Connecting with plants and nature is healing, grounding, restorative, and helps to strengthen resilience. Simple activities like gardening, or a walk out in nature can improve your mood, help restore attention and focus, be an effective way to promote recovery from burnout-related symptoms and emotional exhaustion. Spending time connecting with plants and nature is one important way we can all look after ourselves and feel better for it.
What is Horticultural Therapy?
Horticultural Therapy (HT) is a formal practice that uses plants, horticultural activities, the garden and nature’s landscape to promote well-being for its participants. HT sessions are administered by professionally trained horticultural therapists.
- HT recognizes the positive benefits of the interaction between people, plants, and nature.
- HT is goal orientated with defined outcomes and assessment procedures.
- Research indicates that HT is proven to be beneficial in a variety of healthcare, community, educational, and rehabilitative settings.
What is Therapeutic Horticulture?
Therapeutic Horticulture (TH) is the purposeful use of plants and plant-related activities to promote health and wellness for an individual or group. Goals and defined outcomes for individual participants are not necessarily considered nor clinically documented.
Source: Canadian Horticultural Therapy Association
Who can benefit from HT/TH?
Anyone including
- employees at risk for burnout
- mental illness including depression, anxiety and substance dependency
- at-risk children and youth
- elderly
- stroke, spinal chord and physical disabilities
- traumatic brain injury
- developmental disabilities
- offender rehabilitation
I am employed as the Horticultural Therapist at Homewood Ravensview, a private 75-bed mental health, trauma and addiction facility offering evidence-based, medically-led, inpatient services for first responders, military, veterans, executives & professionals, adults, and young adults.
I can also provide unique presentations and sessions tailored to your group’s needs, that combine elements of Therapeutic Horticulture and Expressive Arts.
Email Cliff to request a presentation or session.
Resources
©Cliff Thorbes 2023
Cliff Thorbes 