molly and me
counseling and training center
Hands in the Sand:
Foundational Sandtray Interventions For Play Therapists
August 22, 2026
Approved by APT Approved Provider 08-222 for 6 CE hours.
Sponsored by: Molly and Me Counseling and Training Center, PLLC
Location:
Molly and Me Counseling and Training Center
1414 W Ustick, #110
Meridian, ID 83646
Presented by: Molly Gratton, LCSW, RPT-S™
Molly Gratton is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a Registered Play Therapist – Supervisor™. She is a Registered Clinical Supervisor through the state of Idaho and provides play therapy supervision as an approved Supervisor through the Association for Play Therapy. Molly received her Master’s Degree in Social Work in 1998 from the University of Kansas. Molly has served on the board of directors for the Idaho Play Therapy Association from July 2008 to July 2019. She served as the President from July 2009 through June 2015 and her final four years as Past President and Secretary.
Read Full Bio
Molly is the founder and owner of Molly and Me Counseling and Training Center. With over 25 years of experience helping children and their families deal with issues such as trauma, attachment disruptions, loss and grief, divorce, behavioral problems, autism spectrum disorders, depression and anxiety, she is dedicated to enhancing and empowering the lives of the people with whom she works. Molly provides counseling services to children, adolescents and families as well as play therapy training and supervision services to professionals. She has a special love for children who have autism and is certified in AutPlay® Therapy. as well as working with other neurodivergent children. Molly has extensive specialized training in child-parent relational therapies including Theraplay, Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP), and Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI®.) Molly was trained under Dr. Karyn Purvis and Dr. David Cross, co-authors of “The Connected Child,” in Trust-Based Relational Interventions.
From her education and experience, Molly is able to provide easy to understand clinical interventions and real life examples to augment the history, theory and concepts learned during trainings. She uses humor to engage her audience and is a highly sought after speaker who has presented at numerous workshops, conferences, in educational settings. Molly enjoys teaching and sharing creative approaches for participants to utilize in their practice immediately.
Presented by: Rachel Blick
Rachel is a licensed Clinical Social Worker with her certification as a Registered Play Therapist™ (RPT™) through the Association for Play Therapy. Since 2019, she has specialized in play therapy, working with children, adolescents, and their families in clinical settings. Additionally, as a Clinical Supervisor in Idaho, she supports developing social workers. Rachel is passionate about making play therapy approachable, practical, and immediately applicable to everyday clinical practice.
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Rachel Blick is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a Registered Play Therapist™. She has been a part of the Molly and Me family since 2017 as she began her professional career as a student intern, administrative assistant, and then moved into the mental health therapist role after her graduation from Northwest Nazarene University in 2018. In 2020, Rachel began supervising other therapists, and she is currently a supervisor in the Boise office and our school based mental health program. She loves being a part of Molly and Me! Her passion in life is helping others, so naturally, social work was the road for Rachel to embark upon. She realized she wanted to commit herself to the service of helping others when she was a counselor at a residential treatment facility in Billings, MT. It was life-changing to see the hope, trust and empowerment she helped foster in adolescents. At Molly and Me Counseling, she offers individual, family and group therapy.
Rachel has jumped in full force and has committed to herself, her career and to the well being of children and families. She strives to provide the best service to families who enter Molly and Me Counseling. She has a special talent and passion for working with children on the Autism Spectrum and holds a specialized certification as an endorsed AutPlay® Therapist.
In Rachel’s free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family and her dog children, Kyle and Doug.
Hands in the Sand – Training Overview
Hands in the Sand: Foundational Sandtray Interventions for Play Therapists is a 6-hour continuing education training for clinicians who want to use sandtray with greater confidence, intention, and developmental awareness. Participants will learn how to create an accessible sandtray space, select miniatures that support symbolic expression, understand common developmental themes across childhood and adolescence, and strengthen their role in supporting the client’s sandtray process. The training includes discussion, experiential practice, and practical sandtray interventions that can be used with children, adolescents, and families in clinical settings.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Upon successful completion of this program participants will:
- Describe the therapist’s role in sandtray therapy, including creating safety, observing without judgment, following the client’s lead, and facilitating reflection.
- Identify developmentally appropriate sandtray themes and interventions for children ages 2–6, 7–10, and 11–17.
- Explain how miniature selection, organization, representation, and accessibility support client engagement and symbolic expression.
- Demonstrate directive and nondirective sandtray prompts that support emotional expression, self-awareness, and clinical exploration.
- Apply basic sandtray observation skills to identify client themes, strengths, emotional needs, and possible treatment direction.
Earn up to 6 continuing education hours (one [1] hour credit = 60 minutes)
CE hours are available for Counselors, Social Workers, and MFTs
Play therapy credit is only awarded to mental health professionals
APT Approved Provider 08-222
Schedule
| Registration | 8:45 am – 9:00 am |
| Training | 9:00 am – 4:30 pm |
| Break | 10:30am – 10:45am |
| Lunch (on your own) | 12:15 – 1:15pm |
| Break | 2:45pm – 3:00pm |
| Coffee/water and light snacks provided | |
PLEASE NOTE – Courses that receive fewer than five (5) registrations could be rescheduled to a later date. Registered attendees will be notified of cancellations/rescheduling two weeks prior to the date of the training and will be offered their choice of a refund or credit toward a future training event.
Fees and Cancellation Policy
| Payment due in full by July 31, 2026 | |
| Individual | $219 |
| Group of 3-5 (10% discount – cost is per attendee) | $197.10 |
| Group of 6-10 (15% discount – cost is per attendee) | $186.15 |
| Emerging Clinician (Grad Student/Intern at time of training) LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE | $149 |
For late registration, August 1, 2026 and beyond – Email Hi****@******************ng.com (please click email to reveal address)
FOR PLANNING PURPOSES – ALL PAYMENTS REQUIRED BY July 31st, 2026
CANCELLATION POLICY
A cancellation request must be received in writing postmarked no later than August 1, 2026 to receive a refund and is subject to a $75 (plus charges) processing fee. No refunds after August 1st, 2026.
A full refund will be given if the workshop is cancelled.
