Introduction to Horticultural Therapymgmcnj.org › lectures › old › Horticultural_Therapy.pdf · Horticultural Therapy Certificate Requirements: Includes classes in: Introduction

Presented by

MaryAnne McMillan, HTR

[email protected]

for Middlesex County

Master Gardeners

October 2010

What are the benefits of

Horticultural Therapy?

Benefits include:Physical activity, relaxation and enjoyment, skill development, mental stimulation and personal growth, informal social interaction, a sense of productivity and self-satisfaction and a spiritual connection with life.

Primary Benefits

•Cognitive

•Psychological Improvement

•Social Growth

•Physical Improvement

VA Home in Menlo Park

Horticultural Therapy

• is low-cost• effective • versatile in meeting therapeutic, educational, and recreational goals of both individuals and groups.

Plant activities can be adapted to almost all situations indoors or outdoors in homes, schools, hospitals, prisons, and residential care facilities.

Who benefits from the

Horticultural Therapy Program?

Older adults in senior centers, nursing homes, retirement communities, and adult day-care facilities.

Children with special needs in hospitals, school-based programs, and residential treatment programs.

People with disabilities in residential and day treatment programs, recreation programs, and rehabilitation programs.

Youth at Risk, prison inmates.

Hospice clients, and terminally ill individuals.

The versatility of Horticultural Therapy

• makes it accessible to everyone

• this adjunct therapy can often be part of

an interdisciplinary team.

HT’s follow criteria for professional

registration as a Horticultural Therapist

through the

American Horticultural Therapy

Association.

What skills are required for the

Horticultural Therapy program?

A Horticultural Therapist (HT) learns skills

and therapy techniques to assure that the

programs are in a safe and inviting environment.

•safe accessibility of the physical space

•adaptable tools allowing participants with

special needs to engage in horticultural

activities

•HT should have a clear understanding of the

client’s individual goals and objectives.

• Needs, interests and current skills

should be assessed and HT should

determine the individual program plan

•Specific physical, emotional and social

needs are considered.

•Processing of the session with the

interdisciplinary team should follow to

assess if the goals and objectives have

been met

Diagnosis Symptoms Goals Objectives

(OCD)

Anxiety

Disorder

Constantly

washing

hands

PT. Will

mix soil

with hands

To reduce stress &

anxiety associated

w/dirt & germs

Here is an example of a diagnosis,

symptom, goal and objective:

Taking time to Smell the

flowers!

How does the Horticultural Therapy

Program work?

The Horticultural Therapist (HT) provides

individual or group therapy sessions,

workshops, demonstrations, and activity

classes. The HT’s resources can include a

reference library, a propagation

greenhouse, container gardens, adaptive

tools, and a network of Horticultural Therapy

contacts.

Populations for whom the therapy

has proven to be beneficial

include:

• People who are physically disabled

• Mentally ill

• Developmentally disabled

• Elderly

• Substance abusers

• Public offenders

• and Socially disadvantaged.

By caring for plants, individuals work with a product firmly

anchored in reality. The clients using the program get a

hands-on connection with nature and the cycle of life. The

participants realize they have an effect on something else

that is living, that they are important.

Who should attend a HorticulturalTherapy degree or certificate Program?

• Allied health professionals

• Social workers

• Activity professionals

• Nurses

• Horticulture professionals or those wanting

to start an HT program or exploring

career options.

Rutgers/SEBS at Cook campus offers undergraduate program that leads to a degree in Plant Biology with an option in Horticultural Therapy. This is a four-year program through the Plant Biology & Pathology Department.

Rutgers/SEBS also offers a Certificate in Horticultural Therapy which appeals to individuals changing careers or applying other training toward a Horticultural Therapy credential. The Certificate program can usually be completed in under two years.

Contact : Professor Joel FlaglerEmail: [email protected] Phone: (201) 336-6780

New York Botanical Garden

Certificate in Horticultural Therapy

Contact info:

To register, request a catalog, or for more information call the Registration Office

at 718-817-8747

Horticultural Therapy Certificate

Requirements:Includes classes in:

Introduction to Plant Science, Fundamentals of

Gardening, Introduction to Horticultural Therapy, Indoor

Tropical Plants, Introduction to Plant Propagation and

Grafting, Greenhouse Operation for Horticultural

Therapists, Activities Analysis for the HT, Horticultural

Therapy for Children, Horticultural Therapy for Patients

with Physical and Neurological Disabilities, Horticultural

Therapy in Behavioral Health Settings, Horticultural

Therapy: Program Development, Design, and Process,

Horticultural Therapy Site Visits, Elective THR Certificate

Courses /all quarters,

*Plus three 100-hour internships.

Suggested Reading:•Horticulture as Therapy, Hewson, M.

ISBN 0-9698061-0-8

•Green Nature, Human Nature, Lewis, C. ISBN 0-252-02213-0

•Horticultural Therapy and the Older Adult Population, Wells (Ed.)

ISBN 0-7890-0045-8

•Growing with Gardening, Bibby Moore, UNC Press Chapel Hill

•People Plant Relationships, edited by Joel Flagler and Raymond P. Poincelot

Accessible Containers

Take the time to relax and enjoy the

world around us!