중국 조선족 부모 별거 아동과 부모 동거 아동의 모래놀이치료 이야기 표현과 상징성 표현 비교

Comparison of Story Expressions and Symbolic Expressions of Sandplay Therapy between Korean Chinese Parents and Children both Separated and Living Together

The study was conducted in Yanbian, China, where we analyzed the differences in symbolic expressions during sandplay therapy between ethnic Korean children living with their parents and ethnic Korean children living apart from their parents. The researcher selected 10 children who were living with their parents and 10 children who were living apart from their parents for sandplay therapy. These children participated in eight sandplay sessions of 40 minutes duration over a period of three weeks. We classified the differences in symbolic expressions into four different categories: use of figures, use of sand, use of space and process of sandplay. Although we did not set any specific themes, instead letting the children make their sand pictures as they wished, the two groups displayed different emotions toward their mothers and fathers. The participants also exhibited verbal and nonverbal differences as well as different attitudes toward sandplay therapy. These results demonstrates that sandplay therapy is an effective tool for therapeutic work with children in general who have problematic relationships with their parents.