This Creative Therapeutic Horticulture Course for Health and Care Professionals is a practical study day using social horticulture as a therapeutic medium; the March 12th 2020 course at Waterperry Gardens near Oxford will have a "Spring activities theme” and will run from 10:00 to 16:00.
This new POP Gardens course will enable participants to:
- Explore the use of horticulture as a meaningful socio-cultural occupation and gain valuable insights into the relationship between plants, people and places;
- Learn how horticultural activities can be applied to NHS Wellbeing initiatives and how it has been an effective therapeutic medium over time;
- Be introduced to a range of resources & tools for use with children and adults;
- Practice tried and tested artistic & cultural plant related activities for use in group sessions or at the bedside;
- Explore outcome measures and protocols;
- Take home resources provided & used during the course. Further resources will also be available for purchase on the day.
The course is to be delivered by POP Gardens’ OT Lynne Evans together with Speech & Language Therapist Caroline Cook and will include:
- A pre-course reading pack to be provided by e-mail;
- A4 paper hard copy of the presentation slides; presentation pack
- Take home items crafted during the course of the day;
- Access to downloadable activity ideas.
This course will be run on a number of dates throughout 2020 at both Waterperry Gardens near Oxford and at Chesterfield's Staveley Centre. The activities selected for the courses are tailored for the four seasonal themes of Winter, Spring, Summer & Autumn.
Highlights from POP Gardens' 2019/20 courses attendee feedback to date (from 54 respondents) include:
- 100% of attendees would recommend POP Gardens courses to their colleagues;
- 'This has been an amazing start to my Social & Therapeutic Horticulture journey. I will be keeping in touch' OT from a Brain Injury Unit;
- 'I loved all the different little useful ideas on how to carry out seeding activity and how to make it interesting. I will be using it with children. Thank you. I feel very inspired'. OT at a Child and Adolescent Mental Health unit;
- 'Really useful day for getting going with horticultural therapy with a whole range of settings. Thank you so much.' Neuro-Rehab Assistant;
- 'You’ve done an amazing job. I’m so pleased I managed to get on your course.' OT from a Palliative Care Team;
- 'I had no idea there were so many creative activities to use with planting seeds and plants. Thanks for a lovey day and please do create a WhatsApp group so that we may all share our ideas'.