Study on the Perceptions of Family and the Experiential Process in Adolescence

An Attempt to Modify Family-themed Sandplay for Use in Clinical Practice

Abstract

　The purpose of this study was to examine how adolescents perceived their own family and how that process was captured in sandplay limited specifically to the topic of family. This study also examined the possibility of modifying this family sandplay for use in clinical practice. Eight participants were asked to continuously engage in family-themed sandplay for 10 sessions. After all of the sessions were complete, the resulting sandplay was analyzed from three perspectives: 1. The topic of family and relationships that developed during the sandplay sessions, 2. Types of pieces that were used to represent family members, and 3. Realizations about one's self and one's family that resulted from the sandplay and issues that surfaced. Furthermore, sandplay scenes were classified into two main categories based on their theme: I. Recollection of specific family events and recreation of family conditions and II. A mental image or imagining of family. The topic of “conflict between ‘independence from and dependence upon’ family was noted in all of the participants. In addition, the process by which this topic developed was found to be characteristic of adolescence. Moreover, family-themed sandplay appeared to be an effective way for participants to express abstract images of family unique to adolescence. Results also indicated that implementing this sandplay in a clinical setting would be feasible.