Many aspects of therapeutic horticulture in the US are very different to those in the UK, according to Katie Andrews, Social and Therapeutic Horticulture Practitioner at RGWN members, Ridgeline and the Weller Centre. This was her finding from attending the American Horticultural Therapy Association (AHTA) annual conference held in San Francisco in October. Katie received a travel bursary from the RHS to attend the conference and present her findings from the Ridgeline Gardening for Wellbeing programme.
In the US, major programmes are typically embedded within large institutions like botanical gardens, universities, prisons, or hospitals. Association with these high-profile institutions helps secure funding and drive community outreach. It seems the main challenge in the US is public awareness rather than funding. Many American practitioners envy the UK because gardening is so deeply ingrained in our culture. Without household names like Monty Don, or an NHS to promote initiatives like the Five Ways to Wellbeing, they must work much harder to explain the value of nature-based therapy to the general public.
Another difference Katie noted compared with the UK was that therapeutic horticulture practice in the US is focused on individual therapeutic treatment plans and individual therapeutic work. Practitioners use metaphor and well-being techniques, more than groupwork and group dynamics, to improve wellness markers.
One of the most interesting projects, Katie found, was one at the University of Florida. Alongside running multiple therapeutic horticulture programmes, they collaborate with their research department to measure their impact. Demonstration of a positive impact has helped achieve further funding. This group has also created the Therapeutic Horticulture Activity Database, a free online resource packed with session ideas that is well worth a browse.
A boost for US practitioners has now been achieved with the AHTA’s launch of a board certification exam. This is a major milestone for the profession and means US horticultural therapists will soon be recognised and paid on the same level as art or play therapists. A similar initiative is underway in the UK (see here for details).