About
Irmgard Else Thom (Imme) has a diverse academic background, having studied psychology, law, art, theology, art therapy, sandplay therapy, meditation, and hypnotherapy.
Hi, I'm Irmgard Else Thom
I’am a practicing art and sandplay therapist and serves as a teaching member of the International Society of Sandplay Therapy (ISST).
I’ve advanced my expertise in trauma work and grief counseling and I’m recognized as the founder of sandwork in marginalized communities.
I developed object therapy specifically aimed at addressing addiction.
My work has taken me to areas affected by poverty, where I have engaged with communities often excluded from mainstream society, including townships in South Africa, youth prisons, and rehabilitation programs for addicts.
I offers individual counseling services both in person and online, and I facilitates workshops on topics such as healthy eating for optimal body weight, inner child work, codependency, self-discovery (individuation), self-worth, the mother/father complex, parenting, and other relevant subjects, upon request.
My extensive qualifications include 45 years of experience in therapy and education across South Africa, Central Africa, China, Germany, and the United States.
Sigrid Löwen and I
Sigrid Löwen, a founding member of ISST (International Society for Sandplay Therapy). She joined the original 12 founding members one year after ISST was established in 1986 and played a key role in forming the DGST (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Sandspiel Therapie), the German branch of ISST. She also developed the initial rules and regulations for ISST.
After meeting Sigrid in 2003 and learning about my work in Africa, she invited me to her training sessions, which began in 2004. With her help and ongoing support, I became an official member of the ISST and later a teaching member. Until her death on February 13, 2019, I had the privilege of sharing my journey with her. She was my mentor and became a close friend. With her support, I developed an ISST curriculum, which I later offered in China.
