애착외상으로 인한 정서조절 문제를 가진 아동의 모래놀이치료 사례

Sandplay Therapy Case Study: A Child with Emotional Regulation Problem Caused by Attachment Trauma

This study observed the sandplay process of a boy in the first grade who had a problem of regulating his emotions, which was caused by his experience of attachment trauma. The study particularly paid attention to the child s ego-development process. A total of 34 sessions were conducted within a period of 10 months. During the initial stage, themes related to attachment trauma often appeared. As the therapy progressed, themes related to healing increasingly made their appearances and the child was able to overcome the theme of attachment trauma. Particularly during the second half of therapy, attachment trauma-related themes began to gradually disappear and the processes of psychological rebirth and ego development were manifested. Through sandplay therapy, the child s problem with emotional regulation, which greatly affected his life at school, was alleviated and positive changes occurred in terms of the child s interaction with his peers. He therefore became more acclimated to school life. The study result revealed that sandplay therapy is effective in enabling children to overcome attachment trauma and helping them to improve their emotional regulation and social adaptation skills.