The structure and organization of conversations in sandplay therapy

M.Ed.The focus and purpose of this study was to explore and describe how conversations in sandplay therapy sessions are structured and organised, and to determine how these dimensions of conversations are linked to the outcomes of a sandplay therapy session. It is believed that through play, troubled learners are able to use their imagination, communicate awareness of what is happening in their life worlds, transform their thinking patterns and are able solve problems. The samples I initially started with were two, 13 year old learners at a school in the western suburbs of Johannesburg. Yet one dropped out during the transcribing process. Please refer to Chapter Three for further details. Therefore this study only focuses on a sample of one 13 year old female learner. The adolescent learner interviewed is from a historically disadvantaged background and at the time was experiencing emotional difficulties as well as learning difficulties. The research was constructed in ways that are congruent and ‘fitting’ with the underlying epistemological assumptions of social constructionism, which implies understanding the participant’s accounts as stories and the environment of the study as a conversational domain (Mischler, 1986). In accordance with social constructionists, focus was drawn towards the fact that individual language is constructed through a dialogical process between people in context. In attempting to understand and develop further insight into the conversational focus of this study an Ethnomethodological research design was used. This research design allows for the original reanalysis of social problems and a highly integrated treatment of their various implications for the conceptualisation and analysis of fundamental aspects of social organisation (Heritage, 1984 p.3). What has emerged from Ethnomethodology is that participants in real worlds do show orientations to the most immediate, embodied, pragmatic contexts of any given utterance (Hesser-Biber & Leavy 2006). Data was gathered using an audio and video recorded session, after which it was transcribed and analysed using Conversation analysis to explore the conversational structures and organization across four levels of analysis as v described by Clayman and Gill, (2004, cited in ten Have, 2007). It details the macroscopic view of what is happening in the conversation, observing discrete sequences of action e.g. common sequential actions such as requests, invitations etc., single actions that comprise sequences and lastly the microscopic level whereby specific lexical choices, intonation contours and non – verbal behaviours may exist. The findings of this study have revealed that through the journey into a world of images, symbolic material, poetic understanding and deep reflective therapeutic conversation, the narratives told empowers our clients to form or mould a deep and rich description of their experiences. Through the use of sandplay therapy tools and the therapeutic conversation, the participant was able to externalize and re-authorize aspects of her life. A deep and rich understanding developed through making the conversation a learning experience. The problem could then be separated from the learner empowering and restoring her integrity, revitalizing identity and helping reshape a new direction or life-goal story. Language was of great significance here, converging symbols and words to learn patience, perspective and to listen out for rhythm and intonation. This allowed the boundaries of space, time and consciousness to remain open for layers of meaning, reaching back in time and forward into the unknown. A story and language starts to develop, one that has meaning and that encourages further development and correction, significant to the participant’s current learning difficulty