Somatic Sand Therapy
Training for Practitioners - Sunshine Coast, Qld, 2027
 72hr - 4 x 3-Day In-Person Workshops
February - June, 2027
Expand Consciousness, Integrate Trauma
Reignite depth, presence and healing in your clinical practice.
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Feeling called to expand your trauma work beyond talk therapy? This may be for you.
Somatic Sand Therapy offers a transformative approach that weaves together the symbolic language of sandplay, the regulation of somatic therapy and the healing intelligence of the natural world.
This is more than a technique. It's a pathway to restore your own connection to the earth, your body and the unseen layers of psyche, so you can guide others with greater presence, depth and intuitive precision. Whether you're feeling professionally stagnant, burnt out or simply ready to evolve, this training invites you to:
- Reawaken your clinical passion,
- Expand your practice to include the wisdom of archetypes, imagination and the body,
- Offer your clients profound access to integration through coregulation, creativtiy and sensory experience.
Come home to the work your soul came here to do.
Sign Up Today
Are you a therapist who is drawn to symbolic and embodied ways of healing, values trauma-sensitive and nervous system-informed practice, and longs to reconnect therapeutic work with the wisdom of the living earth?
THIS IS YOUR OPPORTUNITY.
Somatic Sand Therapy reconnects practitioners to what’s most alive, intuitive and grounded, so they can hold space for transformation with clarity and depth.
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LET'S TAKE YOUR PRACTICE TO THE NEXT LEVEL...
INTRODUCING
Somatic Sand Therapy
This in-person training offers an integrative approach that weaves somatic and symbolic wisdom into clinical practice. Through immersive, experiential, in-person learning, you'll expand culturally sensitive ways of healing trauma, engage the unconscious through symbolic play and restore your connection to Self, soma and the natural world as co-facilitators in healing.
This Training Includes:
4 x In-Person Training Workshops
that provide hands-on experience in a supportive, nature-surround environment where you'll embody and practice the principles of Somatic Sand Therapy.
A Complete Resource Library
You'll receive downloadable slides, documents, recorded lectures and a comprehensive training manual, giving you ongoing support and reference tools to deepen your integration of Somatic Sand Therapy.
6-Month Access
Enjoy 6 months of access to an easy-to-use online platform with all your course materials in one place. Revisit the content anytime and keep the work alive long after the training ends. I know your time is precious, everything you need will be right at your fingertips, ready when you are.
Program Overview
WELCOME MODULE - Online
Welcome to Somatic Sand Therapy Training
You signed up, you're excited, but you're not sure what's next... that's okay, I've got you. This is where you arrive, get acquainted, take a deep breath and check out all there is on offer to support you throughout this training through the online program site. Like good therapy, this module will support you to arrive, orient and ground.Â
You'll receive:
- A Welcome Video
- Your SST Roadmap and Training Calendar
- Your SST Orientation Guide
- Introduction to a Decolonised Approach to Healing Trauma Video
- Your first 3 Carefully Crafted BONUSES!
MODULE 01 - In-Person
3-Day Introduction to SST
Step into the multidimensional world of sand and symbols. This module lays the foundation—exploring the history, theory and transformative power of sand therapy to ground your practice in wisdom and wonder.
Module Highlights:
- Ancient Traditions' use of Earth, Image and Metaphor
- Cultural Safety and 'Dadirri'
- Pioneers of Sand Therapy
- Definitions and Differences between Sand Therapy, Sandplay and Sandtray
- Live Demonstration
- A Case Study
- Immersion in the Sand - Client/Facilitator Practice
MODULE 02 -Â In-Person
The 7 Important Elements of SST
This module unpacks eight elements that make this modality unique—offering a powerful framework to integrate nature, psyche and soma into your practice.
Module Highlights:
- The Nature of Sand
- The Element of Water
- The Power of Symbols
- The Importance of the Tray
- The 'Free and Protected' Space
- The Connection to 'Felt Sense'
- Your Role as an Embodied Presence
MODULE 02 -Â In-Person
The Magical World of Symbology
Symbols act as a bridge between the conscious and unconscious, offering a powerful connection to the transpersonal aspects of the self. They speak in the language of the soul—evoking the essence of who we are and revealing our deepest desires, longings and fears. In this module, you’ll explore how symbols can catalyse transformation and create a living dialogue with the psyche, supporting the unfolding of your most authentic inner world.
Module Highlights:
- The Concept and Definition of a Symbol
- The Healing Power of Symbols
- Active Imagination + Story Telling
- Living a Symbolic Life
MODULE 03 -Â In-Person
The Science Behind SST
Interpersonal Neurobiology shows how trauma shapes the brain and body. In this module, you’ll explore what supports healing, integration and lasting change.
Module Highlights:
- The 6 Types of Trauma
- Trauma and Neurobiology
- Explicit and Implicit Memory
- The Left and Right Hemispheres of the Pre-Frontal Cortex
- The Importance of Integration
- Polyvagal Theory and Blended States
- Play, Imagination and Creativity
- How Somatic Sand Therapy Supports Trauma Integration
MODULE 03 -Â In-Person
The Embodied SST Practitioner
This module prepares you to become a grounded, attuned guide, cultivating somatic presence, interoception and core regulation tools for deep therapeutic work.
Module Highlights:
- Preparation to Become an Somatic Sand Therapy Practitioner
- The Role of the Somatic Sand Therapy Practitioner
- Presence & Somatic Coherence
- The Fertile Void & Dual Awareness
- Interoception and the 'Felt Sense'
- The 10 Somatic Regulation Tools
- The 5 Somatic Pathways to the Unconscious
- Bonus #4 - "Somatic Intelligence: The 7 Key Somatic Skills You Need to be an Embodied Presence"
MODULE 04 - In-Person
Nature as Ally
In this Module you'll explore how the natural world can be engaged as a co-regulator, mirror and guide in the therapeutic process. Nature offers living symbols—stones, branches, soil, feathers—that become powerful elements in the sand therapy process, deepening meaning and reconnecting clients to their inner and outer landscapes.
Module Highlights:
- Working with Natural Materials in the Tray
- Nature as Co-Regulator
- Eco-symbolism and the Psyche
- Client-Therapist-Nature Relationship
- Eco-Somatic Rituals and Fieldwork
MODULE 04
Three Day In-Person Workshop
This closing in-person workshop is a sacred space to gather, ground and integrate everything you've learned throughout the EcoSomatic Sand Therapy journey. Held on land that invites deep presence and reciprocity, this immersive workshop brings together somatic, symbolic and ecological threads, allowing your personal and professional insights to take root.
Over three nourishing days, you'll engage in live sandtray sessions, nature-based ritual and group reflection that deepens your confidence and clarity as a practitioner. Through embodiment, shared ceremony and supervision, we'll honour the transformation that's unfolded and anchor your unique expression of this work. You'll leave not only with refined skills, but with a felt sense of belonging - to the earth, your practice, your peers and a wider web of meaning.
What Others
Have Experienced
BE INSPIRED
"Monique lives and breathes her depth expertise in sandplay therapy. Her workshops invite you into this knowing, via a learning process that is accessible, experiential and curated to support deepening understanding and capacity across the course modules.
Sand-based experiential explorations bring theory and literature to life. As you personally engage with the therapeutic process, both as an inquirer and companion, thoughts transition to felt knowing.
Paced workshops, and an immediacy of Monique's presence during the skills development sessions provide an evolving context in which emergent experiences can be understood. One of the most significant learning moments arises when you experience the deep connection to Self that occurs as you move into engagement with sand and symbols. The shift is physical as much as it is emotional, or psychological. The knowing that something has occurred. Then, the opportunity to witness this process as it unfolds for others.
Monique provides a beautifully designed and facilitated program of study that invites your own experience as part of your learning and readies you to share the rich therapeutic process with others".
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Dr Trudy Flynn, Program Coordinator, Master of Counselling, University of the Sunshine Coast, Qld
"I found this training invaluable, both personally and professionally. I enjoyed the content on trauma, the time spent in the sand, the group dynamic and the opportunity to watch change and growth in all participants. Monique has the remarkable ability to hold the group with clear boundaries to create a beautiful sense of safety so everyone could learn. Monique's style and ability is world class. She creates an opening for deep learning and a desire to learn more. Thank you Monique for so openly sharing this modality and creating a warm, safe learning environment. I feel so appreciative and thankful".
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Jane Ashton, Equine Assisted Therapist
Transform Your Practice.
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By weaving the ecological, somatic and symbolic, your therapeutic work will deepen in both presence and potency. You'll move beyond talk-based approaches and into a way of working that honours the body's wisdom, the earth's intelligence and the healing power of symbol and story.
Expect your sessions to become more grounded, intuitive and creatively alive. You’ll feel more resourced and regulated as a practitioner, with tools that support not just your clients' nervous systems, but your own. With Somatic Sand Therapy, your practice becomes a sanctuary where nature is not just a backdrop, but an active ally in the healing journey.
Sign Up Today
We Offer Different Payment Plans
CHOOSE WHATÂ WORKS FOR YOU
IN ADDITION
Included with This Course Are These Amazing Bonuses!
1st Bonus
Setting up Your Somatic Sand Therapy Room:Â All the tips & tricks to having a counselling room your clients will love.
What You'll get:
- An overview of spatial and environmental factors that create a sense of safety
- A categorised list of symbols and where to find them
- Sandtray, sand and shelving specifications
- A list of extra equipment to support your sessions
2nd Bonus
Photographing and Documenting Trays:Â How to Capture Your Client's Internal World.
What You'll Get:
- A comprehensive guide to Photographing and Documenting Client Sessions
- Where to position the camera and what to photograph
- Close-ups and buried symbols
- Why this is important
3rd Bonus
Professional Library Must-Haves: My personal list of recommended reading & resources to extend and consolidate your learning.
What You'll Get:
This essential reading and resources list gives book, chapter and podcast recommendations for each module of the training.
- Your extremely valuable go-to resource guide for each module
- A relevant resource you can return to again and again
- A time-saving personalised reference guide to specific, relevant topics
4th Bonus
Somatic Intelligence: The 7 Key Somatic Skills You Need to be an Embodied PresenceÂ
What You'll Get:
- Benefits of Somatic Intelligence to your therapeutic practice
- The Zone of Embodied Presence
- Explanation of each skill and why it is important
- Step-by-Step instructions to apply each skill
Hi! I'm Monique.
YOUR SOMATIC SAND THERAPY GUIDE
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I am the Director of Somatic Sovereignty, creator of ESomatic Sand Therapy and a Registered Sand Therapist - Consultant/Trainer with the World Association of Sand Therapy Professionals®. I have been offering post-graduate training and clinical supervision in this modality for professional Counsellors and Psychotherapists since 2008.
With a practice spanning over two decades, I’ve worked with clients of all ages using Sandplay Therapy and Expressive Therapies since 2002, and began integrating Somatic Experiencing® into my clinical work in 2017. I hold undergraduate qualifications in Education and Psychology and have completed two Master's degrees in Counselling and Behaviour Management. My training also includes Jungian Sandplay Therapy, Eco-Psychotherapy, Nature-Based Expressive Arts Therapy, Family & Systemic Constellations, Circle of Security, Emotion-Focused Therapy for Couples, NeuroAffective Touch®, Dynamic Attachment Repatterning Experience (DARe), ISHTA Yoga and Voice Dialogue.
As a bi-racial (Wiradjuri), inclusive and depth-oriented therapist, I care deeply about supporting meaningful growth and integrity in therapeutic practice, uncovering the innate wisdom within every being and cultivating safe, conscious and kind relationships with those I have the privilege to accompany on the healing journey.
Sign Up Today
Many therapists sense there is a deeper, more soulful and embodied way to work; one that integrates imagination, body, psyche and the symbolic and natural world, but have struggled to find training that meaningfully weaves these together.
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Somatic Sand Therapy offers an integrative pathway that bridges somatic therapy and sand therapy into one coherent, trauma-sensitive framework for transformation.
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THIS IS WHAT YOU'VE BEEN WAITING FOR.
Additional
Testimonials
6 MONTHS FROM NOW THIS COULD BE YOU
"This training was so worth the investment. I have walked away with many valuable tools for working with my clients and for myself. I learned new knowledge and developed new hope for resolving trauma. I found the concept of trusting the process most useful. I am now kinder to myself and more able to allow the client to do their own work in the sand. Monique is safe, curious, accepting, informative, vulnerable, grounded, kind and knowledgable. This was the most enjoyable and informative training I have ever experienced. I felt safe in the experience, knowledge and passion Monique brings to this training and work. Monique, I am grateful that you offer your knowledge so generously and safely. You have the ability to hold a group of very different personalities so safely and enjoyably. It has felt connected and has changed me".
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- Neisha Cass, Counsellor & Equine Assisted Therapist
"This training was whole-hearted, full-bodied and abundant. The highlight was the way Monique held each person with open hearted integrity. She delivered her knowledge with pure passion and reverence. I loved it all, especially the highly attuned observation skills. I now hold myself with so much more compassion. Monique it has truly been a privilege to be held within your gentle authenticity. This training was life and breath giving, a magnificent creation of work. Thank you for sharing your harvest, I go out with honour and plant seeds."
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- Kellie Ermer McDonald, Child & Family Counsellor
This could be you!
Are you ready to transform your practice?
FOLLOW THESE THREE STEPSÂ
Read Through the Program Details
Get familiar with what Somatic Sand Therapy offers, explore the modules, dates, location and what you'll receive to ensure this training aligns with your therapeutic path.
Register and Secure Your Place
Spots are limited to maintain an intimate and supported learning environment. Reserve your place by completing your registration and payment.
Check Your Email for Confirmation
Once registered, you'll receive a welcome email with everything you need to get started, including access to the course portal and next steps to prepare for your journey.
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Frequently Asked Questions
ALL YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED HERE
Is this training accredited?
Who is this training suitable for?
What if I've done sand therapy training in the past?
What kind of support is available during the training?
What are the requirements for certification?
What materials or setup do I need?
Do I need prior training in Sand or Somatic Therapy?
What if I can’t attend one of the in-person workshop days?
Why Now Is The Time.
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The world is calling for a different kind of practitioner, one who works not only with the mind, but also with the body, the earth and the deep language of the soul. As collective nervous systems strain and burnout rises, clients are craving grounded, creative and regenerative approaches to healing.
Somatic Sand Therapy meets this moment.
By joining now, you align your practice with emerging therapeutic frontiers that are deeply relational, trauma-informed and rooted in the body’s wisdom. You’ll become part of a growing community of professionals who know that real healing includes the whole self, and the living world we’re part of.
The doors are open. The work is ready. And so are you.
Sign Up Today
Program Dates & Times -Â Sunshine Coast, Qld
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The Somatic Sand Therapy Training is delivered via 4 x 3-day in-person workshops across six months.
In-Person Immersive Workshops
- Workshop 1: Foundations & Immersion
Feb, 2027 | Gubbi Gubbi (Sunshine Coast) - Workshop 2: Framework & Symbology
March, 2027 | Gubbi Gubbi (Sunshine Coast) - Workshop 3: Trauma, Neuroscience & Polyvagal Theory
May, 2027 | Gubbi Gubbi (Sunshine Coast) - Workshop 4: Case Consultation, Integration & Celebration
June, 2027 | Gubbi Gubbi (Sunshine Coast)Â
Each 3-day, in-person workshop runs from 9:00am–5.00pm.
In-person lectures will be recorded and made available via the course app for ongoing access.
