litter box training

I have a four-year old miniature Schnauzer that I would like to train to use
a litter box. She is relatively new to my household, having come only in
August. She is housebroken, but seems to be afraid of the litter. Does
anyone have any suggestions on how I should go about it? Almost everything
I've seen says you must use a crate and she has never used (and never will
use) a crate, so I'm a little mystified. Any suggestions would be great!
Beth