Creative Therapy Courses South West

sandplayuk.uk

nautilusrooms.uk 

Courses 2026 - 2027

I’ve been watching the cherry trees this autumn. Their leaves have hung like jewels shining like rubies and shimmering gold in the autumn sunshine. What a gift this is to my heart. To witness the early year magnificent blowsy blossom a faint perfume filling the air on warm spring days and the continuous hum of the bees in the nectar. The generous fruits hardly having a moment to achieve that luscious redness before the flocks of blackbirds descend – the raucous juveniles feasting to their hearts content. The summer is a quieter time for the cherry sitting with its summer plumage. Simply being. And then autumn arrives and their magnificence is with us once again. 

Rumi said: ‘be like a tree and let the leaves drop’ 

And what better tree to follow than the cherry. Allowing the structures and parts of ourselves we no longer wish to carry to drop like jewels to the ground which in turn break down and nourish the earth below. 

“Our freedom does not lie outside us, but within us. One can be bound outside, and yet one will still feel free since one has burst inner bonds… I went into the inner death and saw that outer dying is better than inner death. And I decided to die outside and to live within. For that reason, I turned away and sought the place of the inner life.” CG Jung.

Jung followed a great history of spiritual writers who identified that inner freedom is the path to a deeper contentment in our lives. As we mature and reflect upon our lives we have an opportunity to shed the layers which have protected us in our earlier life so they no longer constrain us. It is the process of individuation, the maturation of the psyche. The path to live our lives as our True Selves. 

My mind turns to Nelson Mandela and what an extraordinary human he was. How did he live all those years in physical incarceration and devote his life to the freedom of others. He must have had a deep connection with his own inner freedom. His inner beingness. He brings another and important perspective to this journey. We are living in times of increasing division an environment where hatred is creeping into the daily vernacular with little opposition. This quote from Mandela speaks volumes: 

“For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” 

“No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” Nelson Mandela

To truly love others, we have to begin with finding love for ourselves. To break the bonds which keep us constrained and living our lives as others would have us live them. Not following our own true nature. This is not an act of love towards ourselves. It is living the life which enabled us to live in the environment we grew up in. Now is the time to shed our leaves. 

AH Almaas is a transpersonal psychologist, a spiritual mystic of our time, writer and co-founder of the Ridhwan Approach. I love this quote from his book Runaway Realisation: 

‘Freedom means that we are free to be anything at any moment, and we are also free from having to be it.”. 

When we recognize that we are Total Being, what we usually sense is freedom. We are free because we don’t have to be anything. We can be anything, but we don’t have to be anything. Since we can be anything without having to be anything in particular, There is no limitation and no judgment and no comparison. And we also don’t need to hold on to anything as the source of freedom. We all want to be free and want to experience that freedom in many ways. Freedom is subtle and elusive, even more elusive than happiness, which is itself quite rare. So we practice because we value the freedom that is possible in total practice….’

This really points to a sense of inner mobility and choice. The separation of the personal from the projection, the understanding we are all one. That freedom brings with it an ability to express love and joy and kindness. To have our own individual strength and sensitivity. 

As we watch the last leaves fall from the trees and we enter the naked truth of nature in winter allow yourself to learn from nature – to shed that which no longer serves you and in the shedding know that material will feed and nurture our overwintering ready for the next cycle of our own growth. 

There are many ways to be on this journey. It can be helpful to have outer support, a mentor, a counsellor, a psychotherapist, a spiritual guide. The creative therapies can be tremendous supports in this process. Sandplay therapy and expressive art can help us express what is within in a symbolic language, to have an expression of ourself reflected back to us through the symbolic world can be so helpful. It can be deeply touching as the symbolism is so personal and specific. Words do not need to be spoken as the image and the process leading towards is so precise. 

I offer in person trainings in sandplay and therapeutic art. I am often asked if I will provide these online: at the moment no. Sandplay and art are deeply sensory somatic processes. As we have discovered more about neuroscience, we now understand how every part of the brain is impacted by these sensory therapies and online sandplay cannot have the same impact. It is a different way of working. I have been in practice many years – long before we had the internet to rely upon and expand us. Most of my training has been in person. I have travelled far and wide and enjoyed short stays away from home when I can immerse myself in what I am studying or simply had time to myself to stop and reflect and Be. The courses I run offer an opportunity to make connections, with ourselves and others, professional relationships are built and friendships too. There is time for discussion during the talks which expands everyone’s awareness and knowledge and more informal discussion over coffee and lunch. I have consistent feedback from participants about the value of this. I love holding the space for people to grow and develop personally and professionally. These trainings feel like a journey, and I love to accompany participants in this.  

Whether you commit to a weekend, or the full Diploma course magic happens, and each weekend is a journey into the depth of your being. This builds your inner support which in turn expands the work you do with your clients. It’s an absolute privilege for me observing changes in students and hearing how their practice develops as a direct result of the learning from these trainings.  

Foundation in Integrative Sandplay  

A highly experiential introduction to sandplay therapy which builds on any prior experience you may have had and acts as a refresher ooh and so much more... It is an ideal starting point for anyone wishing to start their sandplay journey and also a good ‘topper upper’ for those who have experienced some sandplay in their learning journey. Based on Jungian and transpersonal perspective.  

Foundation In Integrative Sandplay Therapy (2-day course) 

2026

31st January & 1st February 2026 

21st & 22nd March 2026

9th & 10th May 2026 

11th & 12th July 2026 

12th & 13th September 2026 

7th & 8th November 2026  

Cost  

£245 this includes a deposit of £100 which hold the space for you.  

Diploma in Integrative Sandplay Therapy  

The course is organised as four 3-day weekends. The aim of this course is to bring depth and understanding to your sandplay work from a Jungian and Transpersonal perspective. The course carefully weaves theory and experiential work. This work integrates well into other theoretical perspectives.  

2026/ 2027 Diploma in Integrative Sandplay Therapy  

Weekend 1: 20th, 21st, 22nd November 2026

Weekend 2: 8th, 9th, 10th January 2027

Weekend 3: 25th, 26, 27th February 2027

Weekend 4:16th, 17th, 18th April 2027  

Cost: £2000 payable in instalments 

Foundation in Therapeutic Art (2-day course) 

An introduction to the world of therapeutic art and symbolism. When we express our inner world through paint or pastels, we can somehow make a different sense of ourselves in the here and now.  

14th & 15th March 2026  

10th & 11th October 2026  

Cost  

£245 this includes a deposit of £100 which hold the space for you.  

Diploma in Therapeutic Art  

Let me know if you would like to join the waiting list for this  

Creative Retreats 

These retreats are based in Stokeinteignhead TQ12 4QR. We will be on the land and using a bell tent and yurt as our bases. It’s a wonderful location based on our smallholding with access to a labyrinth, the sea and coast path are a short walk away with the delights of dip in the silky water of the ocean on offer at our local cove. If the weather is poor we have a beautiful bell tent and yurt to shelter in. 

Full access to toilets etc in the house and a compost toilet in the labyrinth field. Local accommodation list supplied along with local camping and glamping opportunities at our nearest neighbour. The summer retreat will be at a time of verdant greens in the valley and garden with whole flocks of blackbirds out feeding their young and a sweetness in the air. The autumn retreat comes at a time of harvest for us at White Cottage the orchard and walnut trees are glorious at this time of year. There is something about the smell of a walnut tree... one of the delights of living here.  

Enquire for dates 

Am I eligible for these courses? 

The courses are aimed at counsellors, psychotherapists, psychologists, coach’s’, and those working more widely in the helping professions and education. They are suitable for people working with all age’s groups i.e., children through to adults, couples and groups.  

Course Location  

The courses are run from The Nautilus Rooms in Totnes, Devon UK which houses a fabulous collection of sandplay symbols built specifically to give students a full experience of the power of sandplay.  

www.nautilusrooms.uk 

Totnes is on the mainline railway from London Paddington with easy access to local airports for international flights.  

Accommodation list is provided. 

About Ruth  

Ruth’s first degree is in psychology, she has been working as a counsellor and psychotherapist, supervisor and consultant for 30 years. Following a few years working in the world of publishing and handweaving Ruth’s career has been people facing. She worked with high-risk offenders in the Probation Service offering group and individual work before moving into the NHS where she worked in the field of drugs and alcohol and mental health both as a case worker then project and service management. She has a passion for working with change be they individuals or systems. Ruth offers supervision and consultation to a wide range of organisations from small charities to larger health related organisations. She also offers bespoke training to organisations.  

Ruth brings to her teaching her wide experience of working with individuals, couples and groups in a range of settings along with a lifetime’s passion for learning. She has extensive training in Integrative Sandplay Therapy and Therapeutic Art and is a teacher and supervisor within the Association of Integrative Sandplay Therapists (AIST). She is a trained teacher of Mindfulness.  

Ruth is a committed student of the Diamond Approach which is a dynamic, evolving teaching and exploration of all that leads to openness, freedom, and realisation of the many dimensions of our human potential—especially the amazing secrets of our spiritual nature.  

Ruth exudes a love of nature, she lives on a small holding and enjoys – walking – swimming – gardening, growing and being in wild spaces. 

Ruth’s depth of knowledge and experience is valued and commented on by students as is her ability to hold the space for deep and rich learning to take place.  

Feedback on Ruth’s teaching: 

‘There is such a buzz in those of us who did the course – so much lovely, positive feedback. We loved it. Just loved it ‘

‘Really moved me and inspired me’

‘The course was totally inspiring …..Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and wisdom and opening up this whole new world for me’.

‘Thank you for a wonderful Sand Play training weekend! Really re-ignited my passion for Sand Play, both for myself and with clients.’

‘I just really want to thank you for your gentle and enlightening course last weekend. I went away with new insight, inspiration and interest for the use of sand trays. ‘

‘Thank you, Ruth, for your gentle teaching, holding and facilitation. As I get older, I find myself a bit fussy about who I feel I can learn deeply from and you are definitely one of those people who wisdom and knowledge has a depth which is so rich  

‘From: Dora Kalff the originator of Sandplay Therapy:

‘In the hands of a properly prepared therapist, sandplay is a powerful invaluable modality….

(And about becoming a sandplay therapist) …even psychotherapists highly experienced in other methodologies .. should have a deep personal experience of doing a sandplay process… Kalff 1980

www.nautilusrooms.uk 

www.sandplayuk.uk 

Email: ruthbaker1@gmail.com 

These courses are accredited by the Association of Integrative Sandplay Therapists  

www.sandplaytherapy.co.uk