Certificate of Horticultural Therapy

Unit 1 – Scope and nature of horticultural therapy

• Why horticultural therapy?
• Who uses horticultural therapy?
• Where can we use horticultural therapy programs?
• What are the benefits of using horticultural therapy
• General benefits
• Physical benefits
• Psychological benefits
• What do you need to be a horticultural therapist?
• Typical jobs or career paths
• Liability

Unit 2 – Understanding disabilities and communicating with people with disabilities – Communication, teaching and counselling skills

• The significance of communication skills to interacting with clients in a horticultural therapy situation
• What are intellectual disabilities/ intellectually challenged/ learning?
• What are mental illnesses /mental health issues/ mental disorders?
• What is communication?
• Effective communication skills
• Self-awareness
• Self-esteem
• Listening
• Teaching skills
• Learning principles – what is learning?
• Teaching strategies
• Teaching models
• Recognising learner’s needs
• Writing a program
• Counselling skills

Unit 3 – Risk management – Hygiene for vulnerable people; what extra risks are to be considered in a therapy situation – chemical, physical

• Identifying potential risks to participants within a horticultural therapy program
• Developing risk minimisation procedures
• Risk management for vulnerable people
• Workplace health and safety issues
• Identifying hazards
• Assessing sites and operations for risk
• Conducting a safety audit
• Risk control methods
• Safety precautions for a horticultural therapy program
• Manual lifting
• Rules for using tools
• Personal protective equipment

Unit 4 – Accessibility and activities for people with mobility issues

• Determine solutions to improve accessibility for disabled people in horticultural situations
• Ensuring that horticultural therapy is offered in a way that is accessible to clients and their particular needs
• Help with manual tasks
• Examples of adaptations in tools and equipment
• Physical support
• Understanding ergonomics
• Working with other professionals
• Protective gear

Unit 5 – Enabling the disabled – with restricted motor skills

• Modify horticultural practices to be suitable for disabled people
• Enabling gardening activities
• Gardening in raised beds
• Staged therapies
• Horticultural therapy for mental disorders
• Effectiveness of horticultural activities

Unit 6 – Producing things – Vegetables, propagation, fruit, herbs

• The garden – a growing place
• Planning the crop
• What to grow?
• Planning the cropping program
• Crop rotation
• No-dig techniques
• Propagation
• Sowing and transplanting guide
• Transplanting seedlings
• Crowns, offsets and tubers
• Cold frames
• Fruit
• Herbs
• Propagating herbs
• Culinary herbs directory

Unit 7 – Growing in containers -Vertical gardens, pots, hydroponics

• Growing plants in containers
• Problems that can occur with pots
• Growing fruit trees in a container
• Growing strawberries in containers
• Growing vegetables in containers
• Vertical gardens
• Hydroponics
• A simple hydroponic system

Unit 8 – Creating a therapeutic garden

• Learn to create gardens that are appropriate for horticultural therapy situations
• Creating a therapeutic garden
• Consulting with other professionals
• Garden retreats for rest and recuperation
• Sensory gardens
• Some popular plants for a therapeutic garden
• Landscape principles
• Design elements
• Plants to avoid or to use under certain conditions

Unit 9 – Generating income

• Explore ways that horticultural therapy can become a partial or fully funded activity by generating income
• Working with others
• Work hours & pay
• Sheltered workshops
• Therapeutic farms
• Small business opportunities for disabled people
• Certification and registration