Nurturing, supporting and inspiring emotional wellbeing in children, young people and adults
SandStory Skills®
Creative communication skills using sand, symbols and story
SandStory Skills® is a practical, creative approach for professionals who support the emotional wellbeing of children, young people or adults.
It offers another way for people to communicate, explore and express their experiences — particularly when finding the words is difficult.
You don’t need to be a therapist to use SandStory Skills®.
The skill isn’t in the sand.
Sand, symbols and story can create possibilities for communication — but the resources themselves are only part of the picture.
SandStory Skills® is about developing the way we are alongside someone while they explore and express their experience.
Rather than interpreting what somebody creates or deciding what their story means, we learn to slow down, stay curious and make space for the person to lead.
The resources are the tools. What matters is how we use them.
Who is SandStory Skills® for?
SandStory Skills® is designed for professionals whose existing role involves supporting the emotional wellbeing of children, young people or adults.
Education
Teachers, teaching assistants, SENCOs, pastoral staff and other education professionals.
Children and families
Family support workers and other professionals working alongside children, young people and families.
Wellbeing & support
Professionals working in emotional wellbeing, support or helping roles who want to add a creative communication approach to their existing practice.
SandStory Skills® does not train you to become a therapist. It gives you creative communication skills to use appropriately within your existing role, responsibilities and scope of practice.
Making space for somebody else’s story
When somebody creates something in sand, it can be tempting to wonder what the symbols mean or to start looking for an explanation.
SandStory Skills® takes a different approach.
We are not there to interpret somebody else’s story, decide what it means or lead them towards what we think they should explore.
Instead, we develop skills that help us stay alongside the person — noticing, listening, responding and allowing their story to remain theirs.
Doing less can create more space for the other person.
What will I learn?
SandStory Skills® is practical training. You will explore both the use of sand, symbols and story and the skills needed to support somebody else’s creative process safely and respectfully.
How to introduce and set up a SandStory experience in a way that feels clear, contained and inviting.
Creating the space
Being alongside
How to stay curious, notice and listen without interpreting, directing or becoming the expert on somebody else’s story.
Working with symbols and story
Developing practical skills for using the resources to support communication, exploration and expression.
Bringing it into your role
Thinking about how SandStory Skills® can sit appropriately within your existing professional role and scope of practice.
SandStory Skills® is experiential. You won’t only learn about the approach — you will have opportunities to experience the process yourself.
What SandStory Skills® is — and what it isn’t
SandStory Skills® is a creative communication approach for professionals who want to use sand, symbols and story within their existing role.
It is about developing practical skills — including how we create the space, how we are alongside somebody and how we respond without interpreting or taking over their story.
SandStory Skills® does not train you to become a therapist, and it does not qualify you to provide therapy. The skills are intended to be used within the boundaries and scope of your existing professional role.
You are not learning how to analyse somebody’s sand tray or discover the “hidden meaning” behind the symbols they choose.
The person remains the expert on their own story.
SandStory Skills® Practitioner Training
The training is practical and experiential, giving you the opportunity to develop the skills through both learning and experience.
It is designed to help you feel confident using SandStory Skills® thoughtfully within your existing professional role.
of practical and experiential training
14 hours
14 CPD hours
to support your continuing professional development
Flexible ways to learn
Individual online learning, live online groups and in-person training options
From £400 per person
depending on the training format
After completing the training
On successful completion of the training, you can become a registered SandStory Skills® Practitioner.
Choose the way you learn
Individual Online Learning
Work through the pre-recorded training content at your own pace, giving you flexibility to fit the learning around your other commitments.
You won’t be left to work through it completely alone. I am available for support during the training, mainly during the day on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays.
Online Live Groups
Learn alongside other professionals in a live online group, with opportunities to explore the approach, practise the skills and learn together.
Live groups run on selected dates and are subject to sufficient interest.
In-person Training
Learn SandStory Skills® together in person through practical, experiential training.
Scheduled training dates may be offered subject to interest. If you are an organisation looking to train a group of staff, we can arrange a date — or dates — that work for your team.
Learning with me
I’m Amanda, and I deliver SandStory Skills® training for professionals who want to bring a creative approach to communication and emotional wellbeing into their existing work.
My own practice is grounded in curiosity — slowing things down, looking beyond what we can immediately see and resisting the temptation to become the expert on somebody else’s experience.
That same approach runs through the training. This isn’t about learning a set of techniques to use on somebody. It is about developing the skills to create space, stay alongside and allow the other person’s story to remain theirs.
I want you to leave the training understanding not only what you can do — but why the way you do it matters.
Is SandStory Skills® right for me?
SandStory Skills® could be a good fit if you already support the emotional wellbeing of others within your professional role and would like another creative way to help people communicate and express their experiences.
You might be looking for an approach that:
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gives people another way to communicate when words are difficult
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allows the person to lead rather than requiring you to interpret
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can sit alongside the skills and experience you already have
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encourages curiosity, listening and thoughtful responding
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can be used appropriately within the boundaries of your existing role
You don’t need to become a therapist to become more skilled at making room for somebody else’s story.
Ready to explore SandStory Skills®?
Whether you’re looking for flexible individual learning, interested in joining a future live group, or exploring training for your organisation, you can start by getting in touch.
Tell me a little about your role and what you’re looking for, and we can work out which training option would be the best fit.