What the Sand Reveals: Witnessing and Processing birth trauma through sandtray
online perinatal CEs
March 3, 2027
10 am - 1 pm CDT
$120
Online - Zoom
A hands-on, experiential sandtray therapy training!
Birth experiences can leave lasting emotional and psychological imprints that are not always easy to articulate. For some mothers, the experience of birth may feel overwhelming, frightening, disempowering, or profoundly different from what they expected. Yet, the impact of birth trauma can remain unseen, misunderstood, or difficult to put into words. Sand tray therapy offers a nonverbal, symbolic approach to exploring these experiences, allowing space for the stories, emotions, and meanings that may exist beneath the surface.
This experiential training will explore the intersection of birth trauma and sand tray therapy, equipping clinicians with a trauma-informed framework for supporting mothers as they make sense of their birth experiences. Participants will explore how symbolic expression can support emotional processing, meaning-making, and the integration of difficult experiences while honoring each mother's unique story and pace of healing. Through clinical discussion, experiential exercises, and practical sand tray prompts, clinicians will develop approaches to witnessing the unseen aspects of birth trauma, creating space for complexity, and supporting mothers in reclaiming their narratives with compassion and care.
*Training is appropriate for mental health graduate students and licensed mental health therapists.
*No prior sandtray therapy training or experience needed. It is helpful if you have access to a sandtray and miniatures during the training for experiential exercises, but an online option is available for those who don't.
Learning Objectives
Explain the psychological and emotional impact of birth trauma, including how subjective birth experiences can differ from observable medical outcomes.
Identify how sand tray therapy and symbolic expression can support mothers in exploring and communicating birth experiences that may be difficult to articulate verbally.
Apply trauma-informed principles to sand tray work with birth trauma, emphasizing safety, choice, collaboration, empowerment, and the mother's pace of processing.
Utilize sand tray prompts and experiential interventions to facilitate exploration of birth narratives, emotional responses, perceived losses, and disruptions in safety, control, or identity.
Develop clinical strategies for witnessing and processing birth trauma while supporting meaning-making, integration, and the mother's ongoing journey of healing.
About the Presenter
Kristine Page, LCPC, LPC, PMH-C
Kristine is a therapist and the owner of Turning The Page, LLC, a private practice based in Olathe, Kansas. She has over 14 years of experience working with individuals across the lifespan. Kristine began her career in community mental health and at a child advocacy center, where she specialized in working with children and teens. During this time, she developed a strong foundation in play therapy and sandtray therapy, supporting children and families in processing complex experiences.
Over the past six years, Kristine has transitioned her focus to the perinatal period, where she supports individuals navigating pregnancy, postpartum, and identity shifts into parenthood. She is also completing an advanced course in matrescence. In her work with the perinatal population, she continues to integrate sandtray therapy with adults, creating space to explore trauma, identity, and personal values in a meaningful and experiential way.
3 CEs
Approved by the kansas bsrb (26-009)
Also counts towards pmh-c renewal
$120
Cancellation requests may be submitted in writing to [email protected] up to 7 calendar days prior to the event for a full refund, minus a $15 administrative fee for trainings 3 hours or less or $30 for trainings over 3 hours. Full refunds will not be given after the 7 days unless deemed an unavoidable emergency or illness, with notice prior to the event. CE credits will be granted only for attended hours in accordance with CE guidelines. Partial refunds will not be given for late arrivals or early departures. If Hope Roots Collective has to cancel a training due to low attendance, illness, or weather, participants will be given the option of a full refund or when applicable, transferring their enrollment to a rescheduled date.
