Therapeutic Horticulture Therapy

In this essay, I will be taking on the role of the head administrator, of the Northumberland Community Garden. I will be writing a proposal letter to the American Community Gardens Association, to try and receive funding for the Northumberland Community Gardens. In this letter, I will give a basic outline of the program development stages, evaluation process, and financial aspects of my organization. I will also include other information that would be considered relevant to understanding my purpose for creating this program.

“Could it be that we are supposed to be talking to the plants and animals, interacting with them, accepting the gifts they offer, and using them in ways that further their growth?”(Starhawk, 162). I feel this quote from “Our Place in Nature” is a great way to start the topic of how artists uses plant life in their work. It shows how artists might try to interact with the environment for ideas on the works that they come up. I feel also that they are trying to be one with the environment. I feel if you spend enough time in nature, you will build a strong connection with everything around you. This comment is justified when Starhawk said, “I can walk into any forest where the trees are strange and understand something about the relationships

In the novel, The Botany of Desire, Michael Pollan tells the intriguing story of how plants are domesticated from the perspective of the plant with regards to four specific plants.. The four plants he chose for discussion are the apple, the tulip, marijuana, and the potato. As he discusses the domestication of these plants, his overall focus is the desire that each of these plants have to us as humans. Pollan has written books and magazine articles among other pieces of literature that discuss the relationship between plants and humans. Throughout this informational text, Pollan tries to keep the perspective from the “plant’s-eye view of the world,” but he often slips into Pollan’s eye view of the world. As he talks about experiences that he has had with each of these plants and gives a little bit of their history, it was often hard to stay focused on the topic that he was trying to convey. However, I found that the perspectives that Pollan brings up are interesting to think about. The Botany of Desire was an interesting journal type informational novel that didn’t quite live up to my expectations of what it could have been.

As I make my way on this journey that is my life, I realize that I have always believed in the fundamental worth of all humanity and my responsibility as a fellow human being to respect this premise and also to support individuals, as much as I am able, to help unearth it should this basic truth become hidden to them. This is a guiding principle for me and I believe that many of the constructs of the field of Therapeutic Recreation (TR) are congruent with this philosophy. Making the decision to obtain a Therapeutic Recreation Specialization (TRS) degree offered a theoretical rationale in which to further explore the concept of leisure, define my professional philosophy and an opportunity to reflect critically on the field which I have

Dr. James Marcum, a cardiologist at the Chattanooga Heart Institute in Tennessee claims, “Pharmaceutical drugs don’t heal people.” In fact, he states, “Much of the time they do more harm than good”(Milner). U.S. Citizens need to stop taking harmful pills and start using more natural, holistic healing methods. Everyone has probably used a pill before to relieve their pain, but there are healthier ways to feel just as good. According to the results of the National Health Interview Survey, “In 2012, 33.2% of U.S. adults used complementary health approaches”(What Complementary and Integrative Approaches Do Americans Use?). While some people believe conventional medicine is a better choice, it is clear that holistic healing can replace prescription drugs because they are more safe and effective than prescription drugs, and they are more practical in many ways.

Shamanistic healing, one of the oldest spiritual healing powers, has recently become a topic of interest in modern medicine.

Holistic Medicine, commonly referred to as “Alternative Medicine”, is a vast and rapidly growing new scientific field. It is derived mainly from ancient, traditional methods of healing that have often been practiced in the East for centuries. These include a variety of techniques from herbal healing to acupuncture to homeopathy to energy channeling. Due to the large number of methods that are covered by the term, there are various definitions of Holistic Medicine. However, all literature seems to agree that Alternative Medicine, is exactly what the name suggests: an ‘alternative’ approach to healing and medicine. It is a more personal move toward health care, which attempts to connect the mind, body and spirit.

The objective of this paper is to unravel the reason and manner by which nurses take care of patients as human beings. I believe that patients are best taken care of when nurses handle them in such a way that humans need to be taken care of: through a holistic and spiritual treatment. By rationalizing humanistic nursing theories with theories of human nature, such as dualism and existentialism, as well as perceiving man as an embodied spirit and a relational being, a more holistic approach is given to a patient as a human being.

Brief therapy helps people by focusing on solutions, instead of problems. The therapist asks questions thereby facilitates the client by helping formulates solutions. The client leads the meeting by actively formulating ideas in which he/she can serve to improve the client's negative circumstances. This is contrary to cognitive therapy, which focuses on a client's cognitive processes (how he or she thinks about people/places/things). The therapist collaborates with the client to help the client develop alternative solutions.

I believe that the art of psychotherapy is more important than empirically validated treatments (EVT). I feel that the art of psychotherapy lies in the common factors, which include the therapeutic relationship, client and therapist factors (e.g., personality), helping clients deal with problems, and hope or expectancy factors (Reisner, 2005). Although I do believe that empirically validated treatments may enhance the therapeutic process, the treatments themselves are by no means the most important or fundamental aspects of therapy. There appears, at least to me, to be much more of an art involved in developing the relationship with the client and understanding the client’s perspective. It takes art and skill of a therapist to examine,

2. Chief Purpose: To encourage researchers, psychologists, and therapist to utilize information within the article to promote involvement with nature upon the human population. To help the human race to develop an eco-friendly environment.

Holistic assessments in nursing provide a unique quality of care to the individual patient. Holism in the provision of care includes assessments obtaining data about the physiological, psychological, sociological, spiritual, developmental, cultural and environmental aspects. It is imperative that the nurse conducting these assessments adopts methods in the nursing process that reflects the standards outlined in Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council National Competency Standards for the Registered Nurse to ensure the health and wellbeing of the patient is maximized and maintained throughout the time health care is received. Nursing processes are directed at restoring overall harmony for the patient therefore an understanding of the

2. A Brief History of Horticultural Therapy The use of therapeutic gardens and horticultural activities for their curative effects has a long history, dating all the way back to the beginnings of human civilization. In this section, we will briefly go over its historical development. 2.1

Massage therapy has been used for thousands of years as a form of medical care, the earliest time of use dates back to 2,700 BC from a Chinese book called “The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine”. The Chinese used this form of treatment for a person with full paralysis or an illness from fever and chills. History shows that Greek and Roman doctors also used massage therapy, as Julius Caesar had a disease called neuralgia and used massages on a daily basis to treat his condition. Hippocrates who was known as the Father of Western Medicine felt that massage therapy was effective, as it could loosen or bind a problematic joint. Massage therapy is also found in the history of Indian Medicine as the Indians used and still use

Gardening is a beneficial aspect of anyone’s day to day life. It’s something that is enjoyable for the elderly, young children, single people, and married couples. Gardening is also a way to bring the family together. Whether the garden is for aesthetic or utilitarian purposes, the hard work put into the garden is worthwhile. Gardens can provide financial relief, a healthier diet, and a healthier lifestyle. Gardening could also be a great life lesson that is carried and passed on through generations.