Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

This is the sixth course of a 6 course, 13-credit sequence in therapeutic horticulture required by the Therapeutic Horticulture and Horticultural Therapy Certificates of Completion.

• Design, maintain, and develop programming for natural and horticultural therapeutic gardens, appropriate for a variety of special populations and working with an interdisciplinary team.

• Design and assess restorative and therapeutic garden programs, including individual and group sessions, seasonal programming, and specialized programs for dementia clients, assisted living facilities, and special needs populations.

Course is conducted in a hospital setting, including contact with the therapeutic horticulture program and garden. Includes a combination of reading, lecture, discussion, observation and practice in the program and garden, and in a variety of locations. Focuses on restorative and therapeutic garden design, as well as programming appropriate to various settings and populations.

Students will demonstrate they have met the learning outcomes through various means, including oral, demonstration, and written examinations; and capstone projects in garden design, maintenance, and programming.

horticulture, therapeutic horticulture, horticultural therapy and therapeutic garden
Historical development of therapeutic gardens
Benefits of therapeutic horticulture and gardens
The interdisciplinary team
AHTA Therapeutic Garden standards
Case Studies
Raised Beds
Garden assessment
Coherence, legibility, complexity and mystery in garden design
Restorative settings
Group and individual sessions in therapeutic gardens
Garden design and maintenance
Seasonal session planning to meet cognitive and sensory goals
Patio and strolling gardens
Therapeutic applications of trees, shrubs, perennials, vines and annuals
Professional Ethics