Horticultural therapy (HT) is the engagement of a patient in gardening-related activities, facilitated by a trained therapist, to attain specific treatment goals. While simple and low-tech, HT is an effective and beneficial treatment for people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities.
HT has proven positive outcomes. It is non-threatening, encourages social activity, stimulates memory, provides sensory stimulation and exercise, reduces stress and tension, diminishes anger and rewards nurturing behavior.
As a cognitive therapy, horticulture therapy helps patients regain lost skills or learn new ones. When used in physical rehabilitation, HT retrains muscles and improves coordination, balance and strength.
Gardening therapy, surrounded by nature
At Nature’s Edge Therapy Center, we not only maintain a vegetable garden, flowerbeds and a butterfly garden for the purpose of horticulture therapy but also beautiful nature trails, a trout stream, duck pond, farmland and woods to provide patients with many opportunities to spend time in natural habitats.
We would love to have the chance to answer your questions, so please contact us at Nature’s Edge for more details about horticulture therapy!