Sensorimotor / Play / Sand Therapy

Sensorimotor, Play, Sand Therapy

Sensorimotor, play, and sand therapy offer unique and engaging approaches to help children process emotions, develop social skills, and build resilience. Our therapists create a safe and supportive environment where children can express themselves freely and creatively.

Through these therapeutic modalities, children can:

  • Process emotions: Explore and express their feelings in a non-verbal way.
  • Develop social skills: Practice social interaction and communication skills.
  • Build self-esteem: Gain confidence in their abilities and creativity.
  • Improve focus and attention: Enhance cognitive skills and concentration.
  • Reduce anxiety and stress: Develop coping mechanisms to manage difficult emotions.

By using play, sand, and other sensory materials, children can engage in activities that are both fun and therapeutic. These activities can help them to process traumatic experiences, develop empathy, and build resilience.

Watch our short video below explaining the Mastermind method of play and art therapy.

Many clients pay little or nothing out of pocket — we direct bill Pacific Blue Cross, SunLife, Telus Health / Canada Life, GreenShield, and more. See all insurance & funding options → Direct billing available

Ready to help your child thrive? Contact us today to schedule a consultation.

Need help finding the right counsellor for you? Get matched to one of our qualified Registered Clinical Counsellors

Meet your therapists

Sensorimotor, play, and sand therapy are specialist modalities. Our trained therapists work with children, adolescents, and adults. Sessions in North Vancouver and West Vancouver.

Maryam Mills

Maryam Mills

MA, RCC-ACS, CCC, BCN, EMDRIA-Consultant — Clinic Director

“My aim is to guide clients toward realizing their highest potential — drawing on EMDR, neurofeedback, and a deeply holistic understanding of what shapes each person's experience.”

EMDR Neurofeedback Trauma Couples Hypnotherapy Farsi Full profile →
Teresa Berkholtz

Teresa Berkholtz

MA, RCC

“I believe every individual has the capacity to grow through their struggles and emerge with clarity, strength, and purpose — I use EMDR and parts work to help clients find what keeps them stuck.”

EMDR IFS / Parts work Somatic Gottman Full profile →
Jackie McGregor

Jackie McGregor

MACP, RCC

“True healing involves attending to the whole person — I integrate IFS, somatic, and Gottman approaches to help clients achieve deeper self-discovery and lasting change.”

IFS / Parts work Somatic CBT Gottman Full profile →

Ready to get started? Not sure who to book with — we'll match you with the right counsellor.

Book a free 15 min. consultation

Sensorimotor, Play & Sand Therapy — Frequently Asked Questions

Sensorimotor psychotherapy is a body-centred approach to trauma and emotional healing. It recognises that traumatic experiences are stored not just in memory and thought, but in the body — in physical tension, posture, movement patterns, and nervous system responses. By working with bodily experience alongside thoughts and emotions, sensorimotor therapy can reach what talk therapy alone sometimes doesn't. It's used with adults and adolescents navigating trauma, anxiety, dissociation, and attachment difficulties.
Play therapy uses creative and expressive activities — play, art, storytelling, roleplay — as the primary medium for therapeutic work. It's most commonly used with children aged 3 to 12 because children communicate and process experience through play more naturally than through words. However adapted forms of expressive therapy can also be valuable for adolescents and adults who benefit from non-verbal or creative approaches.
Sand therapy (also called sandplay or sandtray therapy) involves creating scenes or images in a tray of sand using miniature figures and objects. It's a projective technique that allows clients to externalise and explore inner experiences that can be difficult to put into words. A session is guided by the therapist and the client — there's no right or wrong way to use the tray. It's used with both children and adults, particularly for trauma, grief, and complex emotional processing.
Your counsellor will discuss this with you in an initial consultation. The choice of approach depends on age, the nature of what's being worked on, and what feels most accessible. Many clients use a combination — sensorimotor techniques alongside talk therapy, for example, or sand therapy integrated into a broader treatment plan. You're always involved in decisions about your care.