ABSTRACT
Historically, the profession and practice of horticultural therapy has been influenced by many fields, including allied health, vocational rehabilitation, education, and horticulture. Horticultural therapy is practiced in many different settings having a diverse range of objectives and goals. A wide range of skill sets empowers horticultural therapists to be successful in their work. A model of horticultural therapy practice consisting of the environment, prescribed activity, and therapeutic use of self is presented, and recommendations are provided for each area. Various theories from allied health are summarized, and their applications in horticultural therapy practice are offered. These include Rogerian Theory, therapeutic use of self and positive therapist qualities, benefits of group work, Social Ecological Model, Environmental Press, flow, resiliency, mindfulness, positive psychology, and finding meaning. The chapter concludes with a description of the application of some of the practice recommendations that may be used during a horticultural therapy group activity. Overall, information is provided from a broad array of disciplines aimed at informing horticultural therapy practice and helping therapists achieve their potential in their work.
