Foster Care Training

“Young people in out‐of‐home care are substantially more likely to meet criteria for PTSD than their peers, while their early maltreatment exposure may also place them at greater risk of developing the newly proposed complex PTSD.” (Hiller, Meiser-Stedman, Elliott, Banting, & Halligan, 2021). In fact, it is estimated that approximately 90% of children in foster care have experienced a traumatic event, with nearly half reporting exposure to 4 or more types of traumatic events. (Storey & Fletcher, 2022). Therefore, mental health practitioners working with children in the care system are best served treating children using developmentally appropriate, trauma-informed interventions. Using sand trays with this population can provide children with an age-appropriate intervention to express and process trauma. “Through the process of sand tray therapy, a person can communicate not only with others but within themselves” (Isom, Groves-Radomski, & McConaha, 2014). In this entry level workshop participants will be introduced to the neurological impact of trauma on children, briefly cover the origins of using sand trays in therapy with children, and explore some basic principles in its use to treat trauma.