Horticultural Therapy: A Complement to Caregiving

With summer upon us our focus naturally shifts to the outdoors. Research suggests that this urge to engage with nature is not only instinctual but therapeutic. In fact, simply having a window with a view of nature can improve the mental attitude of a hospital patient or incarcerated person. The emerging profession of horticultural therapy is oriented around the time-proven practices of helping people use the beneficial effects of nature to improve their physical, emotional, and mental well-being.

As any avid gardener knows, horticultural therapy occurs naturally in the garden. The goal of a professional horticultural therapist is to bring these restorative effects to individuals with physical, emotional, mental, or cognitive challenges. Horticultural therapy takes place in schools, vocational and rehabilitation centers, prisons, assisted living and memory care units, and in mental health facilities. Some horticultural therapists provide in-home services. The approaches to horticultural therapy are as varied as the venues in which it is practiced. Sites may have greenhouses and extensive gardens--some of which might be enabling gardens designed for wheelchair access. Opportunities abound for physical rehabilitation, vocational training, and mental health recovery. In sites lacking such amenities, horticultural therapy sessions may involve potting up herbs, pressing flowers, making potpourris, or propagating plants. 

Horticultural therapy activities are designed to meet the treatment goals and objectives of participants. When working with adults with dementia, for example, a session working with pressed flowers might include the short-term objectives of following simple sequential directions, using fine motor skills, and increasing a client’s social interaction. Participation in such an activity may alleviate depression or help a new resident deal with the anxiety associated with a transition into assisted living. Working with this population I have observed the calming effects of horticultural therapy upon anxious or oppositional residents. One resident was transfixed with the aroma of mint and begged for additional cuttings, which she promptly stuffed into her purse and kept there for weeks. Horticultural therapists in a mental health center made the surprising discovery that their young male clients—in particular—found solace in building fairy gardens, imaginative miniature gardens constructed primarily of natural objects. The scale of fairy gardens provides these young men with positive metaphors in a small world they control as they journey toward recovery from mental illness. For some people struggling with mental illness, when other approaches fail, nature may offer an invitation for therapeutic engagement.

A professional registered horticultural therapist (HTR) has completed a minimum of a Bachelor of Science and coursework in psychology, horticulture, and horticultural therapy management. They also have completed an internship under the supervision of an HTR. HTRs can be looked upon as valuable resources with whom to collarborate on assessment, treatment plans, and activities to enhance the caregiving experience. For more information about horticultural therapy, visit the American Horticultural Therapy Association (AHTA; http://ahta.org/about); for feel free to email me.