Gardening Trends, Weltschmerz, and Therapeutic Horticulture
What does weltschmerzmean for horticultural therapy practitioners? They are well positioned to provide meaningful garden-based services for people during and after a pandemic.
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Living Long Yes, but Healthier!
Healthy Aging & Therapeutic Gardens in our Cities By Karin Palmlöf Pavia Humankind is entering an unparalleled time in its demographic history. The aging of populations in many nations will have dramatic sociological and economic effects, putting particular strain on healthcare systems. Maintaining the health and wellbeing of our beloved older generation is a top…
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Phenology, Mindfulness & Metaphor: A Therapeutic Trifecta
“Oak before ash, we are in for a splash, Ash before oak we are in for a soak” Ecological Science This Old English adage roughly implies that if oak leaves emerge before ash leaves, it will be a dry spring. If the ash leaves emerge before the oak, it will be a wet spring. This…
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A “Friluftsliv” Perspective aids Survival during Pandemic Winter
Six ways to Survive Winter in the Best Way Possible In Denmark they call it “hygge”, in Sweden, “friluftsliv” and in Norway it is “koselig”. Regardless of which term you prefer they all express a similar concept. Surviving the cold, dark, isolating days of winter in the best possible way. This year, with COVID 19…
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Bringing HT to Spanish Speaking Countries
Working Together to Advance Horticultural Therapy & Human Well-Being In Ibero-American Countries Guest Author: Leila Alcade in collaboration with Daniela Silva-Rodríguez Bonazzi We are about to finish the year and I have thought that I should transmit a positive message, despite the situation that is being experienced worldwide. I guess you have probably faced so…
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Your Body is Present…But where is your Mind?
Mindfulness Supports a Holistic Approach to Life. As 2020 comes to an end, our stress level as a nation is palpable. According to the American Psychological Association report: Stress in America 2020, Americans are feeling significantly higher levels of stress compared to last year. COVID-19 is the leading source of this increase. Young adults are…
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Small Clients, Big Challenges: Horticultural Therapy for Children in Peru
Healing Garden in Lima Peru In April 2019 we implemented a Healing Garden at an orphanage in Lima, Peru and in May 2 the horticultural therapy program began by serving children (boys and girls) ages 6 to 12. During COVID-19 every activity was taken away from the kids for months including a move to distance…
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My Journey into Horticultural Therapy
The purpose of this article is to encourage other people to be horticultural therapists and to use plants and gardening to improve people’s well-being, because we can make the difference. In Spain, my country, interest in horticultural therapy programs is still emerging. For that reason, in 2018 I co-founded the Spanish Horticultural Therapy Association hoping…
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“Green Care” & HT partner in Seattle
Today, throughout Western Europe, Green Care Farms are a developing an innovative care concept that recognizes the importance of the psycho-social needs and quality of life for participants. Green Care is an umbrella term used to describe a broad spectrum of health promoting interventions that all use both biotic and abiotic elements of nature. Therapeutic…
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HT Programs for Children with Autism
For several years I have been following Karthikeyan’s Vijayakumar, founder of Horticultural Therapy Healing Centre (HTHC) in Bangalore, India, work in India offering horticultural therapy programs for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and children with special needs. As many of us are doing in other parts of the world, Karthikeyan is raising awareness in India on the many…
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