CHILDREN and adults in Mount Isa can now enjoy sand play therapy in brightly coloured sandboxes.
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The Mount Isa Men's Shed built and donated sandboxes to Centacare North Queensland, which was having difficulty finding the right equipment needed for the therapy.
Centacare North Queensland counsellor Tina Blizzard said the new sandboxes were waterproof, and painted blue inside so clients could imagine creating waterways more easily.
In sand play therapy, children and adults use figures, symbols and sand to create certain scenes and situations.
Counsellors do not interpret the meanings of symbols and are more for the clients self-discovery, Ms Blizzard said.
Figurines and symbols have different meanings for different people.
For example, a child might use a toy rat to symbolise a horrible step-mother while another might interpret the rat as a symbol of survival and resourcefulness.
Men's Shed member Richard Lane, a fitter and turner by trade, built the three donated sandboxes.
Mr Lane said the Men's Shed was a place for men to socialise and complete crafts and activities, such as wood and leather work.
In some ways, the Men's Shed provides the same benefits of Centacare's sand play therapy, he said.