Emilee Weaver, Director of Learning & Community Engagement at Root in Nature™, is often asked:
“What is the difference between horticultural therapy and therapeutic horticulture?”
In this short video, Emilee helps us understand what these practices have in common and what makes them distinct.
Horticultural Therapy (HT) is a clinical practice facilitated by a registered horticultural therapist. It involves structured, goal-oriented activities designed to achieve specific therapeutic outcomes within an established treatment or rehabilitation plan.
Therapeutic Horticulture (TH) is a more community-based practice that can be facilitated by non-clinical professionals and volunteers that have received specialized training in TH. TH utilizes nature-based activities to support broader goals that address human health and wellbeing in a variety of settings, without the need for clinical oversight. However, many clinical professionals choose to combine their clinical education and specialized TH training to achieve high-quality, clinically significant treatment outcomes.
About Root in Nature
At Root in Nature™, we strengthen human health by connecting people with plants and nature through therapeutic horticulture, and we do it while empowering the professionals who make this work possible.
We know that many allied health professionals are seeking to integrate nature into their therapeutic practices, but we also recognize the real-world barriers. That’s why we’re building a different kind of path.
Root in Nature™ offers accessible, affordable, and practical training. Through our growing suite of online courses and our international community—the GrowTH Network (Grow Therapeutic Horticulture)—we help practitioners feel confident, supported, and equipped to create engaging, client-centered therapeutic gardening programs.
Visit the Root in Nature™ homepage to take a short quiz and find resources tailored to your needs on your therapeutic horticulture journey.