Sandplay Therapy · New York
Sandplay Therapy in NYC
A tray of sand, a shelf of small figures, and a way to say what words have not reached yet. Sandplay therapy for adults in Midtown Manhattan.
The basics
What Is Sandplay Therapy?
Sandplay, also called sand tray therapy, is a creative and hands-on way of working. You choose from a collection of small figures, people, animals, objects, whatever pulls you, and arrange them in a tray of sand. There is no right way to do it and nothing to explain while you build. What takes shape in the tray often says more than an hour of talking.
Why it helps
When Talking Only Gets You So Far
A lot of the people I work with are thoughtful and articulate. You can describe your patterns clearly, trace them back to where they started, and still feel stuck inside them. Insight is not the problem.
Sandplay moves past that. It lets the part of you that does not speak in sentences put something down where we can both see it. It is also genuinely fun, and it tends to reach the younger, more playful parts of you that talk therapy can walk right past.
The experience
What Sandplay Looks Like With Me
We do not schedule a separate sandplay session. It lives inside our regular work and comes out when it fits: when you are circling the same story, when something feels too big for words, or when you simply want to make something. Almost everyone I work with tries it at least once.
You build. I sit with you. Afterwards we look at it together only as much as you want to. Some trays get talked about for weeks, some are left alone. Both count.
Who it is for
Is Sandplay Therapy Right for You?
- Adults who live in their head and want a way in that is not another conversation
- Anyone carrying something that gets smaller and flatter every time they explain it out loud
- People doing trauma work who need a gentler place to keep processing
- Anyone curious about a more creative, more playful kind of therapy
Working together
Sandplay Alongside EMDR
Sandplay pairs especially well with EMDR therapy, and I often use the two together.
Somewhere to land after heavy work
EMDR can be intense, physically and emotionally. Sandplay gives you a way to keep processing a memory without staying flooded by it, at a pace your body can actually hold.
A second language for the same work
Some material will not come forward in words at all. The tray gives it a place to show up, and often loosens something the talking could not reach.
About Samantha
Meet Samantha, a Sandplay Therapist in NYC
I'm Samantha, an Asian American therapist in NYC. My work is warm, culturally-attuned, and creative. Sandplay sits alongside EMDR, DBT, and long-term talk therapy, and I draw on whichever one fits the moment. Your identity and your story stay in the room throughout.
I see clients in person in Midtown Manhattan and virtually across New York, and I welcome people of all backgrounds and identities.
Sessions & fees
Sandplay Therapy in Midtown Manhattan
- The sand tray lives in my office at 286 5th Avenue (NoMad), so sandplay happens in person, Mon-Tue
- Virtual sessions the rest of the week for the rest of our work, anywhere in New York
- Individual $225 · Free 15-min phone consult
- Out-of-network; I provide superbills for possible reimbursement
Questions
Sandplay Therapy: Common Questions
Is sandplay therapy just for kids?
No. Sandplay began with children and works just as well with adults. Most of my clients are adults, and the ones who expect to feel silly usually do not.
What is the difference between sandplay and sand tray therapy?
The names are often used interchangeably. Sandplay traditionally refers to the Jungian method, and sand tray to the broader practice. In our sessions it is the same tray and the same invitation.
Do I have to explain what I built?
Only if you want to. Sometimes we sit with a tray in silence, sometimes we come back to it for weeks. The building itself is the work.
Do I need to be creative or artistic?
No. There is no skill involved and nothing to make look good. If you can pick up an object and set it down, you can do this.
Can we do sandplay virtually?
The tray is physical, so sandplay itself happens in person on Mon-Tue in Midtown. The rest of our work can be virtual, and there are adapted versions for clients who are fully remote.
Do you take insurance?
I'm out-of-network, which keeps your care private and fully tailored to you. I provide superbills you can submit for possible reimbursement, and a sliding scale is available for financial hardship.
Reaching Out Is the Hardest Step
The most difficult step in the healing process is often the very first one. Book a free 15-minute consult and let's see if we're a fit.