HORTICULTURAL THERAPY

Minutes from our March 24, 2012 Horticulture Therapy Presentation

Attending: Bill Bross, Jill Byington, Peggy Kane, Carman Kuenen, Jana Lamboy, Leona Lauster, Laura & Jeffery Ouimette, Mary & John Purdy, Liz & Harry Schwarzw, Rochelle Smith

Presenting: Beverly J. Brown Ph.D., HTR

Associate Professor at Nazareth College – Biology Department

Director, Horticulture Therapy Program Bbrown6@Naz.edu

Beverly Brown talked with us about Horticulture Therapy: Putting the healing power of plants to work.

Many of us agree that working out in the garden with trees and plants helps us “feel better” whether we are doing it on our own or with others.

Horticulture Therapy involves several components:

plant

therapist

client/resident/member

set of specific therapeutic goals

Horticulture Therapy can be used in multiple settings and can address diverse therapeutic goals involving physical and occupational therapy, thought, and new vocational skills.

Therapeutic Goals might include: improved range of motion, increased stamina, reduced anxiety, increased sense of well-being, development of social skills, and development of job skills.

Diverse Client Populations:

Elderly

Veterans

Intergenerational groups

Addictions

Disabilities

Recovery

Incarcerated

Plants are added to speed up improvements.

What’s the biology behind this?

Remembering stuff – never the same twice - recoded with atmosphere

Unusual skill set: INTERWOVEN

Botanical knowledge

Horticulture knowledge

Landscape design

Psychology

Therapeutic skills

Program management

Communications/facilitating

Horticulture Therapy Registered (HTR) requirements

Bachelor of Arts or Science

12 semester credit hours in horticulture

12 semester hours in psychology

9 semester hours in horticulture therapy

480 hours supervised internship (within 2 years)

The Future of Horticulture Therapy

As the population ages > greater need for therapies of all kinds

American Horticulture Therapy Association will establish licensing

AHTA is working toward making HT a reimbursable activity as medical treatment

(recreation therapy/social work)

Future at Nazareth College

HT fits well with established programs in other therapies

Minor in HT

Establish a major in HT

Establishment of a certificate program in HT

Eventually available as an online program (with short time actually at Nazareth)

Currently split science and therapy

Construction at Nazareth includes plans for horticultural therapy garden and green house with the new math and science building

Plans include walkways, raised beds, specifics like tinted concrete, greenhouse with 3 bios, all spaces handicapped accessible with HT actions in mind, easy access between presentation spaces and greenhouse. Designed to distress and relax, variety of gardens surrounding the greenhouse for many uses including HT.

Examples of Horticulture Therapies

Nazareth College Aphasia Clinic

Survivors of strokes

Word recall

Task sequencing: “How to pot a plant”

Social interaction

Sojourner House

Shelter for women in transition

Making wreaths – creative, learning to persevere

Seeking Common Ground’s HERB HAVEN (Deborah Denome, President/Director)

http://seekingcommonground.org/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/scgpage?/f=herb_haven_new/f/Z123123

Herb Haven is a program for women and children in transition from prison, drug abuse, and domestic violence.  The recidivism rate for Herb Haven is 25%. That means 75% of the women who go through the program go onto college or jobs and are out of social services systems. It costs $3000 for a woman to go through the program.

Herb Haven is Horticultural Therapy workshops to at-risk women and children in different situations.

Herb Haven is located at 4487 East Lake, Road in the hamlet of Crystal Beach, 4 miles south of Canandaigua, New York.Volunteers are always welcome!

IN THE WORKS....

Beverly Brown shared a wonderful presentation about Horticulture Therapy this morning. I am hoping to have minutes posted here within the next few days.

Peggy, Laura, and Bill met today to work on the Canandaigua Botanical Society Program for 2012-2013.

Please plan to join us on Friday evening, April 20th for our annual potluck dinner and presentation when we will hand out the new programs.

On Friday, April 27th the City of Canandaigua will be planting a tree in memory of Maya Hobday at Sonnenberg Park for Arbor Day.

Due to the summer like weather this spring, we are anticipating that the bluebells will all be gone by our usual annual Bluebell Walk in early May. PLEASE send an Email to us at canandaiguabotanical@gmail.com
if you have any public places you think others might be interested in seeing "early" spring blooms. I can notify others by posting locations here on the WeBlog and/or I can send Email messages to Botanical members. There are several new Botanical members from outside the area - so even locations which are well known would be appreciated.


Can you identify these flowers under Maya's Magnolia tree?
????? and bloodroot

Learn about HORTICULTURE THERAPY

Canandaigua Botanical Society’s Indoor Meeting at FLCC room C-220

Saturday, March 24, 2012 10 am

Come learn about Horticulture Therapy (HT), the practice of using horticulture as therapy to improve human well-being. Horticulture therapy is not only a rapidly emerging profession; the therapeutic benefits of peaceful garden environments have been understood since ancient times. Today HT is recognized as a practical and viable treatment with wide ranging benefits for people in therapeutic, vocational, and wellness programs.

Presenter Beverly Brown is a registered Horticultural Therapist with her own practice. She is an Associate Professor at Nazareth College and has developed a newly offered Horticulture Therapy minor there. Beverly will also talk about Herb Haven.

Finding FLCC, Room C220

The FLCC Canandaigua Campus is located on the northeast side of Canandaigua Lake.



The Canandaigua Botanical Society generally holds indoor meetings at Finger Lakes Community College - Room C 220. During this time of construction on the FLCC campus it has been difficult to get to Room C 220 (even those who know where it is located) .

Room C 220 is located in building 8 on the map above. It is easiest to get to Room C220 by entering from loading dock entrance C on the map. You can park in the southeast corner of lot A and walk up Laker Lane to get to the building. If construction allows, parking may also be available closer to the building in loading dock C.

How to find C 220 as of March 14th:

** Turn onto Marvin Sands Drive and take the second left onto Laker Lane.

** Follow Laker Lane around to the first stop sign. (Take a right at the stop sign into the parking lot and proceed by foot…)

** Continue along Laker Lane to the second Emergency blue light east of building C (look for Canandaigua Botanical Society sign).

** The entrance to building C is on the left closest to Laker Lane.

** Room C 220 will be inside, straight ahead, and to the left.