Horticultural Therapy and Therapeutic
Horticulture: Plants and Nature Enhancing Human Health and Wellbeing
Horticultural therapy and therapeutic horticulture are both
modern-day practices with ancient roots that achieve enhanced functioning and
well-being through people’s connection with nature and other plant-based
experiences. Often used interchangeably,
there are key differences between horticultural therapy and therapeutic
horticulture.
What
is horticultural therapy? Horticultural
therapy is the active use of plants, gardens, the natural landscape and other
horticulture activities by trained horticultural therapists as a therapy
modality to restore and/or maximize cognitive, physical, social and
psychological functioning typically in the lives of those
that have been altered by illness, injury, psychological and development
disorders, social and economic conditions, as well as the aging process. Horticultural
therapy is practiced widely through social, vocational, rehabilitative and
therapeutic programs in custom-designed
environments, aimed at meeting the therapeutic and rehabilitation goals of a broad range of people. Working with traumatic
brain injury survivors in a hospital therapeutic garden or guiding dementia
patients in plant propagation or autism spectrum disorder young adults in a
vocational gardening program are examples of horticultural therapy. See article Gardening Becomes Healing with Horticultural Therapy - CNN - CNN.com
(https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/03/health/sw-horticultural-therapy/index.html), one’s testimonial.
What is therapeutic
horticulture? Therapeutic
horticulture can be active or passive involvement in the use of
horticulture by individuals for self, by leaders of groups, or one-to-one
activity to achieve enhanced physical, emotional, cognitive and social well-being
in recreation, leisure, vocational and social experiences and programs. Programs and activities often take place in a
wide variety of outdoor spaces: parks, public gardens, community gardens,
arboreta, as well as in indoor program spaces, self-directed or facilitated by
professionals and non-professionals. The simple act of retreating to the four
hundred plus acres of green space at the National Arboretum or participating in
one of its professionally guided Full Moon Forest Bathing activities (https://www.fona.org/events/fullmoonhikes/)
or gardening in a community garden, are each examples of therapeutic
horticulture. See artice Therapeutic Horticulture (https://extension.umd.edu/mg/locations/therapeutic-horticulture), Master Gardeners at work.
Did you know that the third week in March is designated
National Horticultural Therapy Week? National Horticultural Therapy Week was
officially established by Congress in 2006 to bring nation-wide attention to
the long-standing practice and profession of horticultural therapy. During National
Horticultural Therapy Week, the American Horticultural Therapy Association
coordinates the efforts of regional networking groups, affiliated horticultural
therapy programs, and AHTA members to collaborate in celebrating and elevating
recognition and appreciation of the profession on a national and local level. This year National Horticultural Therapy
Week is celebrated March 17 – March 23.
