Happy Earth Day!
On this Earth Day 2009, I want to revisit the benefit of garden programs and horticultural therapy for crime victims. Plants and plant-related activities and environments are extremely effective healing elements for individuals whose lives have been disrupted by injury, trauma, psychological disorders or social and economic problems.
Horticultural therapy is directed or conducted by trained horticultural therapists and is a legitimate treatment method. It can be utilized in the context of support groups or ongoing programs.
It is also beneficial to maintain gardens, greenhouses and other natural environments as a healing space in connection to domestic violence shelters or treatment facilities.
Hands on activities such as community gardens that provide food or flowers and herbs to use and sell create multiple positive outcomes.
It is my hope that the benefit of the people-plant relationship will become more widely recognized and new programs, personnel and funding will be forthcoming.
Resources:
Programs:
The Orange County Rape Crisis program has a Horticultural Therapy Support Group
Healing Harvest in Oregon facilitates horticultural therapy programs for domestic violence shelters and other organizations.
Project Grow: Growing Food, Healing Lives-Linking Food Security and Domestic Violence:
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