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.
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.
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.
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. This activity is not approved for APA CE credit.
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: Instructions for attending and completing a course can be found here.
Ritchie Rubio Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist
Ritchie Rubio 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 Ph.D. 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.
Disclosure Statement: The instructor(s) for this course receive compensation for their services. There are no reported conflicts of interest to disclose.
Credit Hours: This course consists of 1 continuing education hour of credit.
Play therapy credit available to mental health professionals & graduate students in a mental health program.
Counselors:
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Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No, 6693. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Mental Health Counselors. #MHC-0048.
Marriage and Family Therapists: Many MFT licensing boards accept our courses or one of the approvals which we have from professional associations. You can check with your board to determine if your licensing board would accept this course.
Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists #MFT-0135, effective May 8, 2025.
Social Workers:
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Telehealth Certification Institute LLC, #1609, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 05/02/2024 – 05/02/2027. Social workers completing this course receive 1 clinical continuing education credit.
Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Social Workers #SW-0435.
Play Therapists:
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Telehealth Certification Institute LLC has been approved as a continuing education provider by the Association for Play Therapy: APT Approved Provider 21-633. Per the Association for Play Therapy (APT), play therapy training may not be awarded to non-mental health professionals. APT alone holds the right to accept or deny any continuing education training at its discretion. This course qualifies as 1 non-contact continuing education Play Therapy credit.
Addiction Professionals:
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This course has been approved by Telehealth Certification Institute LLC, as a NAADAC Approved Education Provider, for educational credits, effective 2/9/2022. NAADAC Provider #193104, Telehealth Certification Institute LLC is responsible for all aspects of the programming.
Psychologists:
This activity is not approved for APA CE credit.
Art Therapists: Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Creative Arts Therapists #CAT-0093.
Other Professionals: This course qualifies for 60 minutes of instructional content as required by many national, state and local licensing boards and professional organizations. Retain your certificate of completion and contact your board or organization for specific filing requirements.
This is a non-interactive, self-study course.
