Overview:

NSST brings together for the first time, three critically important features to therapy working with populations with underlying past relational and acute trauma:

  • It is a practical application of the latest research in neuroscience to the imaging offered by the sand tray and figurines.

  • It brings an updated and well-respected body of humanistic counselling therapy theory and practice from Virginia Satir into the process of working with the images in the sand tray.

  • It outlines and details a design for a new interventionist role for the therapist/counsellor beyond talk therapy in harnessing the creativity, imagination and playfulness of the sand tray and the novel metaphors that the figurines express.

The combination of these three approaches has given rise to a new psychotherapeutic approach which is able to transform default patterns of coping behaviors at a genetic level which in turn reorganizes the nervous system.


  • Origins and more information about NSST™

    Besel van der Kolk has said that 30% of trauma can be transformed through talk therapy. What about the other 70%? Neuroscience research says that the impact of our experiences is primarily sequestered in the implicit memory. Most of the impacts of traumatic experiences are stored in the form of energy patterns with no words attached to them. That is why talk therapy is limited as it is unable to access these wordless unconscious experiences. The work of transforming the impact of traumatic events must use imagination, and creativity to access the embodied experiences and the subsequent default defenses that have arisen. The figurines resonate with the sequestered energy and once externalized in the sand tray can be changed, moved and new decision can be made about what is to be internalized providing a new way of being.

    Neuroscience and Satir in the Sand Tray does this very effectively when combined with authentic attunement and co-regulation, on the part of the therapist. Evidence-based research has shown that it is profound quick and lasting.Neuroscience and Satir in the Sand Tray combines Virginia Satir’s great contribution to 20th century psychotherapy with two other conceptual areas, namely the most recent neuroscience and a new way using the sand tray and figurines. De Little’s particular use of the sand tray offers ways for the psychotherapist to fully harness the potential of the client’s imagination, creativity and play. Her incorporation of the latest developments in neuroscience accesses the power of the novel metaphor, right-brain to right-brain attunement, and epigenetics.

    This work is about creating an internal sense of safety for the client. The therapy begins between the therapist and the client as they explore together the client’s experiences through the metaphorical expressions elicited by the figurines. The client is then able to recognize the special gifts of their presenting problematic ways of keeping safe. Subsequently the client can use the figurines to explore and transform these no longer useful defenses into a more integrated and balanced authentic Self.

Endorsements for this Course

  • "Solidly grounded in recent research on right brain-to-right brain communications in the therapeutic alliance, on the dissociative defense, and on the central role of intersubjective play in the externalized expression of the patient’s internal emotional life, Madeleine De Little offers a creative, pragmatic model of the interpersonal neurobiological change mechanisms of sand tray therapy.

    I highly recommend the work of this gifted clinician to therapists looking to enhance their clinical skills in working more effectively in reenactments of attachment dynamics in both child and adult psychotherapy."

    Allan Schore, Ph.D.
    Author, Right Brain Psychotherapy and The Science of the Art of Psychotherapy

    ⎯ ⎯ ⎯

  • "Dr. Madeleine De Little's online course presents psychotherapists with a remarkable training and certification opportunity! No other program offers the unique combination of play and creativity, combined with brain research, all within a highly relational approach toward healing trauma."

    Terry Marks-Tarlow, Ph.D.
    Well-known psychologist, speaker and author of numerous papers and books on nonlinear science, creativity, play and clinical intuition.

    ⎯ ⎯ ⎯

  • “This training has moved me to think outside of what I have learned about traditional ways of counseling and challenge those ways and ultimately use the sand tray and neuroscience … I will tell my colleagues how transformational this training was and how useful this is for everyone, not just school-aged children.”

    Previous Workshop Participant

Who is the course for?


Those who are in the helping profession, like:
• Therapists
• Counsellors in private practice /agencies
• School counsellors
• Social workers
• Psychologists
• Medical personnel doing therapy
• Student counsellors



  • In order to participate in the course, and become certified
    you must:

  • Have some knowledge and experience of the Satir Transformative Systemic Therapeutic Model.

  • Have personal liability insurance to practice counseling.

  • Have a clean criminal record check or a self-declaration of no criminal charges, previous offenses, etc.

Ready to Enroll?

Choose the pricing option that works best for you.

Course Elements

  • Course Includes

    15+
    Hours of Archival Training Sessions with Dr. Madeleine De Little

    6
    Modules of learning including topics like Loss & Grief, Shame, Trauma, and Anxiety


    Quizzes and Assignments after Each Module to Evaluate Learning and Understanding of Concepts

  • Course Also Includes


    • Pre-Lesson video content, Readings, and Podcasts curated by Dr. Madeleine De Little

    • Academic Resources and Papers from other Leading Researchers and Authors

    • A certification in the Foundations of NSST upon successful completion of course.

    • Lifetime access to this course and it's content.

You will be learning and experiencing with both hemispheres the following:

  • Deepening our understanding of our own attachment / defensive style(s) and creating space to explore our authentic presence.

  • Slowing down the sand tray process to develop a deep understanding of the icebergs of each figurine and how to elicit the special gifts and positive intentions of the clients’ defenses.

  • Shedding light on our own ‘shadows’ using NSST. Our own personal growth is essential because we use our ‘selves’ as a central tool in therapy.

Learning Objectives

(click next to each session to learn more)

  • ⎯ Session 1 ⎯
    What the Autonomic Defenses look like in the Sand Tray and How to Transform Them

    1️⃣Describe 3 key aspects of right brain to right brain therapeutic relationship
    2️⃣Explain significances of the vertical and horizontal integration outcome of NSST
    3️⃣Identify 2 aspects of the concept and power of the novel metaphor
    4️⃣Identify differences between misattunement and attunement between client and therapist

  • ⎯ Session 2 ⎯
    How to Transform Loss & Grief

    1️⃣Explain and compare two possible ways of to transform loss in the sand tray
    2️⃣List and describe the stages of grief & facts about grief
    3️⃣Describe and discuss what is unresolved grief
    4️⃣List and analyze three myths about grief
    5️⃣Compare and analyze two paths to transforming the defenses that develop from loss of safety

  • ⎯ Session 3 ⎯
    How to Transform Anxiety & Depression

    1️⃣Describe what is depression and list four types of causes
    2️⃣Explain and analyze Generalized Anxiety
    3️⃣List and explain three aspects of how Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder works
    4️⃣Predict and discuss two ways to transform anxiety and depression in the sand tray

  • ⎯ Session 4 ⎯
    How to Transform Trauma

    1️⃣List and explain three major features of trauma
    2️⃣Describe and explain the relationship the role of implicit memory in trauma
    3️⃣DIscuss and analyze the importance of accessing the right brain
    4️⃣Identify and explain two scenarios of the impact of epigenetics and early trauma on attachment style

  • ⎯ Session 5⎯
    How to Transform Shame

    1️⃣List and describe three aspect of shame
    2️⃣Describe and compare two scenarios of transforming shame In the sand tray
    3️⃣Discuss and explain two scenarios of transforming shame in the sand tray
    4️⃣Identify and discuss two unique aspects of chronic shame and its impact

  • ⎯ Session 6⎯
    How to Work with Children & Families

    1️⃣Identify and discuss three challenges of working with children and how words can’t reach their experience
    2️⃣Describe two scenarios for using the sand tray when working with families and couples
    3️⃣Identify and explain three ways to ask about love language and intimacy
    4️⃣Analyze and compare the difference between working with families with children versus working with couples

About the Instructor

Madeleine De Little

PhD, RTC, MTC, RCS., CCC

Dr. De Little is the recipient of the 2021 Canadian Counseling and Psychotherapy Counsellor Practitioner Award. She is a highly regarded psychotherapist who achieves extraordinary results. She has designed an approach that puts clients, without words, in touch with the deeply buried impact of past trauma through images created with figurines in the sand tray. Right brain to right brain psychotherapy and working in the metaphor bring about epigenetic change. Well-formulated process questions of the figurines based on the Satir Model give words to the newly emerging Self.

Dr. De Little teaches Neuroscience and the Satir Model in the Sand Tray (NSST)™ in Canada, China, Thailand, Singapore, Slovakia, the USA and the Czech Republic. She presents at international conferences and is a Senior Faculty Member of the Banmen Satir China Management Centre. She is a counsellor for the First Nations Health Authority and the Criminal Victims Assistance Program and a founding member of Playful Dyads, a group dedicated to bringing right brain to right brain practice to the forefront of modern psychotherapy.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the total course cost?

    The total course fee is $1,495 CAD. This can be paid either all at once at registration or collected in 5 equal monthly payments of $299 CAD.

  • Will I receive Continuing Education Credit for this training course?

    We are currently in the process of working to offer Continuing Education credits for participation in this course. At the successful completion of this course, you will receive a certificate of completion indicating the total hours of recorded material included in the course.

  • Do you offer needs-based pricing for this course?

    We want to ensure that a broad range of students are able to participate in this course. The NSST Institute is open to offering a limited number needs-based scholarships for those students in need of financial aid for this training. These scholarships will be considered and offered on an individual case by case basis depending on the level of need shared.

    If you feel that you qualify for this type of enrollment, please email [email protected] and share your needs and request.

  • How are payments collected?

    If you elect to pay for the course all at once, the fee will be collected at registration.

    If you elect to pay in monthly payments, The five payments are collected automatically using the payment method on file that was used when you first registered for the course. The payment collections will occur over five consecutive months beginning on the date you registered for the course. You will receive a separate receipt each month when a successful payment is made.

  • If I am not satisfied with the course, can I receive a refund?

    We believe that this course is an excellent resource for those looking to learn the foundations of NSST. We are happy to offer a full refund within 30 days of registration if you have not completed more than one module (session). Due to the fact that course content is available for download, we cannot offer a refund if you have completed more than one module (session) - as we have to assume you have downloaded and have copies of the course material. If you would like a refund and you meet the above criteria, please email [email protected] to discuss a refund.

  • How long will I have access to the course material?

    You will have access to the course and it's materials indefinitely. Please note, however, that the materials for this course are meant to be used only in the context of this course and are not to be used or shared in any other context.

  • Can I pay in my local currency instead of $CAD?

    Unfortunately, no, our payment processor only allows for payments to be made in $CAD.

  • Will Dr. Madeleine De Little be running this course?

    No. Unfortunately, Dr. Madeleine De Little passed in 2024. This course is administered by members of the NSST Institute and is an opportunity to learn from Dr. Madeleine De Little via archival recordings of her teaching this course.