Using Sandtray as a Collaborative Assessment Tool for Counselor Development

Abstract

Scant information exists regarding informal assessment tools in the supervision of counselor trainees. In this article, we combine the approach of sandtray and the integrated developmental model (IDM) of supervision (Stoltenberg & McNeill, 2009) to assess 3 structures of supervisee development. Based on tenets of artistic inquiry, the use of sandtray promotes reflexivity for increased understanding of a supervisee's approach in counseling and allows for an artifact in documenting particular learning outcomes. Through a heuristic example of sandtray supervision, we illustrate how 1 supervisor collaboratively assessed the awareness, motivation, and autonomy of her supervisee and facilitated development in the learning objective of cultural competence. Ethical considerations are also discussed.

LGBTQ* Responsive Sand Tray: Creative Arts and Counseling

“…As noted above, the purported utility of ST as a creative arts intervention has been established in the counseling literature (Bratton, Ceballos, & Ferebee, 2009;Garrett, 2013Garrett, , 2015bIsom et al, 2015;Lyles & Homeyer, 2014;Nickum & Purgason, 2017;Paone et al, 2015), albeit, mostly conceptually. Despite the conceptual nature of ST within the counseling literature, multiple studies have empirically examined the process and benefits of ST within the counseling profession (Paone et al, 2015;Stark & Frels, 2014;Swank & Lenes, 2013). The use of ST has been documented across time and cultures, and has developed out of personal phenomenological hermeneutic research (De Domenico, 1988;Graham, Scholl, Smith-Adcock, & Wittmann, 2014).…”

“…Originally developed out of Lowenfeld's (1979) world technique and modified by Kalff (2004), ST has been purported to promote healing and growth, effectively respond to trauma, increase self-esteem, facilitate the counseling process and counteract resistance, and attend to culturally specific issues, such as gender and race (Chang, Ritter, & Hays, 2005;Paone et al, 2015). Stark and Frels (2014) suggested that ST also offers opportunities as a collaborative assessment for counselor development, especially with counselors-in-training. As an expressive arts supervision activity, ST provides a shared symbolic language for supervisee and supervisor, and can assist in exploring case conceptualization and counseling dynamics (Chang et al, 2005;Stark, Garza, Bruhn, & Ane, 2015), as well as increasing supervisee self-awareness and expression (Carnes-Holt, Meany-Walen, & Felton, 2014;Garrett, 2015a;McCurdy & Owen, 2008).…”

“…As mentioned above, creative arts have been used to promote a wide variety of professional skills, behaviors, and abilities, such as expressive and reflective processes (Gladding, 2010), increased self-other awareness (Bratton, Ceballos, & Sheely, 2008), and increased access to intuition, empathy, and emotion (Carnes-Holt et al, 2014). In supervision, Stark et al (2014) suggested that as a specific creative arts intervention, ST could uniquely assist supervisees to conceptualize, establish counseling and supervisory goals, and enhance the counseling and supervisory relationships. Furthermore, ST has recently been extended into multicultural counseling training contexts as well.…”

“…Given the high rates of discrimination and mental health concerns of LGBTQ* persons (Cochran et al, 2017;Thorne et al, 2018), it is concerning that counselor education has continued to overlook supervision as a means to increase LGBTQ* related multicultural competence and has instead primarily relied upon didactic training methods in isolated content courses of short duration to educate counselors on the needs of clients who may identify as LGBTQ* (Jennings, 2014;Luke, Goodrich, & Scarborough, 2011). As such , this article builds upon the use of ST in supervision (Anekstein et al, 2014;Markos et al, 2008;Paone et al, 2015;Stark et al, 2011), as ST offers a critical opportunity to redress the gaps in counselor education (Stark & Frels, 2014). Creative arts interventions in general, and ST in particular, have been lauded as offering supervisors a complementary right-brain and kinesthetic means (Stark & Frels, 2014) to creatively and experientially work with supervisees to match their developmental needs (Mullen et al, 2007).…”

“…As such , this article builds upon the use of ST in supervision (Anekstein et al, 2014;Markos et al, 2008;Paone et al, 2015;Stark et al, 2011), as ST offers a critical opportunity to redress the gaps in counselor education (Stark & Frels, 2014). Creative arts interventions in general, and ST in particular, have been lauded as offering supervisors a complementary right-brain and kinesthetic means (Stark & Frels, 2014) to creatively and experientially work with supervisees to match their developmental needs (Mullen et al, 2007). As a creative and experiential intervention, ST offers supervisors opportunities to select learning activities that differentially respond to varied developmental needs of the supervisee (Anekstein et al, 2014;Carnes-Holt et al, 2014;Paone et al, 2015) working with clients across the LGBTQ* communities .…”