. Under not circumstances should the  process therapist provide case consultation to his or her clients.  Visit our Membership Area to find a process therapist or Consultant.

9.  Summary of Personal Process Experience:  A written summary by Candidate of his or her personal experience of the personal Sandplay process not to exceed 500 words, or two pages.

10. Consultation by a Registered Sandplay Therapist – Consultant – STR-C, or  STR-CT, totaling 50 hours, a minimum of 10 which must be individual supervision, the balance of which may be group or individual supervision. A minimum of ten -10- consultation sessions must be done with two or more consultants for a variety of experience. Must present a minimum of 5 times in group meetings of 110 minutes.

Your personal process therapist may not be your teacher or consultant.

11.  Sandplay Case Review – with an STR-C, or STR-CT with whom they have not worked. The case review is not a test of expertise, rather a  demonstration of a working awareness of symbolism and psychic process in Sandplay. This review is a 1 hour session. Candidate will review the first tray, a middle tray, and a final tray with the Consultant to demonstrate understanding of the initial direction of the healing, the psychological issues being addressed and the psychic assets the client has to proceed with this process. The client’s progress will be examined with the mid tray. Candidate will discuss how any healing and transformation is indicated in this tray in comparison with Tray 1. If the third tray is a final tray, Candidate will briefly describe how the client concluded his or her work. If the work is still in process, Candidate will discuss progress to date, how it is indicated in the tray and possible direction(s) forward. Candidates will pay the reviewer’s normal consultation fee.

Prepare case as a simple PowerPoint. Instructions for Preparing a Case.  Click for instructions:

Organizing Case Presentations

Please note that the review session is to demonstrate a growing level of understanding and is not to be construed as as evidence of perfection. We can never understand all that transpires in Sandplay. What the Registration Committee is looking for is an understanding of what questions to be asking oneself when working with a case; what resources to use to deepen understanding; what is problematic with a particular case and how to deal with that situation.

11.  Disposition to Sandplay Work: Registrant must attest by written word that he or she understands the power and depth of Jungian Sandplay and that practicing Sandplay is a sacred responsibility, which demands reverence and humility. To maintain these values Registrant agrees to practice loving compassion with his or her clients, colleagues and with him or herself. Registrant acknowledges that should he or she ever begin to feel seduced by or some way disordered in relation to the power of Sandplay he or she agrees to seek immediate supervision and/or therapy. If the Council of Mentors has concerns about the actions of a Member, they may call the Registrant in for review and direct Registrant to seek remedy, which may include supervision and/or therapy. Should the Registrant fail to comply with the disposition of the Council of Mentors, he or she is subject to suspension or termination of Registration.

Important:
You may begin your STR membership application process after completing courses, personal Sandplay process & supervision/consultation.
When applying, FIRST fill out the application & pay the dues. Do the Assessments in the order you choose. FINALLY, schedule your Case Review.

STR, STR-C & STR-CT Members are required to do continuing education in Sandplay, Jungian theory, developmental psychology, etc., to renew.  Academic contributions are expected from STR-CTs.

STR Renewals – Effective with 2022 Renewal

In order to maintain AST’s high level of professionalism with our growing number of registrants, STR Renewals must document the following:

  1. 10 Continuing Education Hours of Sandplay related courses and/or Jungian theory and practice
  2. 6 individual consultations/year with AST STR-C or STR-CT registrants and/or ISST Certified Teachers, as long as STR-CT continues to see clients
    Course Resources

Tree
Registered Sandplay Therapist – Consultant  STR-C

1.  Experience as a Registered Sandplay TherapistA minimum of three -3- years as a STR.

2.  Mentored Consultation Training:  STR-C candidates will seek their own mentoring/training assistance from a current STR-CT.  This will include work with groups and individuals with the mentor.

In this course of training, the candidate begins as an assistant consultant, and follows all of the RST-CT’s suggestions for improvement, skill building, group guidance and group member empowerment skills.  At the discretion of the RST-CT, the candidate will then act as lead consultant in one or more group and individual consultations, until such time as the supervising RST-CT feels the candidate is qualified for independent work as a RST-CT.

When prepared and with mentor’s approval, the candidate will conduct one or more group and individual consultation sessions with an STR-CT with whom they have not previously worked for approval of readiness, or suggestions for further learning by the second STR-CT.

3.  Working Understanding of Jungian Personality Theory:  Online course work Level III or equivalent demonstration of a working understanding of Jungian personality theory in Sandplay process. See www.barbaraturner.org for the online curriculum in Jungian personality theory.

STR-C Application


Rainbow
Registered Sandplay Therapist – Consultant Teacher

STR-CT

RST-C Membership:  To qualify as a Sandplay Therapist Consultant Teacher, the candidate must have been an RST-C for a minimum of two -2- years.

1. Academic Contributions:  The candidate must have made academic contributions to the field, in the form of published materials in Sandplay in  journals known in the field, in books, etc.

2. Pedagogy in Sandplay Training:  Attend pedagogy courses in Sandplay therapy taught by STR-CT – 10 hours

Course content to focus on Sandplay education, process management of participant transformation and other concerns related specifically to teaching Sandplay.

3. Mentored Teaching with STR-CT Work with Teaching Mentor in several trainings to gain experience of content delivery, participant management, containing participants’ transformation, etc.  When Mentor feels the applicant is ready, applicant will prepare and teach two cases, providing participants with an outline of the process of change in each case. Draw on all learning and incorporate Jungian personality theory. Have participants complete evaluation forms in each instance and review with Mentor Teacher. Mentor will provide a written summary of teaching, evaluations and review with candidate.

4.  Mentored Teaching of Original Curriculum
Prepare and teach a full-day curriculum of Registrant’s own design under Mentor’s supervision. Have participants complete evaluation forms in each instance and review with Mentor Teacher. Mentor will provide a written summary of teaching and evaluations and review with candidate.

5.   Academic Contribution to SandplayDo one of the following:

A.   Write and publish a case study in a Sandplay Journal or on the Association’s Educational website page.

B.   Write and publish a theoretical paper on an aspect of Sandplay and illustrate with vignettes from several cases. Publish in a Sandplay Journal, a professional journal or on the Association’s Educational website page.

C.   Write and publish a book showing new work and insight into Sandplay therapy.

D.  Do original research in Sandplay therapy and publish the results in a recognized professional publication

6.    Network with International Colleagues:  Attend one or more international conferences on Sandplay Therapy. Make presentations when possible.

STR-CT Members may teach Sandplay therapy with a curriculum based on the AST Core Curriculum and approved by the Association’s Council of Mentors, or other such body appointed by the Council. STR-CT Members may also teach the AST Core Curriculum developed by themselves and approved of by the Council of Wisdom. STR-CT may teach Dr. Turner’s original Core Curriculum by separate agreement.

STR-CT Application

Global harmony
Annual Registration Renewals

MAST, STR,  STR-C & STR-CT

Annual Registration and Membership renewals will include:

MAST – Completion of the renewal application and payment of annual dues

STR, STR-C & STR-CT – Completion of renewal applications and payment of annual dues

STR- Personal Inventory StatementBrief statement reflecting on one’s relationship to the work, learning, frustrations, plans for the future, etc. 500 words or two pages maximum.

And one of the following –

1. Volunteer Work in Sandplay: Provide professional community education, therapeutic services, etc., on a pro bono basis. Examples: charity work at an agency; doing a presentation overview of sandplay therapy for clinicians, writing an article in a health magazine about Sandplay, etc.

OR,
2. Continued Education: Give evidence of continued learning and/or contributions to research in Sandplay on the form provided. This may be reading and study that supplements work in Sandplay; taking workshops or classes relevant to Sandplay; engaging in a research project on Sandplay; teaching Sandplay therapy as an STR-CT.

Please note that STR-CT registrants are encouraged to make academic and research contributions.

See the Applications tab to renew your registration
Renewals are due on July 15th of each year


As a matter of  corporate law, we must clarify that the words “member” and “membership” are used in the generic sense as participants and affiliates.