ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on how to establish "the goals, rules, and boundaries" in order to enable safe yet effective working practices; this is particularly pertinent to the treatment of ex-service personnel with long-standing, often trauma-related, mental health issues. It provides a particular attention to the characteristics of military culture that civilian health-care workers often find difficult, and which can serve to undermine the therapeutic alliance and cause stress and burnout to staff. The chapter gives a more detailed understanding of the different stages of recovery, the relevant types of group and their implications for treatment will follow, as it is helpful for horticultural therapists to understand the theory and reasons why, in order to enable them to plan complementary and supportive treatment. It examines the key points of each stage, the characteristics of the relevant type of group and the implications for treatment.
