Unit 2 / Seminar 1: Saturday, January 28, 2023; 9:30 am – 4:00 pm

The Individuation Process as Described by Carl Jung

Presented by Liza Ravitz, PhD, CST-T  

This is the first seminar in the Jungian Foundation Series, which deals with Jungian theory and its application to sandplay. It will include an introduction to the concept of individuation, and an exploration of the psyche’s development over a lifetime to increase consciousness and develop a deeper connection to the unconscious. An emphasis on the Self as the organizing principle of the psyche will be included, and the ego-Self axis as the connecting link between consciousness and the unconscious will be identified. All concepts will be illustrated with examples from sandplay cases, and a sandplay case will be presented to illustrate the movement of psychic energy throughout a sandplay process.

Learning Objective:  

• Describe what is meant by Jung’s concept of the Self.
• Identify images of the Self as they appear in sandplay scenes.
• Identify the function of the ego.
• Define the ego-Self axis.
• List 3 defining characteristics of a Self tray.
• Describe the components of a sandplay process.

Liza J. Ravitz, PhD, is a Jungian Child and Adult Psychoanalyst and Clinical Psychologist. She has a clinical and consultation practice in Petaluma, CA where she sees both children and adults.  Dr. Ravitz is a teaching faculty member at the C. G. Jung Institute of San Francisco, a seminar faculty member at Sonoma State University, and a teaching member of the International Society of Sandplay Therapists (ISST).  She has published on various topics, most recently in the book Jungian Child Analysis.  Dr. Ravitz teaches and trains internationally.

Unit 2 / Seminar 2: Saturday, February 18, 2023; 9:30 am – 4:00 pm

Complexes and Shadow

Presented by Laura Soble, LMFT, REAT, CST-T   

Jungian concepts of complexes, shadow, transference, and countertransference will be brought to life through images, sandplay case examples, and embodied experience in this day-long seminar. Participants will be encouraged to respond aesthetically throughout the day, and to have materials of their choice readily available for writing and art.

Learning Objectives:  

• Describe what is meant by the Jungian concepts of complex and shadow.
• Describe what is meant by an embodied experience of transference or countertransference.
• Describe Jung’s concept of the therapeutic relationship.
• Describe Kay Bradway’sconcept of co-transference.
• Give an example of how a sandplay scene can reflect a patient’s complex.
• Give examples of how a clinician’s unconscious response to a patient can impact the therapeutic field.

Laura Soble MFT,  CST-T, is a Jungian Analyst affiliated with the C.G. Jung Institute of San Francisco, a teaching member of STA/ISST, and a Registered Expressive Arts Therapist. She specializes in depth psychotherapy with adults, teens and children, and is attuned to symbols, images, and dreams as important to the therapy process. An associate editor of Jung Journal: Culture & Psyche, she has published in the Arts in Psychotherapy Journal, the Journal of Sandplay Therapy, and Jung Journal: Culture & Psyche. Laura presents nationally and internationally on sandplay and the integration of the arts in therapy. Her practice is based in San Anselmo, CA.

Unit 2 / Seminar 3: Saturday, March 25, 2023; 9:30 am – 4:00 pm

Archetypes and the Transcendent Function

Presented by Shannon Yockey, LCSW, CST-T  

This seminar will introduce the Jungian concept of the Transcendent Function, which facilitates the transition from one psychic condition to another by means of the mutual confrontation of the opposites. Archetypes, universal, primal symbols, and images that come from the collective unconscious will also be explored. We will focus on Jung’s primary archetypes of persona, anima, animus, and shadow and demonstrate common archetypal themes as father, mother, and child, through sandplay, art, and nature to assist in the learning process.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe what is meant by the Transcendent Function
• Describe what is meant by an archetype and give an example from clinical practice.
• Identify symbolic expressions of both the transcendent function and archetypal themes using sandplay case examples.
• Give an example of how to differentiate personal unconscious material from archetypal themes in the context of sandplay therapy.
• Describe the process of developing a relationship to the transcendent function in the context of sandplay.
• Describe what is meant by the personal unconscious vs the collective unconscious.

Shannon Yockey, LCSW, is a Jungian analyst with the Inter-Regional Society of Jungian Analysts and a teaching member with ISST/STA. She has been in private practice for over twenty-five years working with children, teens, and adults. She specializes in early attachment, relational trauma, and anxiety. Her current area of exploration and writing is healing and transformation through relationship in nature through direct experiences, sandplay, dreams, and active imagination.

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