http://natsap.org/2014-natsap-annual-conference/
Ready, Set…Grow! A Horticultural Perspective of Integrative Health, Rites-of-Passage, Neurodevelopment & Future Therapeutic Programs presented by Travis Slagle, Horticulture Director and Dr. Lorraine Freedle, Clinical Director of Pacific Quest present at the NATSAP Annual Conference: This presentation discusses the benefits and implications of Horticultural Therapy as a growth-focused treatment model. Research studies suggest gardening provides cognitive, emotional, and physiological benefits that can lead to increased overall life satisfaction. Horticultural therapy offers experiential techniques that place the client in a caregiving role. By engaging individuals and families in the restorative process of cultivating beauty and health in one’s environment, it becomes increasingly possible to internalize beauty and health in one’s self. This presentation asks the question, how would the world be different if growing a garden were a universal therapeutic task?