| Counselor professional identity is an issue at the forefront of the mental health profession, with a need for ways counselors can express and explore their identities. This study explored the use of sandtray as a vehicle for expressing and exploring counselor professional identity. Prior to this study, nor research had been done on using this modality to explore counselor professional identity. Using a phenomenological methodology, five counseling students and recent graduates participated in a group sandtray exercise. Three types of data were collected: group interviews, individual follow-up interviews, and photographs of sandtrays. Data analysis revealed six themes and nine subthemes that contribute to the understanding of the potential of sandtray to help counselors process, explore, and express their professional identity. |
