Aim or purpose
To explore the lived experience of Sandplay Therapy (SPT), from the perspective of both the client and therapist.
Design and methodology
A qualitative systematic review of existing research on the lived experience of SPT, as reported by clients and therapists.
Ethical approval
Not applicable to secondary research.
Results and findings
The data was separated into two datasets. Dataset one included five studies on client experiences and dataset two included three studies on therapist/counsellor experiences. Each dataset generated four themes.
Themes found in client experiences were:
- general positive experiences of SPT
- SPT as facilitative to emotional expression
- SPT as helpful for considering the future
- negative experiences of SPT
Themes in therapist experiences included:
- positive experiences of delivering SPT
- therapist techniques
- therapist鈥檚 perception of the client鈥檚 experience
- negative experiences of SPT
Research limitations
The quality of the review depended on the inclusion of trustworthy primary research, which employed self-report measures. These could have been influenced by social desirability or the felt obligation to report positive experiences. The studies on therapists鈥� experiences may have been biased due to their existing investment in SPT. The study selection process was a potential source for researcher bias, although steps were taken to mitigate this, such as the development of set inclusion criteria and rigorous sifting.
Thematic Analysis (TA) was used to analyse the experiences of clients and therapists separately. However, the review included studies on mostly on adults, with only one study including child participants. The SPT interventions were conducted in varying settings. These factors could limit the transferability of the review findings across practice with adults and children in various settings.
Conclusions and implications
The lived experience of SPT is seemingly coherent with existing research and theory on the process of SPT and its mechanism for therapeutic change. Further research into the experience of SPT is needed, especially on child and adult clients separately. The findings provide an insight into how the application of SPT in practice could be improved. For example, by being more aware of clients鈥� initial anxiety and improving practitioner training to combat this.
Views expressed in this article are the views of the writer and not necessarily the views of 网爆门. Publication does not imply endorsement of the writer鈥檚 views. Reasonable care has been taken to avoid errors but no liability will be accepted for any errors that may occur.