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Eliana Gil–Sand Therapy Integrated with Play Therapy: Theory & Integration

April 28, 29, and May 5, 2023

Presenter Bio

Eliana Gil, PhD, ATR, RPT-S, LMFT, is a Founding Partner of Gil Institute for Trauma Recovery & Education, LLC, a group private practice in Fairfax, Va, where she currently works as a Senior Clinical and Research Consultant.  She is an Approved MFT Supervisor as well as a Registered Play Therapist/Supervisor and a Registered Art Therapist.  She is also a Circle of Security Certified Parent Educator, a Level II Theraplay provider, and participated and completed a two-year Individual Certification process with Dr. Bruce Perry.  Dr. Gil is also Director of Starbright Training Institute for

Child and Family Play Therapy where she and Gil Institute colleagues provide specialized trainings on an array of topics involving trauma, attachment, and treatment options, with an integration of expressive therapies (art, sand, play).  In the last two decades, Eliana has directed two child sexual abuse treatment programs in Northern Virginia and continues her work in the field of child abuse prevention and treatment.  She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who received her doctorate in family therapy from the California Graduate School of Family Psychology in San Rafael, California.  She has served on the Board of Directors of the American Professional Society on the Abused of Children and the National Resource Center on Child Sexual Abuse.  She is also a former President of the Association for Play Therapy and received APT’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011.  

Dr. Gil has written numerous chapters, journal articles, and books on child abuse and related topics and has participated in educational videotapes that feature her work through Guilford Press, as well as a self-published DVD on Family Play Therapy.  Her most recent books include Post-Traumatic Play: What Clinicians Should Know and the second edition of Play in Family Therapy.  She also co-authored a book with Dr. David Crenshaw on Termination Challenges in Psychotherapy.  Her classic book Outgrowing the Pain, has been translated into many languages.  Dr. Gil is a well-known international lecturer, author, and clinician.  She is bilingual and bicultural with Ecuadorian parents.  Since 2014, she has been semi-retired and continues to supervise, consult and teach.  Dr. Gil conducts specialized, unique trainings in Fairfax, VA and provides trainings across the country on a regular basis, although greatly reduced from previous years.  She also sponsors the Mid-Atlantic Play Therapy Institute in Northern Virginia on an annual basis. 

Eliana has dreamed of being a grandmother since she was a young child and cherished her relationship to her own grandmothers, Emilia and Teresa.  She now has four grandchildren under the age of 12 and looks forward to being closer to them geographically and continuing to be a part of their lives.  She loves watching her children as they have grown into loving, smart, patient, and creative parents.

Program Description

This workshop will introduce basic skills for setting up sand therapy within a play therapy practice. All participants will get a chance to have experiential learning building trays, and inviting/observing others. An emphasis will be place on “reading” sand trays, using amplification language, and understanding symbol communication (both with self and other). In addition, Dr. Gil will discuss how to weave sand therapy themes with play therapy and how to use both expressive therapies to inform and advance treatment goals.  Group and family sand trays will be explored along with integrated approaches that are both directive and non-directive.

Objectives:

The specific objectives of this course are for participants to gain and demonstrate the following content areas:

  1. Define sand therapy and sand play
  2. List two ways to incorporate sand therapy into a general play therapy practice
  3. List two compatibilities between sand therapy theory and play therapy theory
  4. Name two sand therapy theories and specify whether they are directive and nondirective
  5. Name two play therapy theories and define whether they are directive and nondirective
  6. List three ways you can transfer the thematic material in the sand tray to other play therapy activities
  7. Name three variables to reading sand trays
  8. Discuss two gender specific differences in sand trays and how those will influence choice of play therapy techniques

  • Dates: April 28th, 29th, and May 5th (3 days)–Virtual
  • Location: Live via Zoom
  • Cost: $600.00
  • Time: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM EST Daily
  • Cancellation Policy can be viewed here.
  • Continuing Education:
    • 15 Webinar Hours through APT
    • Brighter Futures Counseling, PLLC has been approved by NBCC as an approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7035. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Brighter Futures Counseling, PLLC is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
    • Brighter Futures Counseling is an approved provider by the Kentucky Board of Marriage and Family Therapy (Approved 02/17/2022)