Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

This is the second course of a 6 course, 14 credit sequence in therapeutic horticulture required by the Therapeutic Horticulture Activity Specialist Certificate of Completion and accreditation with the American Horticultural Therapy Association.

Upon completion of the course students should be able to:

• Design therapeutic horticulture gardens, wellness activities, and programs for special needs populations in retirement and long term care communities, vocational and medical rehabilitation facilities, and developmental disabilities settings.
•  Develop year-round programs, budgets, and maintenance plans, incorporating appropriate indoor, outdoor, and seasonal adaptations, strategies, and techniques.
• Maintain professional and ethical standards of practice, based on available research and resources.

• Identify adaptive techniques and strategies for working with all populations in therapeutic horticulture setting
• Gain basic understanding of terminology associated with adaptive techniques and strategic planning in therapeutic horticulture programming

Course is hybrid and on campus, including contact with the therapeutic horticulture programs and therapeutic gardens. Includes a combination of reading, lecture, discussion, observation and practice in the program and therapeutic garden.

Students will demonstrate they have met the learning outcomes through various means, including completion of study guides, written and oral examination, plant identification and resource location guides, and program plans incorporating strategies appropriate to various populations, settings, and seasons.

Basic business skills for setting up contracts

Therapeutic horticulture and gardens
Programming for special populations
Therapeutic horticulture adaptions, strategies and techniques
Indoor and outdoor programming
Year-round garden planning and maintenance
Vocational, rehabilitative, pediatric and geriatric programs and services
Professional resources
Professional ethics