Program Development
I have created many innovative ways to deliver the benefits of nature to specific populations, including veterans, those with autism spectrum disorder, low vision, caregivers, students with behavior disorders, memory care patients and more. There are so many untapped formats, structures, and goals to be explored in the field of Horticultural Therapy. Here's an example of the kind of programs I have developed:
Here's an example of the kind of programs I have developed: CBC internship program for veterans
How can I help your organization? Contact me to brainstorm possibilities.
Curriculum Development
I have a great deal of experience developing educational programs related to nature and healthcare.
I wrote and will continued to teach, through 2019, the Horticultural Therapy certificate program for the Chicago Botanic Garden. It was the first hybrid online/onsite program accredited by the American Horticultural Therapy Association. Launched in 2012 with seven students, it has grown dramatically with nearly sixty qualified applicants vying for the 28 available slots in 2019.
I was invited to write two chapters of the new HT textbook, Profession and Practice of Horticultural Therapy edited by Rebecca L. Haller, Karen L. Kennedy and Christine L. Capra.
I believe offering a class or seminar in HT or nature-based therapies would be a great outreach for a botanical garden or a great offering for a university. I am eager to work with you to develop a curriculum utilizing this text or other timely resources.
Contact me to discuss the possibilities.
Design of Therapeutic Garden Spaces
If you’re considering adding a green space or making an existing garden or natural area more useful, more able to engage people actively so they can get the most benefit from it—then we should talk.
My expertise is in linking garden design with end-users, making the spaces programmable and user-friendly. I am not a landscape architect, but I work with landscape architects to delivery more beneficial spaces to their clients.
Currently, I am on the advisory board of Baltimore-based Gardens for Heroes. I have served on the faculty of the annual Gardens that Heal Symposium and the Therapeutic Garden Design Certificate at the Chicago Botanic Garden. I also serve on the panel that judges applications for the annual National Garden Bureau therapeutic garden grant.
Pictured: the Flourish Exhibit at the US Botanical Garden, for which I consulted on accessibility issues.
Contact me about how I can help you get the most from your garden or green space project.
Education
There is a growing body of evidence that engagement with nature can help people heal faster, learn more readily, and be more productive at work.
Yet professionals working in healthcare, education or human resources may not have the expertise to use this evidence effectively to help their clients.
I am a strong, knowledgeable expert in the process of engaging people with plants and nature for benefits that are evidence-based and measurable.
In addition to teaching the certificate class in Horticultural Therapy, I am available for shorter-term classes and seminars for teachers, health care professionals and human resource managers.
Contact me to learn how I can help with your staff or student education program.
Public Speaking
I present approximately 12 programs annually on such topics as adapting to aging as a gardener, keynotes on topics related to horticultural therapy, the spiritual connection between humans and nature and more. I am on the steering committee of the Nature, Culture and Human Health Consortium, which comprises individuals and organizations interested in these topics from the Chicago area.
You may want to review videos of my public speaking. If so, click on these links: Â to a presentation I gave for the MuseumNext Conference in Manhattan, or a discussion I moderated on art and The Healing Power of Plants.
I would love to speak to your group about the benefits of nature, gardening and nature-based therapy.
Contact me to discuss a possible talk.