Innovative Study, Co-Authored by Pacific Quest’s Clinical Director Dr. Lorriane Freedle, Explores the Benefits of Sandplay in Young Adult Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare Programs

A new study, published this year in the Journal of Sandplay Therapy and co-authored by Pacific Quest’s Clinical Director, Dr. Lorraine Freedle, supports the added value of sandplay therapy in outdoor behavioral healthcare programs.

Sandplay therapy, a nonverbal therapeutic intervention, “accesses conscious and unconscious processes and the natural healing capacities of the psyche to promote psychological development (Kalff, 2020; Roesler, 2019). It is typically deemed most suitable for young children who have trouble expressing their feelings in words. However, Dr. Freedle’s findings show that sandplay is also beneficial to Emerging Adults, or young adults aged 18-25.

The study, which took place at Pacific Quest’s outdoor therapeutic program on Hawai’i Island, included 58 young adults ranging in age from 18-24. Overall, the research found that young adults with significant trauma and those with difficulty expressing their emotions benefited most from sandplay therapy.

Dr. Lorraine Freedle (PhD, ABPDN, CST-T) is a pediatric neuropsychologist, international sandplay therapy teacher (STA/ISST), and trainer in the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT). She has published numerous professional journal articles and chapters about sandplay, neuropsychology, and trauma. As an award-winning researcher, she asserts that multi-sensory and experiential treatments are critical in maximizing growth, balance, and learning potential.

Furthermore, research shows that sandplay therapy effectively treats a wide range of mental health conditions, including anxiety, depression, trauma, addition, ADD/ADHD, behavioral issues, and other social-emotional conditions.

Dr. Freedle’s recently published article is just one among several studies showing the benefits of incorporating sandplay therapy into treatment programs, including programs—like Pacific Quest’s—that work with young adults in an outdoor therapeutic setting. Dr. Freedle’s scientific contributions are a huge addition to Pacific Quest’s research-driven outdoor behavioral healthcare program. For more information about her hypothesis, methodology, and findings, you can access the entire article through the Journal of Sandplay Therapy.

About Pacific Quest

Pacific Quest began 16 years ago with the mission to provide hope to parents and struggling adolescents and young adults by facilitating life-changing experiences on the Big Island of Hawaii. The hybrid wilderness/residential therapy program works with adolescents and young adults struggling with anxiety, depression, isolation, substance misuse, and trauma. For more: https://pacificquest.org