Horticultural Therapy 100 Hours Certificate Course

There are 9 lessons in this course:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 & Registration

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

Your learning experience with ADL will not only depend on the quality of the course, but also the quality of the person teaching it. This course is taught by Iona Lister and your course fee includes unlimited tutorial support throughout. Here are Iona's credentials:

Iona Lister
Licentiate, Speech and Language Therapy, UK, Diploma in Advanced Counselling Skills.

Iona has been a clinician and manager of health services for fifteen years, and a trainer for UK-based medical charities, focusing on psychosocial issues, mental health disorders, and also the promotion of communication skills for people in helping roles. She tutors and facilitates groups via workshops and teleconferences, and now specialises in Sight Loss. As a freelance writer, she contributes regular feature articles for magazines, has written five published books, as well as published courses relating to personal development and counselling skills.

Iona has also written published books, courses and articles across a wide range of subjects, mostly in the areas of health, counselling, psychology, crafts and wildlife.

She has drawn experience from clinical and managerial experience within the NHS as well as medical and humanitarian subjects. She has been a regular feature writer and expert panel member of a national magazine for six years.

Books include: A Guide to Living with Alzheimer's Disease (and associated dementias), The Psychology of Facial Disfigurement; a Guide for Health and Social Care Professionals, When a Medical Skin Condition Affects the Way you Look; A Guide to Managing Your Future, Facing Disfigurement with Confidence, Cross Stitch: A Guide to Creativity and Success for Beginners.
Courses written include: Mental Health and Social Work, Counselling Skills, Understanding and Responding to Substance Misuse, Journalling for Personal Development, Guided Imagery, Stress Management.

Current work includes: Tutor: Courses associated with Creative Writing, Counselling Skills, Psychology, Holistic Therapy, Certified Hypnotherapist and Hypnotension Practitioner.

Facilitator of Teleconference Groups: Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB)

Trainer (Skills for Seeing): Macular Society

Reviewer of Books/Information: Macmillan Cancer Support

Fundraiser: Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), Embroidery/Art Groups Facilitator, Board Member

Website Manager: The Strathcarron Project, Coordinator (Delaware & Tennessee) Human Writes