45th Edition

What you don't know the word "braggy?"

It's totally a word - my nine-year-old nephew uses it all the time so it really is a word (also it's actually in the dictionary but maybe not part of your staple vernacular)

In case you aren't up to date on this term, being "braggy" is when a person states how awesome their life is, the things they have are, or just something that has to do with them is amazing.

What? You need me to use it in a sentence?

Here you go.

"She may have thought I was being braggy, but I was really just talking about how awesome my sandtray therapy session went."

So, today, in the spirit of Thanksgiving coming up in just a few short weeks, I'm going to take time to be braggy/express my gratitude for all of the amazingness in my life.

And, just in case you need more convincing that this is a real thing that we all do, I'm also going to be BIRGing it.

You again wondering what BIRGing is???

BIRG (Basking in Reflected Glory) is a social psychology term coined in the 1970s by Robert Cialdini. All of us BIRG when we affiliate ourselves with something or someone that is successful or is seen by others as amazing.

So, although I don't like to be braggy about my own self, I do love BIRGing from those around me. So today, I'm going to show and tell you about some of the people, organizations, things, that I'm grateful for and those that make me feel super proud, enhancing my ability to BIRG 🙂

And yes, these will mostly have to do with sandtray, so no worries about where this is all going 🙂

Let's get started shall we?

1. International Association of Sandtray Therapy

Over the first weekend in November, IAST held it's 3rd annual Sandtray Summit - although this time we had to do it virtually. While being online wasn't our first choice, we felt that it was our safest option given the realities of the pandemic still being a thing:(

However, in true sandtray therapy fashion, we rallied, reframed, and regulated to make it an event that allowed sandtray therapists throughout the world to be refreshed and connected, while learning from super smart speakers about new ways to hone the sandtray therapy craft.

Check out some of the highlights below (yes, it's a bit of a photo dump - #sorrynotsorry)

To help you put a bit of reference to these pictures, these are all the blessings that I GOT to partake in during the Sandtray Summit. Of course, working with/for a non-profit is a LOT of work to make it all go, but it's SOOOO worth it when we get to see all of the amazing people we serve all over the world.

A few of the highlights from the pics

-We welcomed a new board member, Nindi Kirpalani who is our Director of International Operations

-We hosted Bessel van der Kolk as our keynote speaker and did a special fireside chat with just him and our VIP's

-Several of my good friends and colleagues spoke about sandtray topics near and dear to their hearts, allowing for their love of sandtray and healing to spill over onto all of our attendees. I HEART this so much - one of my driving passions to to give ALL a seat at the table. No right last name, no in crowd, just real people helping others.

-Giving SWAG to our attendees. Helping others feel good and special is a very cool part of BIRGing that I LOVE to do!

Nearly 350 sandtray therapists attended from literally all over the world (even some staying up in the middle of the night to watch live!)

So, I'm taking this time to show you and remind myself of all of the things I have to be braggy about and allowing myself a bit of BIRGing with you all!

2 My ICST cohorts

This past weekend, Southern Sandtray Institute (my team and I) hosted 1 of our 2 ICST 2021 ICST cohorts.

These ladies traveled from literally all over the US to train twice this year, doing nearly 2 weeks of intense sandtray training here in Arkansas.

Watching them grow and evolve is one of the best parts about teaching a cohort. I love how they all make real connections with each other, allowing for deep healing and honing of sandtray skills.

Check out some of the highlights from this last week

Not only did they get to connect with like-minded sandtray therapists, they also laughed, cried, and grew together.

And yes - they even had t-shirts made for their cohort (and they gave me one!)

I love serving them and watching them gain confidence - and did you know that 5 therapists from this cohort alone presented at the IAST Sandtray Summit??

Sound like something you want in on for yourself?

Click the link below (scroll down a bit) to sign up for our special invite-only waitlist for the ICST 2022 cohorts with Southern Sandtray.

3. The growth of sandtray therapists everywhere

While this isn't a singular event, it's one that I take great joy in every time I witness it. Of course, it doesn't happen over night but these life-changing therapists are making ripples all over the world and I'm here to BIRG of it.

Check out one of our 2020 ICST cohort members, Suzie Lawyer, who is quickly gaining a ton of traction in her private practice through sandtray therapy

Or take a look at Sue Kruk - she's somewhat new to the sandtray world but is already falling in love with all things sandtray!

But don't take my word for it - here's her own words..

My favorite part of being in the Sandtray Community IS the Community. I found the Sandtray Suite in 2020 and it literally SAVED my sanity. Between the Suite and my ICST training, I love tremendous support, like-mindedness, new ideas, therapists learning from therapists and nerding out on our passion.

My biggest transformation in working in the sand is the power is has to HEAL. The progress is instant and POWERFUL, no matter how small it is. I have definitely become a more confident therapist as a result. I use the tools of Sandtray in every session, even sometimes without the sand. I have learned so many new tools for my therapy tool box.

I am truly ecstatic to be a part of this community and want to learn ALL THINGS SANDTRAY. During the Sandtray Summit 2021, I found Animal Assisted Play Therapy in the Sand. What drives me to go deeper is it's ability to be applied to all therapeutic modalities. It literally can be combined with wherever your interest lies while helping to transform the process of healing by leaps and bounds. I'm HOOKED for sure. #sandtraytherapist4life

Ready for one more??

Meet Mary Rottier - she's an amazing therapist who specializes in both Animal Assisted Therapy AND sandtray therapy.

Her breakout session at the Sandtray Summit was one of the most popular and talked about sessions, allowing attendees to understand how both of these powerful approaches can be integrated to aid with healing of trauma.

And I could just keep going, but I'll take a break on the BIRGing for now:)

Ready for a pop quiz??

Today's quiz will be all about why YOU should join us over at IAST (www.sandtraytherapy.org)

What are the benefits of joining IAST?

A. FREE/reduced trainings by leaders in the therapy field

B. Grants and scholarships AKA free money for miniatures

C. To get letters behind your name to indicate you KNOW your stuff

D. Be a part of a thriving community dedicated to furthering sandtray therapy

E. All of the above

F. None of the above

ANSWER AT THE BOTTOM OF THE EMAIL!

So maybe you're like OH YES, I WANT IN so YOU can be braggy AND also BIRG with all of your new sandtray besties.

Good news - you're going to get the chance very soon because we are opening registration shortly for our 2022 cohorts.

BUT! As mentioned before, we are doing something different than ever before...we're only opening registration through email for the first spots.

Last year, our ICST spots were GONE within hours of opening registration. This year, we're opening a special wait-list that will get early access to the coveted ICST training spots through Southern Sandtray and yours truly.

If you want on the special early-bird list, click below and you'll be the FIRST to get notified when we open the invite-only registration on January 3, 2022.

The dates and other info are listed on this waitlist page as well.

2022 ICST Waitlist

Wondering what ICST is all about??

It's the way you get credentialed to be a sandtray therapist through IAST.

For more info - check out this page below

https://southernsandtray.com/icst/

Ok, so if you're anything like me, you may just feel FULL of all the things. You are excited or maybe just feeling some kind of way about the holiday season coming up soon.

Because of this, I decided on celebrating fellow sandtray therapists in this issue rather than giving you more and more info to take in. Sometimes we all deserve to be braggy and to BIRG it!

As part of my constant commitment to living a life rather than exiting to work, I'm planning on resting and enjoying all of the amazing things in my life over the holiday season. Personally, this is brand new for me - to purposefully take time off (like a week at a time) to just be.

TBH - it's scary but also way needed. If I don't feed myself then I can't bring my A game to all of you and to the world through sandtray therapy trainings.

Also - as of today, I'm no longer a full-time therapist. I don't even have my own therapy office (it's a good thing - my private practice is growing so much that we are out of space!)

But! I'm noticing some ambiguous grief bubbling up that I'm still working through - I'll talk more about that in the next Ally and will show you some of the trays I've been working on around this.

Here we are at the end of ANOTHER edition of the Sandtray Ally.

To leave you with a smile on your face, check out a picture of my twin nieces from this summer. They were playing "therapist" with their babysitter and this was just too amazing for words.

Bonus points if you can spot all of the hilarious, detailed aspects of their therapy office set-up:)