Trauma-Informed Online Sandtray Therapy with Children and Youth
Enroll in the Online Self-Study course and complete it at your own pace.
1 CE hour available for behavioral health clinicians upon completion.
When a child cannot find the words to describe their trauma, their hands may still be able to speak. In the wake of overwhelming stress, grief, or adversity, children often express what they feel through image, movement, and metaphor—not conversation. Virtual sandtray therapy gives clinicians a trauma-informed, developmentally attuned path to reach these clients where language alone falls short.
Discover how online sandtray therapy can become one of your most effective and versatile tools for working with trauma in virtual settings. Whether you’re already trained in expressive arts or new to the sandtray approach, this training provides accessible strategies grounded in neuroscience and cultural humility.
Enroll in the 1 CE Online Self-Study for $30
Payment Options are listed at checkout
Dr. Ritchie Rubio, Ph.D., is a renowned clinical child psychologist, play and expressive arts therapist, and Director of Practice Improvement at the San Francisco Department of Public Health. Drawing on decades of cross-cultural clinical experience and academic teaching in the U.S., Philippines, and New Zealand, Dr. Rubio empowers clinicians with evidence-based, trauma-informed strategies that prioritize cultural responsiveness and developmental appropriateness.
Through real-world case examples, demonstration, and step-by-step guidance, Dr. Rubio walks you through practical ways to implement sandtray therapy online. His integrative, brain-based approach helps clinicians use technology creatively and ethically to support clients’ regulation, narrative processing, and recovery.
This course explores the origins and applications of sandtray therapy, differences between sandtray and sandplay, virtual platforms like Simply Sandplay and the Virtual Sandtray App, culturally adapted metaphors for emotional regulation, trauma-informed sequencing using the tri-phasic and brain-based models, and strategies for integrating CBT, Solution-Focused Therapy, and Narrative Exposure Therapy into sandtray sessions.
Instructor
Ritchie Rubio Ph.D., works as a clinical child psychologist, play and expressive arts therapist, researcher-storyteller, program evaluator, statistical consultant, data analyst, telehealth trainer/consultant, and associate professor/lecturer in a variety of clinical and academic settings including public health systems, universities, pediatric hospitals, community mental health settings, schools, and research institutes in three countries: the Philippines, U.S.A., and New Zealand. Dr Rubio moved from the Philippines at the age of 25, completed his PhD in Clinical Psychology with a Child and Family emphasis from the California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP) through a Ford Foundation International Fellowship Program (IFP) grant. He is currently the Director of Practice Improvement and Analytics of the Children, Youth, and Families System of Care (CYF-SOC) Behavioral Health Services (BHS) at the San Francisco Department of Public Health in California, USA. In that role, he plans and coordinates a clinical practice improvement and evaluation program focused on identifying best trauma-informed and diversity-responsive practices, and utilizing implementation science to design and strengthen clinical assessment and interventions. He is also an adjunct Associate Professor at the Counseling Psychology programs of the University of San Francisco and the Berkeley Wright Institute. He teaches courses such as Research and Statistics, Crisis and Trauma Counseling, Neuroscience, Child and Adolescent Counseling, Family Violence and Protection, Individual, and Family Development, and Clinical Assessment and Measures. His clinical work was/is primarily with immigrant and multicultural children/youth and their families. He mostly integrates psychodynamic, attachment, family systems, multicultural, expressive arts, play therapy, and CBT orientations.
Key Takeaways:
Use sandtray therapy effectively with trauma-exposed youth: Gain a compelling understanding of why online sandtray therapy is especially valuable for children who have experienced trauma.
Select the right virtual tools: Learn how to assess and utilize online sandtray platforms in ways that are both clinically meaningful and developmentally appropriate.
Adapt sandtray techniques for diverse populations: Discover culturally sensitive methods for using sandtray with BIPOC children and their families.
Why this course?
Expert instruction from a global leader: Dr. Rubio brings a rare blend of clinical, academic, and multicultural experience that ensures depth, rigor, and real-world application.
Equips you for virtual practice: Gain essential telehealth skills for delivering expressive, somatic, and sensory-based trauma therapy in a virtual format.
Grounded in values and innovation: Offered by Telehealth Certification Institute, a leader in continuing education for behavioral health professionals with a mission of excellence, integrity, and wellness.
Learning Objectives:
Describe at least one reason for the need to use sandplay or sandtray therapy in trauma work with children and youth.
Appraise the applicability of at least two online sandplay or sandtray therapy tools for engaging child and youth clients in trauma treatment using evidence-based practices.
Illustrate at least two ways of using online sandplay or sandtray interventions in a culturally responsive manner when working with BIPOC children and their families.
Let this course guide you in bringing safety, structure, and storytelling to your virtual trauma work with children and youth. By learning how to integrate sandtray therapy online, you’ll be equipped with a powerful and practical intervention that meets clients where they are—with compassion, creativity, and confidence.
Add this course to your cart to develop your skills, boost your confidence, and enhance your impact as a behavioral health professional.
This is a non-interactive self-study course. Instruction consists of 1 hour of video instruction and a post-test.
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Availability: From the time of registration, you have six months to access the coursework.
Who Should Attend: This course is intended for clinicians who provide behavioral health services.
Teaching Methods: This is a non-interactive, self-study course. Teaching methods for this course include recorded lectures, videos, a post-test, and a course evaluation.
How to attend: Directions for completing a course can be found by clicking here.
This program was recorded on November 19, 2021.
Testimonials
Bridgette Nalumu
Public health consultant, Green and Purple Consultancy Network
Lora Verley
Clinical Therapist, Bayless Integrated Healthcare
Jackie Tanna
Therapist, Region One Mental Health
Jackie Bell-Russell
Therapeutic Behavioral Strategist, Rialto Unified School District