Connecting Sandplay

Ellen Searle LeBel, MS, LMFT, BC-DMT, ISST/CST-T, works in private practice in Arcata, CA. Her therapeutic
approach integrates sandplay therapy, dance/movement therapy and active imagination with individuals and couples.
She offers clinical consultation and is a CAMFT approved supervisor. Ellen teaches and presents at conferences and
workshops, has published in the Journal of Sandplay Therapy and elsewhere, and was on the faculty at Humboldt
State University. She volunteers as President of the Northern California Society for Sandplay Therapy and on the
Ethics Review Committee of STA.
Heather Lesley-Swan, CAPA, PACFA, ARCAP, ISST-T, is committed to positive client outcomes, working
with seniors, adults and young people in Sydney, Australia. Initially trained in Law, Heather holds a Masters in
Psychotherapy, Post-Graduate qualifications in Counseling and Communications Management and cites certification
as an Ethics Educator among her many qualifications. She is the first Australian member of the International Society
for Sandplay Therapy. Heather has presented public, in-house and University programs and professional papers in
Australia, Europe, UK, USA and Asia, and delights in contributing to professional development.
Olga Lipadatova, MA, PhD, CRPO-T, ISST/CAST-T, has worked as a psychotherapist, art therapist, and sandplay
therapist in the community and in private practice in Montreal, Quebec, since 2002, and has presented at national
and international conferences. She became a CAST/ISST certified member in 2010. After completing her PhD with a
focus in sandplay therapy Olga moved her practice to Guelph, Ontario in 2014. She joined the Board of the Canadian
Sandplay Association and is now serving as President of CAST.
Sana Loue, PhD, MPH, LISW, MA, ISST/CST, is a Professor in the Department of Bioethics and the Vice Dean
for Faculty Development and Diversity at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. She also holds
appointments in the Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Psychiatry, and Global Health, and in the
Mandel School for Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University’s school for social work. She is an
author of more than 100 peer reviewed articles and 94 book chapters, has edited or authored 32 books. She presents
on sandplay and other topics both nationally and internationally. She serves on the editorial board of several social
work and public health journals.
Sonia Lucana, LCSW, RPT-S, SP, now lives and works in San Mateo, CA, but grew up in Peru where sand, stones,
and elements of the earth are ancestral modalities used for healing. She has been trained in Neurosequential Model
of Therapeutics, expressive arts such as dance movement (adults and children), music, Jungian play and sandplay,
hypnotherapy and past life regression therapy, studied and practiced Kundalini yoga meditation, Sanskrit chanting,
Afro-Caribbean dance for the Orishas (deities) and lucumi chanting. Her long-term commitment is to contribute
research to the field of sandplay, to promote, educate and integrate this modality into clinical settings.
Susan Macnofsky, LMFT, ISST/CST-T, Susan Macnofsky is a painter, and Sandplay and Art Therapist from
California who has practiced in New Mexico since 1989. She trained in Zurich with Jungian Sandplay founder Dora
Kalff and in California with Cecil Burney and is a certified teaching member and founding member of the Sandplay
Therapists of America. She taught widely for over 30 years, both in the United States and abroad. At 81 years of age
she continues to see a small number of clients as well as consulting and teaching sandplay in New Mexico.
Thais Maurmo, ISST Candidate, has been in private practice in Brasilia, Brazil, for about 12 years, working
with children, teenagers, and adults. She is especially drawn to those who have suffered acute or cumulative early
trauma were she finds using sandplay, sometimes in conjunction with Somatic Experiencing and talk therapy and/
or dreamwork, helpful. Before becoming a therapist, she taught English as a foreign language to children, teenagers,
adults and senior adults (over 70).
Gita Morena, PhD, is a teaching member of ISST/STA, and offers sandplay training, consultation and seminars
around the world. She is particularly interested in the mind-body-spirit connection, and integrates Jungian and
Buddhist perspectives to address issues of psychological and emotional healing. Currently she is a member of the
Research Committee, and on the Support Team for STA’s Sandplay Therapy Institute. In her book, The Wisdom of
Oz, Dr. Morena sheds light on The Wizard of Oz as a tale of individuation and spiritual awakening.