“Dr. Madeleine DeLittle has applied solid neuroscience and Virginia Satir’s intuitive wisdom to develop, practice, and teach Neuroscience and Satir in the Sand Tray worldwide. NSST produces transformative and lasting therapeutic change. It is a great and effective alternative approach in the field of Sand Tray Therapy. I highly recommend its application.”
Banmen Satir China Management Center
Our Mission:
At the NSST Institute, we are dedicated to transforming lives through the power of play, metaphor, and brain-based growth and relating to the modelling of Madeleine DeLittle and Virginia Satir. Our mission is to train, promote, and deliver the innovative NSST modality to individuals and communities both locally and internationally.
Through our specialized play therapy techniques using the sand tray, we strive to help people connect to their inner world and true Self to overcome the impact of trauma, emotional dysregulation, or life’s challenges and connect to their inner resources and hope. By enabling humans to harness their imaginations and create new possibilities of being, we foster personal transformation in a positively directional way. These therapeutic play experiences naturally cultivate personal meaning-making; and develop social and emotional skills, as well as self-regulation skills, all of which allow children and adults to thrive emotionally, socially, and spiritually, more connected to their authentic Self.
Recognizing that play is the natural work of humans, we support clients in reducing defensive behaviors and embracing a more playful, connected, and positive outlook on life. We ground this change in the body by weaving somatic practices into each session. Our approach is not limited to children; we extend the benefits of expressive therapy to adults and youth, offering them a revolutionary way to explore and resolve their confusion and pain through the sand tray, becoming our own choice makers.
Our methodology integrates the rich traditions of sand tray work, the transformative principles and beliefs of Satir Transformational Systemic Therapy, and the latest neuroscience on attachment and safety. Through this comprehensive and experiential approach, we aim to create a world where individuals can heal, grow, and connect deeply with themselves and others.
At the NSST Institute, we are committed to fostering a compassionate, inclusive, and empowering environment where therapeutic play becomes a cornerstone of emotional well-being and personal transformation for all. We deliver professional training, supervision, resources, and communities of practice across the world.
OUR
BIG
IDEA
To advance the work of
Madeleine DeLittle and elevate
the psychotherapeutic modality of Neuroscience and Satir in the Sand Tray (NSST) through the creation and continued functioning of
The NSST Institute.
Training, Research & Development
To deliver training to certified therapists so that they can use the NSST modality in their practice.
To regulate the certification process of NSST therapists.
To promote the use of NSST in research so as to become and evidence based practice
Our Objectives & Priorities
Professional
Therapy
To provide professional-level counselling using the NSST modality
To provide mentoring and supervision for therapists developing their NSST skills.
To promote the use of NSST for personal growth and change.
To connect the world to certified NSST therapists.
Experiential and Transformative Pedagogy
To promote professional growth through experiential learning.
The NSST therapist always has experienced NSST as a client.
To adhere to NSST’s Pillars of Instruction in all trainings
Integrity
NSST credits and honours the work of Madeleine DeLittle, Stephen Porges, Dan Siegel, Bonnie Badenoch, and Virginia Satir.
It is paramount that the various ethical and professional standards are upheld in accordance with each region.
NSST aims to conduct all business and interactions with members, participants, and clients at the highest ethical standard.
Consistency
Trainings and certification pathways are set by the Institute, and all certifications must come from the Institute, or it’s recognized chapters.
Training materials are developed by the NSST Institute and used with permission by certified trainers.
Adaptability & Inclusivity
The institute recognizes that the regulating bodies for counselling and psychotherapy and health care professionals will have differing standards region to region, and the NSST Institute acknowledges that these standards must be adhered to in order to maintain the high professional standard required for NSST.
Right Brain to Right Brain
The therapist utilizes the attachment mechanism of the right brain of both parties to develop attunement between the therapist and client.
The Pillars of NSST
Creating Safety
Utilizing the attachment mechanism of therapist and client to begin to create a sense of safety in the client’s body. And experiencing safety by working in the metaphor in the sand tray.
Novel Metaphor
An unconventional, unfamiliar, and unique image and concept outside of conscious awareness, which emerges from stored implicit experiences that have no words in the embodied self.
The Body
Changing the client’s autonomic system of survival from sympathetic or dorsal state to a ventral vagal state.