is a non-profit organization that has existed since 1993, dedicated to the establishment of a network of trained Sandplay therapists, and to the development of Sandplay therapy as a therapeutic  technique  to be available tor the professional community of caregivers in Israel  to add to their clinical tools to provide clinical service to the populations of Israel.

ISTA was founded in 1993 by Ms. Rina Porat and Dr. Bert Meltzer.   The Israel Sandplay Therapist Association ISTA  was originally funded by a  grant from the Rich-Doron Foundation to develop of a network of Sandplay therapists to provide services to special populations including children and adults in life crisis (war traumas, life threatening illness’) and to children and adults with “special needs” e.g. where verbal communication may be difficult,  limited, or unavailable.

In addition to teaching, training, and supervising, over the last twenty years ISTA and ISTA members  have expanded from the initial two, to thirteen registered members, and over seventy other professionals who are affiliated with ISTA.    Sandplay training programs and Sandplay seminars have been, and are being offered by many of the senior members of ISTA.  At present there are at least four advanced training programs ongoing in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Southern Israel, and a fifth in the development stage for Jerusalem.
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