VERA

ABOUT VERA ŠČERBAKOVA

Vera Ščerbakova, Jung’s Analytical Psychotherapist certified by the Latvian Society of Psychotherapists, Jungian Analyst of the Latvian Society for Jung’s Analytical Psychology, internationally certified sandplay psychotherapist, teacher and supervisor, Teaching Member of the International Society for Sandplay Therapy (ISST TM), author of books “Encouraging the child’s inner world” and “The World in the Sand”, Head of the Centre for Analytical Psychology and Sandplay Therapy, since 2012 the President of the Latvian Society for Sandplay Therapy (LSST) and since 2018 the representative of LSST on the ISST board.

Vera Ščerbakova graduated from the Faculty of Biology at the University of Latvia in 1987; she received her Master’s Degree in Pedagogy at the University of Latvia, the Institute of Pedagogy and Psychology.
Vera Ščerbakova started learning sandplay therapy in 1998 with June Atterton, the student of Dora M. Kalff, the founder of sandplay therapy, in St. Petersburg in 1998; she continued her education with Linde von Keyserlingk, the student of Dora M. Kalff, in Latvia.
In April 2009, Vera Ščerbakova became a member of the International Society for Sandplay Therapy (ISST), in May of the same year, together with her colleagues Iveta Pļaviņa and Maija Biseniece founded the Linde von Keyserlingk’s Sandplay Therapy Institute and headed it for nine years. In 2011, she became a teaching member of the German Society for Sandplay Therapy (DGST) and in 2017 she became a teaching member of the International Society for Sandplay Therapy (ISST).
In 2011, Vera Ščerbakova completed the Jung’s Analytical Psychology training program with Professor Gražina Gudaite at the Vilnius University, acquiring the qualification of Jung’s Analytical Psychotherapist (LPB), but in 2018 became a Jungian Analyst (LJAB).
During the first seven years of work as a psychotherapist, Vera Ščerbakova used sandplay therapy in a boarding school and a pre-school as well as in her private practice, which is now her only workplace.
In 2009, Vera Ščerbakova was one of the board members – founders of the Latvian Society for Sandplay Therapy (LSST). Since 2012, Vera Ščerbakova has been the chairman of the LSST, and since 2018 – the representative of the LSST on the ISST board.
Vera Ščerbakova has written the book “Encouraging the child’s inner world” (in 2001, and an updated edition in 2008), which introduced the readers into the method of sandplay therapy, and “The World in the Sand” (2011), the first work created and published in Latvia, which includes a comprehensive in-depth presentation of the theoretical material of C. G. Jung and his followers providing the readers with an opportunity to understand more deeply the theoretical foundations of sandplay therapy created by Dora Kalff, as well as to more clearly see the perspectives of the whole therapeutic process. They were published by the publishing house RaKa. For the book “The World in the Sand” Vera Ščerbakova received a diploma for her active contribution to the promotion of educational development, pedagogy and linguistics at the International Competition of the Teachers’ Creative Works, named after Ludis Bērziņš.
Vera Ščerbakova actively works as a lecturer in Latvia and other countries, has participated in the training program for sandplay therapy in Ukraine, has led a long-term training course in Kaliningrad, works with groups in St. Petersburg and Moscow.