About HKSTA
Hong Kong Sandplay Therapy Association
The Hong Kong Sandplay Therapy Association (HKSTA) is a non-profit organization established to train, support, and promote professional development in Sandplay therapy.
Aims:
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To provide a meeting ground for an exchange of knowledge and experience through training programs on Sandplay therapy
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To become a valuable resource for its members, students and people who are interested in Sandplay Therapy
Our members are Certified Sandplay Therapists, professionals working towards Sandplay certification, and therapists who are interested in using Sandplay therapy with their clients.
香港沙遊治療學會
簡介
香港沙遊治療學會成立於二零零三年，源自一個由一班被沙遊治療吸引的香港臨床心理學家和治療師組成的學習小組。
香港沙遊治療學會致力推動和提升沙遊治療在香港的專業發展，而本會以於二零一七年成為國際沙遊治療學會的地區學會。
Latest Announcements
We are sad to share that Ms Ruth Ammann, one of the significant contributors in sandplay therapy, passed away on 2023 August 3.
Ruth was a Jungian analyst and had a private practice in Switzerland. She was a graduate of the C G Jung Institute in Kusnacht where she was a lecturer and training analyst. She studied with Dora Kalff, the pioneer of sandplay therapy, and she was a past president of the International Society for Sandplay Therapy.
Ruth will be dearly remembered and we send our sincere condolences to her family.
Hong Kong Sandplay Therapy Association
Adelina Wong Nov 2023 Workshop - Encountering Death in Sandplay and Drawings
This workshop will help students to know more about Jungian method of spontaneous creative work, the process of bereavement therapy for complicated grief and the bodily involvement of the grieving process. The webinar will touch upon the Jungian approach of imagery making and how to use sandplay as a container for the bereaved survivors to express their deep emotions. Ms. Adelina Wong will present 2 cases, both of which are female adults to illustrate their grieving process including dis-enfranchised grief for the sudden death of a loved one.
Ms. Adelina Wong has worked with families and adults in Hong Kong for more than 30 years. Besides an MA in Psychological Counselling, she also has an MA in Christian Spirituality. Ms. Wong applies a psycho-spiritual approach to work with people who suffer from loss and bereavement, sexual abuse, and early deprivation. She has presented many of her papers in conferences organized by ISST and IAAP and has given training in Sandplay Therapy and Jungian Psychology in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Indonesia. She has published sandplay therapy papers in the American Journals of Sandplay Therapy and Japanese Archives of Sandplay Therapy. Her research in ancient Chinese Hieroglyphs was published in Jung Journal: Culture and Psyche and Japanese Journal of Jungian Psychology. Adelina has worked as a clinical supervisor in two bereavement centers, The Comfort Care and Concern Group (CCCG) and The Jesse & Thomas Tam Center (JTTC), from 1997 to 2014.
Title: Encountering Death in Sandplay and Drawings
Dates: 2023 November 23 and 30 (Thursday)
Time: 7:00 – 10:00 pm (Hong Kong Time)
Language: English
Venue: Meeting online through ZOOM
Cost: $1300 (HKSTA member) - early bird deadline: 9 November 2023
$1400 (HKSTA member)- after 9 November 2023
On-line Registration: https://forms.gle/HtpnkxEKZWhQoAmy8
Flyer: https://shorturl.at/bjnA4
We hope you will enjoy this fascinating world of sandplay therapy as much as we do.
If you have any enquiries, please write to training@hksandplay.org
October 2023 Study Group: The Concept of Persona
In the October 2023 study group, Chris Cheung will explore the concept of persona and see how its manifestation changes over time. In Jung’s map of the soul, persona is the outer layer of the psyche which mediates between ourselves and the society. It is a social adaptation and compromise between our real self and how society wants us to be. Jung wrote that persona is ‘a complicated system of relations between the individual consciousness and society, fittingly enough a kind of mask, designed on the one hand to make a definite impression upon others, and, on the other, to conceal the true nature of the individual.’ (CW7, par. 305). Either over-identification of it or the lack of it will pose problems. The presentation will include sandplay and dream materials.
Topic: The Concept of Persona
Date: 12 Oct, 2023 (Thursday)
Time: 7:30 to 9pm HK time
Presenter: Chris Cheung (ISST certified sandplay therapist, educational psychologist)
Venue: Webinar via Zoom
Language: Cantonese
Online Registration: HKSTA Oct Study Group Registration
Deadline of registration: 6 Oct, 2023
This study group is only open to members of the Hong Kong Sandplay Therapy Association. Please renew your membership if your membership has expired in 2023 to be able to join the study group. We look forward to having a fruitful time with you.
Best regards,
Sally Chan
Study Group Coordinator (July to September 2023)
Hong Kong Sandplay Therapy Association (HKSTA)
Sep 2023 Study Group: Owning your own shadow
In the September study group, Kitty Liu will try to explore this topic from the book contents of “Owning Your Own Shadow: Understanding the Dark Side of the Psyche” written by Robert Johnson. Understanding the shadow is itself not an easy task, not to mention aspiring to own it. But it is not until we have accepted and even honored the shadow, that we shall be able to balance our psyche and to become whole. What is daunting is the shadow will turn out in other unexpected areas punching us with shock when we have not even a bit of awareness of this.
Kitty will also try to show a few sand play pictures of her clients as illustrations in the study.
Date: 27 Sep, 2023 (Wednesday)
Time: 7:30 to 9pm HK time
Presenter: Kitty Liu, Registered Counsellor (Level 4) with Australian Counselling Association now based in Sydney
Venue: Webinar via Zoom
Language: Cantonese
Online Registration: https://forms.gle/UtqgtipkQRAVnZhz8
Deadline of registration: 23 Sep, 2023
This study group is only open to members of the Hong Kong Sandplay Therapy Association. Please renew your membership if your membership has expired in 2023 to be able to join the study group. We look forward to having a fruitful time with you. And please note that the attendees are expected to turn on their cameras to safeguard confidentiality as clinical materials will be touched on.
Best regards,
Chris Cheung
Study Group Coordinator (July to September 2023)
Hong Kong Sandplay Therapy Association (HKSTA)
August 2023 Study Group: Cinderella
In the upcoming August study group, we will explore the fairy tale of Cinderella. Cinderella, among other fairy tales, is still one of the most popular one in modern time. We can still find this name to describe girls who raise from poverty and deprivation to be a princess, marrying an ideal prince. However, in the fairy tale, it is not only describing how heroic and bravery Cinderella to transform from “living in the ashes” alone to “living in the castle with the prince”, but more about the psychology of femininity, especially envy. With the absent father, how the stepmother, the two sisters, the fairy and Cinderella interacted and what they represented in female is worthwhile to study. In this study group, we will mainly use the original story of Cinderella, and the Jungian interpretation of envy from the book of Ulanov “Cinderella and her sisters, the envied and the envying”. Our presenter, George Kwok, will help to facilitate the group discussions with related clinical case materials to enrich our discussion, for instance family with sibling competition, and especially sibling rivalry disorder. The participants are welcome to bring with questions for discussions and sharing and are expected to read the story.
We sincerely invite you to join us in this study group.
Topic: The Fairy tales of Cinderella, and the envy within
Presenter: George Kwok (ISST-CST-T)
Date: 23 Aug, 2023 (Wednesday)
Format: Zoom online meeting
Time: 7:30 - 9:00pm
Language: Cantonese
Link to sign up: https://forms.gle/onTDKs6VkN2ehQMB7
Deadline of registration: 18 Aug 2023
This study group is only open to members of the Hong Kong Sandplay Therapy Association. Please renew your membership if your membership has expired in 2023 to be able to join the study group. We look forward to having a fruitful time with you.
Best regards,
Chris Cheung
Study Group Coordinator (July to September 2023)
Hong Kong Sandplay Therapy Association (HKSTA)
July 2023 Study Group: Artemis
In the upcoming July study group, we will explore the symbolic meaning of the Greek Goddess Artemis. As you may know, Artemis is well-known in Greek mythology as the Eternal Virgin, with her fierce, uncompromising, and self-determined character. She is also the protector of all that is wild and vulnerable, as well as the guardian of childbirth and the wilderness.
Jung once said that myth is more individual and expresses life more precisely than science. And Jean Shinoda Bolen remarked that all the goddesses are potential patterns in the psyches of all women. Still, in each individual woman, some of these patterns are activated and others are not, depending on the combined effect of various interacting elements, including the woman's predisposition, family and culture, hormones, significant others, chosen activities, and stages of life.
In this study group, we will explore how Artemis energy, in its mythology, is essential for the embodiment of feminine independence with healthy boundaries while remaining deeply empathetic. Our presenter, May will help to facilitate the group discussions with related clinical case materials to enrich our discussion.
We sincerely invite you to join us in this study group.
Topic: The Greek goddess, Artemis
Presenter: May LIU (Registered Play therapist, and has been learning Sandplay therapy for over 14 years)
Date: 20 July, 2023 (Thursday)
Format: Zoom online meeting
Time: 7:30 - 9:00pm
Language: Cantonese
Registration link: https://forms.gle/7CXKSqeye12e8L4h9
Deadline of registration: 17 July 2023
This study group is only open to members of the Hong Kong Sandplay Therapy Association. Please renew your membership if your membership has expired in 2023 to be able to join the study group. We look forward to having a fruitful time with you.
Please note that for security purposes, you are required to turn on your camera to gain access to the Zoom video webinar and type your name as your registered name for taking attendance. Otherwise, we will move you out of the meeting.
Best regards,
Chris Cheung
Study Group Coordinator (July to September 2023)
Hong Kong Sandplay Therapy Association (HKSTA)
Jill Kaplan July 2023 workshop - Manifestations of the Self: Mandala in Sandplay
Greetings from HKSTA! Hope you and your family doing well.
We are glad to announce that Ms. Jill Kaplan will offer a series of two Zoom sessions of Sandplay Therapy workshop on July 6 and July 13, 2023 which will fulfill 6 hours of theoretical training required by the International Society of Sandplay Therapy (ISST). Jill has worked with children and families throughout her career, holding masters’ degrees in Early Childhood Education and Counseling Psychology. Jill is a teaching member of Sandplay Therapists of America and the International Society for Sandplay Therapists. She has published several articles in the Journal of Sandplay Therapy, presented workshops nationally and internationally on Sandplay, has served on the STA Board of Trustees in many roles and is a Past President of the Board. In additional to clinical work with children and adults, she provides consultation for trainees in Sandplay Therapy.
This six-hour seminar is intended to familiarize participants with Jung’s concept of the Self and apply it to the psychotherapy process of individual patients. In particular, the symbol of the mandala will be presented as a Self symbol from several cultural perspectives, illustrating both the personal and archetypal significance of this image. Utilizing case material, students will learn how to discern images which represent the Self archetype. The mandala symbol may arise in a sandplay process as a unifying symbolic element when a patient is struggling to contain or find a relationship to opposites or opposing emotional experiences. Jung's concept of the transcendent function, the use of a symbol which facilitates a transition from one psychological attitude or condition to another, will be applied to case material as an example of the development of a more flexible and resilient ego. The role of sandplay therapy, a non-verbal and non-intrusive modality, will be discussed as a means of expressing and amplifying unconscious material. Participants will have an opportunity to create Self- images to help them integrate these concepts and apply them to clinical material. Case material will be presented, one child case, one adult case, to further amplify the depth of the mandala symbol and creation in sandplay process. If you like to learn more about the sandplay process and Jungian concepts, please come to join us. The deadline for the early-bird will be on June 22, 2023. Please see the attached workshop flyer for more details.
Workshop Title: Manifestations of the Self: Mandala in Sandplay
Dates: 6, 13 July (Thursday), 2023
Time: 7:00 - 10:00 pm
Language: English
Venue: Meeting online through ZOOM
Cost: $1300 (HKSTA member) - early bird deadline: 22 June 2023
$1400 (HKSTA member)- after 22 June 2023
Online registration: https://forms.gle/cXzntr1k4hjc96nd8
Flyer: https://shorturl.at/jrKX6
We hope you will enjoy this fascinating world of sandplay therapy as much as we do.
If you have any enquiries, please write to training@hksandplay.org
June 2023 Study Group: Closet
This study group will explore the symbolism of the closet and will describe the process of a middle-aged woman with unresolved pre-birth and post- birth trauma who used a closet object to explore and relive her early trauma also showing how the entire sandplay room became a big “closet” for her. She was contained by it as a place of incubation, in which rebirth and transformation could take place. Through her sandplay therapy process, this woman was able to penetrate the deep dark chambers of her psyche via the closet as a portal activating a new source of energy.
We sincerely invite you to join us in this study group.
Details
Topic: The Closet in Sandplay Therapy - Incubation, Rebirth and Transformation
Date: 28 June 2023 (Wednesday)
Time: 7:30 - 9:00pm
Presenter: Ms Sally Chan (Certified Sandplay Therapist, Marriage & Family Therapist)
Venue: Webinar via zoom
Language: Cantonese
Online registration: https://forms.gle/5Kfbv68zVtdT95S16
Deadline of registration: 26 June, 2023
This study group is only open to members of the Hong Kong Sandplay Therapy Association. We look forward to your participating in group exploration and sharing wisdom.
Best regards,
Jennifer Wong
Study Group Coordinator (for June 2023)
Hong Kong Sandplay Therapy Association (HKSTA)
May 2023 Study Group: Angels
Angels are spiritual beings. I believe that nobody on earth has witnessed 'Angel' in physical form. However, as a symbol, they exist so widespread around us. Within the scope of mythology and religions, they are so real that they even have their own classifications and hierarchies. I trusted that they also appear very frequently in the sand trays we encounter. Then why are so many people fascinated by Angels? How should we interpret their presence in our sand trays? Though they are usually associated with holiness and purification, do they have a dark side like other symbols?
Let's spend some time discussing and sharing our experience about 'Angel' in May
Details:
Topic: Angel
Date: 29 May, 2023
Time: 7:30 - 9:00pm
Presenter: Ms. Gabie Cheung (Certified Counsellor, Private Practice)
Venue: Webinar via zoom
Language: Cantonese
Online registration: https://forms.gle/BE58YGvABmvVZMuS6
Deadline of registration: 26 May, 2023
This study group is only open to members of the Hong Kong Sandplay Therapy Association. We look forward to your participating in group exploration and sharing wisdom.
Best regards,
Jennifer Wong
Study Group Coordinator (for May 2023)
Hong Kong Sandplay Therapy Association (HKSTA)
April 2023 Study Group: DIY Miniature Figurines
Let’s take a break from zoom and meet face-to-face! The figurine collection is the extension of the therapist. What better way to add some personal touch to your collection than to make your own figurines? In April study group, you will make some figurines. Be ready to tap into your creativity and have some fun!
Details:
Date: 11 and 25 April 2023
Time: 7:00 - 9:00pm (reception start 6:00pm for early starters)
Venue: YL Workshop, 11/F, Fung Lok Commercial Building, 163 Wing Lok Street
Payment: HKD100 (for materials and light refreshments)
Deadline for enrolment: 10 April 2023
Registration link: https://forms.gle/cMx34XZUoLKQpony7
This study group is only open to members of the Hong Kong Sandplay Therapy Association. We look forward to your participating in group exploration and sharing wisdom.
Best regards,
Jennifer Wong
Study Group Coordinator (for April 2023)
Hong Kong Sandplay Therapy Association (HKSTA)
Mar 2023 Study Group: The Legend of the White Snake
We continue our quest to explore some Eastern folktales through the lens of Jungian psychology and look at The Legend of the White Snake, which is considered one of China's Four Great Folktales. We continue to follow 鐘穎 傳說裡的心理學2 : 異婚與冥戀, her insights in The Legend of the White Snake. We shall look at the differences and similarities of the symbolism of snakes in different part of the world through legends and tales.
We sincerely invite you to join us in this study group.
Topic: The Legend of the White Snake
Date: 16/3/2023 (Thursday)
Time: 7:30 - 9:00 pm
Language: Cantonese
Presenter: Ms Jennifer Wong (Certified counselor)
Venue: Webinar on zoom
Online registration: HKSTA March 2023 Study Group
Deadline of registration: 11 March 2023
This study group is only open to members of the Hong Kong Sandplay Therapy Association. We look forward to your participating in group exploration and sharing wisdom.
Best Regards
May Liu
Study group coordinator
Hong Kong Sandplay Therapy Association (HKSTA)
Feb 2023 Study Group: Horse Skin Silkworm girl
以榮格心理學的角度看東方神怪故事
有沒有想過搜神記、聊齋誌異、太平廣記、中國民間傳說、今昔物語集、怪談中亦都蘊含著以榮格心理學的角度看東方神怪故事?
有沒有想過搜神記、聊齋誌異、今昔物語集、太平廣記、中國民間傳說、怪談中亦都蘊含著 anima 與animus 的象徵、陰影的探索及邁向自性化的秘密?
過去的故事分析都多從西方的經典故事入手，鮮有著作從東方的故事作探討。
是次的讀書會，將以搜神記其中一篇經典故事--- 馬皮蠶女作為引子，當榮格心理學遇上東方神怪故事會擦出怎樣的火花呢？
Have you ever considered exploring the archetypal image of anima and animus, understanding the shadow and the process of individuation in Eastern tales such as Soushen Ji、Strange Tales from the Liaozhai Studio, Taiping Guangji, Chinese Folklore, Kojaku Monogatarishu and Kwaidan?
While one might find a lot of reviews with Jungian theories in Western classics, few works have been found from Eastern stories. In this study group, we will explore some Eastern mythical stories through the lens of Jungian psychology. Our presenter, Sun would take one of the classic stories , Horse Skin Silkworm Girl (馬皮蠶女 ) in Soushen Ji as the starting point to review Eastern stories with Jungian theories. Let’s see what sparks will be created when Jungian psychology meets Eastern mystical stories.
Reference book and article:
鐘穎 2022 傳說𥚃的心理學1: 變形與狐仙 楓樹林出版社
馬皮蠶女： https://members.tripod.com/siumokwi_01/story028.htm
We sincerely invite you to join us in this study group.
Topic: "Horse Skin Silkworm Girl" - Exploring Eastern mythical stories through the lens of Jungian Psychology
Date: 27/2/2023 (Monday)
Time: 7:00 - 8:30 pm
Language: Cantonese
Presenter: Mr Poon Yat Sun (Registered Counsellor and Play therapist; He has been learning sandplay therapy since 2018)
Venue: Webinar on zoom
Online registration: HKSTA February 2023 Study Group
Deadline of registration: 22 February 2023
This study group is only open to members of the Hong Kong Sandplay Therapy Association. Please renew your membership if your membership has expired in 2023 to be able to join the study group. We look forward to having a fruitful time with you.
Best Regards
May Liu
Study group coordinator
Hong Kong Sandplay Therapy Association (HKSTA)
Jan 2023 Study Group: Clock in sandplay
‘The clock is ticking!’ In the modern world, we run around the clock. We all have some schedules to fulfill in a day and the clock shows us when to end an event and when it is time to start another. How is the evolution of clock in relation to civilization and human ego development? In Jan 2023 study group, Chris will explore the history of time keeping in different cultures, its parallel to ego development and Jungian views on time and clock. Clinical materials will be included in the presentation.
We sincerely invite you to join us in this study group.
Date: 30 January 2023 (Monday)
Time: 7:30 - 9:00 pm Hong Kong
Presenter: Chris Cheung, certified sandplay therapist, educational psychologist
Venue: Webinar on zoom
This study group is only open to members of the Hong Kong Sandplay Therapy Association. Please apply to this study group on or before January 24,, 2023. We look forward to having a fruitful time with you.
Online Registration Form: HKSTA January 2023 Study Group
Best Regards
May Liu
Study group coordinator
Hong Kong Sandplay Therapy Association (HKSTA)
Notice of the Twelfth Annual General Meeting (AGM)
Dear Member:
This is to inform you of the Twelfth Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Hong Kong Sandplay Therapy Association to be held on 16 March 2023 at 7:00pm. It will be followed by a Study Group. The meeting will be held online through ZOOM.
Details of the AGM have been circulated to all existing members by email.
Thank you for your continual support to HKSTA. We look forward to seeing you at the meeting.
Yours sincerely,
Jennifer WONG
Honorary Secretary
Hong Kong Sandplay Therapy Association
2 March 2023
Dear HKSTA members,
We would like to congratulate Ms Cheung Yee Ping Chris who has become the sixth locally trained Certified Sandplay Therapist in Hong Kong. Chris was certified by the ISST (International Society for Sandplay Therapy) as a certified member as of Nov 15, 2022.
In brief, the certification process includes (1) a personal process in sandplay therapy with an ISST member; (2) theoretical training of a minimum of 100 hours of participation in training seminars by ISST Teaching members in the tradition of Dora Kalff that is based on the principles of the psychology of C.G. Jung; (3) two written symbol papers; (4) 80 hours supervision of practical work in individual and group sessions; and (5) one completed written case study evaluated by three International ISST case readers.
Chris is an educational psychologist working in local primary and secondary schools. For years, she has participated in training in hypnotherapy, art therapy, play therapy and psychodynamic psychotherapy. The therapeutic skills and symbolic thinking hatched by these training are incorporated widely in her daily work. Her interest in sandplay was ignited when she witnessed similar phenomena manifested in her clients’ sandtrays. Her curiosity led her to Dr. Alexander Esterhuyzen’s sandplay workshop in Hong Kong in 2018, with whom she also went through the personal process. She has been actively engaging in various sandplay and Jungian training locally and online ever since. Her major supervisors are Ms. Carina Conradie and Ms. Adelina Wong. She wrote about ‘Dog’ and ‘Clock’ as her symbol papers. Chris is serving as an executive committee member of HKSTA since 2020 to contribute to the promotion of sandplay therapy in Hong Kong. To pursue her dream of becoming a Jungian analyst, Chris is now a router in the IAAP (International Association for Analytical Psychology) Router Training Program.
HKSTA fully supports those who intend to become certified sandplay therapists. We will continue to offer programs and other means to facilitate the process.
Best Regards,
May Liu
Vice Chairperson
Hong Kong Sandplay Therapy Association (HKSTA)
16 November 2022
