2025 Conference

The development, history, and current practice of horticultural therapy reflect a rich and diverse field that is well-suited to addressing a myriad of changing needs and challenges. Horticultural therapy is, and has always been, interdisciplinary in nature with emphases on knowledge and skills in horticulture, human services and specialized horticultural therapy. It is utilized by people who enter the profession from many different fields of training and experience, who begin the work at virtually any age of adulthood, and who serve individuals seeking a wide variety of medical, social, and emotional outcomes. Regardless of entry point, a solid foundation in horticulture and gardening is essential for successful practice in a therapeutic discipline that is founded on the benefits of gardening. To meet current and future human needs that foundation must be emphasized.

Bio

Rebecca L. Haller, HTM is affiliate faculty at Colorado State University, the co-founder, director and lead instructor of the Horticultural Therapy Institute based in Denver, Colorado, and an active member of the credentialing work team of the American Horticultural Therapy Association.
Key accomplishments in the field of horticultural therapy include writing curricula, teaching students from across the US and world, speaking at conferences and symposia, and leading the editing and writing of several major textbooks. The latest book was released in April 2025: Horticultural Therapy Methods: Connecting People and Plants in Health Care, Human Services, and Therapeutic Programs, Third edition. It describes the processes and methods used in horticultural therapy practice, as well as other therapeutic applications of horticulture. The Profession and Practice of Horticultural Therapy, 2019 is a comprehensive guide to the theories and models of programming. Both books are used for training and professional development extensively in the US and around the world.
A co-convener of the 16th International People Plant Symposium (held in Reading, UK in 2024) and frequent contributor/attendee to past symposia, her research has focused primarily on issues and data concerning education in the field of horticultural therapy as well as professional issues.
She has served as president and board member of the American Horticultural Therapy Association and is active on work teams with a particular interest in education and professional development. She is an author who is contributing to the competency exam currently under development in the US.
In professional practice, she developed a vocational horticultural therapy program in 1981 (still in operation) for adults with developmental disabilities and provided horticultural therapy and therapeutic horticulture for a wide array of people at Denver Botanic Gardens.
She is passionate about the healing and therapeutic benefits of gardens and gardening.

Lindsay will present several projects where collaboration between Horticultural and Recreation Therapy has improved opportunities for people-plant connections at Long-Term Care homes in the Vancouver Coastal Health Region. These therapeutic garden projects include garden enhancements, creation of new garden spaces, and innovative program design & research. Projects range in scale from generous outdoor patios, to indoor garden rooms & nooks, to shared planters, and 2’ x 3’ portable gardens. We will hear from members of both professions to learn more about the unique roles of each profession in the projects’ collaboration, with a focus on the benefits of engaging Horticultural Therapy professionals. We will learn how sharing knowledge and resources can create improved therapeutic garden experiences and therapeutic programs for clients. We will discover how expanding a collaborative network between allies builds legitimacy for our own work and for the profession of Horticultural Therapy – which ultimately serves our clients better.

Bio

Lindsay has been a registered Horticultural Therapist (HTR) with the Canadian Horticultural Therapy Association (CHTA) for 8 years. She currently works as a Horticultural Therapist for Vancouver Coastal Health, where she supports Long-Term Care residents to improve their quality of life by connecting with plants and the garden environment. Lindsay is passionate about integrating garden design with Horticultural Therapy programming and she delivers Horticultural Therapy interventions while overseeing the development of multiple therapeutic gardens to serve residents in their unique contexts. Prior to becoming a Horticultural Therapist, she received her Master’s of Landscape Architecture (MLA) from UBC in 2007, and has designed, installed, and maintained over 30 residential garden oases with her partner.

Featuring the Terrace Pro Indoor Garden, Sisters Jennifer and Sheila Bailes will describe how this hydroponic system has fostered a broader community gardening experience – including its use in pre-school education and literacy, spoken language classes, seniors’ activity and nutrition programs, Food Bank resources and community fundraisers promoting health and wellness.

Presenters will introduce the system, showcase features and benefits, and review the Horticultural Therapy and Therapeutic Horticulture applications where an indoor hydroponic system would be beneficial. Potential funding sources will also be discussed.

Bios:

Jennifer Bailes

Jennifer has been with Les Verts Living since 2017. As a co-founder, she has helped drive product innovation and indoor garden design and has supported marketing and sales activities across western Canada.

Jennifer’s 25-plus year professional career has been dedicated exclusively to agriculture; where she has managed plant nutrition, crop protection and seed businesses for a range of agricultural companies.

Jennifer comes from a cow-calf operation in western Manitoba. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Agronomy from the University of Manitoba.

Sheila Bailes, HTR

Sheila Bailes is a Victoria, British Columbia based registered professional horticultural therapist. She has been practicing since 1999 with various populations, predominantly seniors and adults living in private care facilities.

A graduate of the fabulous Geography program at the University of Winnipeg and early success as a Junior Gardener led her to the HT profession.

Poetry is one of the most ancient of all of the arts modalities. It began, as did all the art forms, sprouting from the senses. Poetry can support resilience and promote awareness of the potential for imagination within each of us.
In my work as a Horticultural Therapist, I use poetry as a key element for a therapeutic session. I have discovered asking a client/participant to participate in the poetry process involves considerable vulnerability on their behalf, so the skills and attitudes of the professional, such as sensitive listening, appreciative curiosity, and encouragement, are very important aspects of my facilitation process.
In my presentation Poetry as Therapy, I will share how I use the poetry process (listening, writing, reading, and performing poetry) as a transformative practice to help clients/participants (and myself) to reconcile with the conflicting forces within our lives, and gain stability again.

Cliff Thorbes, HTR, Bio:

Cliff Thorbes is a Registered Horticulturalist, Certified Career Development Practitioner®, and Expressive Artist. He is the Horticultural Therapist at Homewood Ravensview, a private 75-bed mental health, trauma and addiction facility on Vancouver Island, offering evidence-based, medically-led, inpatient services for first responders, military, adults, and young adults. Cliff is also the author of Stories They Can Tell, a collection of poems and photography, inspired by a deep respect, and sense of wonder for plants and nature.

Explore models of collaboration and examples of how TH/HT collaboration with partners inside and outside the school district work together to support innovative outcomes for students and staff.

Bios

Hannah Ball Damberg – Hannah was born and raised in Durham, NC. She graduated from Oberlin College with a BS in Environmental Studies and Geology and a concentration in Environmental Education. She comes with 6 years of vegetable production experience on three farms in the Piedmont area. Hannah served as a Farm Educator at the Durham Public Schools Hub Farm for 7.5 years, where she managed 30 acres of pollinator and vegetable gardens, trails, and livestock; managed volunteers; led and coordinated field trips; mentored high school and college interns; and more! Hannah is a NC certified Environmental Educator and holds a certificate in Therapeutic Horticulture from the NC Botanical Garden hybrid program. Hannah left the Hub Farm earlier this year to pursue her Masters of Social Work at UNC Chapel Hill, where she is continuing to explore the intersections between mental health, the education system, and the outdoors.

Greg Stivland, OTR/L, HTR – Greg is a pediatric Occupational Therapist who has worked in private practice and public schools for over 30 years. He currently works with students aged 3-21. Greg is the founder of Exceptional Gardeners which is a collaborative horticultural therapy program for children and young adults with developmental disabilities which supports social inclusion, acquisition of vocational skills, participation in meaningful occupations, and improved quality of life during and after their school career. He graduated from East Carolina University in 1994 with a BS, in Occupational Therapy. He received a certificate in HT through HTI in 2022 and became a Registered Horticultural Therapist in January 2024.

This presentation will introduce the fundamentals of labyrinth use and design as it pertains to Horticultural Therapy practice. Discussion will explore the benefits of having a labyrinth as part of a larger therapeutic space and when and how it is appropriate to use this as a therapeutic tool.

The labyrinth designed for Stedman Community Hospice in Brantford, Ontario will be showcased as an example of unique design in response to the needs of a specific population. Photos and discussion will describe the installation process by students and volunteers as a TH/HT project and how community collaboration is key to the ongoing maintenance requirements of the Haudenosaunee garden that surrounds the labyrinth.

Bios:

For over 30 years, Lynn Leach has been sharing her expertise and passion for the garden with communities. As a Registered Horticultural Therapist and Landscape Designer, she has had the opportunity to see first-hand the mental, physical and emotional benefits of connecting people of all ages, and backgrounds to nature.
Her business, Bird’s Foot Design Studio, offers therapeutic landscape design, Horticultural Therapy Program development and consultation, and Horticultural Therapy Education.

Carla is an advanced labyrinth facilitator and horticultural therapy practitioner for 15 years who brings a deeply grounded, nature-centred approach to healing and self-discovery.  With a passion for guiding professionals through reflective self-care practices, Carla uses the ancient design of the labyrinth as a powerful tool for insight, renewal, and emotional integration.

Whether walking alongside individuals working through trauma or supporting groups in high-stress environments, Carla gently creates spaces where complex emotions can be met with curiosity and compassion.  Her facilitation weaves together body-mind integration, somatic awareness, and the restorative rhythms of nature.

As a horticultural therapy practitioner, Carla enriches the labyrinth experience by incorporating natural elements – aromatics, textures, sounds, and plant symbolism – engaging all five senses and deepening participants’ connection to the earth and themselves.  She often integrates seasonal cycles, water rituals and plant metaphors into the labyrinth journey, offering participants a sacred pause and a safe container for transformation.

This presentation embodies the theme “In the Garden and Beyond” by demonstrating how horticultural therapy can be effectively adapted to a community farm setting, extending therapeutic care beyond traditional garden spaces. Through inclusive programming with youth and adults of diverse abilities, it cultivates connection, personal growth, and well-being. The farm environment offers unique opportunities to foster skill-building, socialization, and resilience, reinforcing the transformative power of HT interventions in diverse, real-world contexts.

Bio:

Bianca van der Stoel is a Registered Horticultural Therapist, Recreation Therapist, and lover of growing unique herbs. She is based in Nanaimo, BC and practicing HT on the unceded Coast Salish and Snuneymuxw territories. She specializes in clinical horticultural therapy with diverse populations, including post-secondary students, older adults, those in complex care, and adults living with diverse abilities. Bianca also has been involved in multiple therapeutic garden designs and installations through her contracts. Bianca’s work integrates evidence-based HT approaches to promote wellness, stimulation, and community connection. Bianca is committed to advancing the profession of HT through collaboration, advocacy, and education, including two virtual HT education opportunities she offers online through zoom.

This slide show will review the steps taken to make an idea of a Pollinator Garden a reality in less than a year. When our proposal to a Town of Caledon Climate Action fund was granted, a representative of a local garden centre donated her time to plan the garden with native flora; a local arborist donated enough wood chips to create pathways; nearby volunteers from a local high school the applied the mulch; and the Toronto Region Conservation Authority’s Conservation Youth Corp, program participants, volunteers and staff came together to plant the plants. We were awed at how immediately the pollinating insects were attracted to the freshly planted flowers. A month later, and 6 months after receiving the grant, we celebrated our official opening, with much support from the community, including encouragement from the Climate Action Fund grant coordinator to apply again for future projects.

Bio:

My name is Sue Morling, and I have been a member of CHTA for many years. I am a wellness coordinator with the community development team at Peace Ranch, a program of Services and Housing In the Province (SHIP). SHIP is an organization providing supportive housing and services for people living with mental health challenges. I believe in the ability of therapeutic horticulture to bring people together and form connections while learning with and from nature.

My background is informed by the social aspects of Therapeutic Horticulture rather than the clinical. I am so appreciative of the resources that a 25-acre property provides, such as a greenhouse, multiple gardens, curious participants, and my supportive colleagues at SHIP & Peace Ranch. Some of my recent accomplishments in integrating TH skills into Peace Ranch’s programming include this spring’s Maple Syrup Festival, and supporting multiple garden programs within my organization.

In this session, I’d like to share my experiences facilitating groups both with and for Indigenous women. Participants will hear me speak to: working collaboratively as a non-Indigenous facilitator; advocating in your agency for cultural humility, responsiveness and inclusion; working from a trauma-informed lens; tools to use to check-in with participants and to ground them; the concept of “culture as healing”; and my experiences in groups where we connected with nature in different ways relating to trauma healing work.

Bio

Rachel is in pursuit of her registration with the CHTA and is currently living and practicing on the traditional territory of the Lək̓ʷəŋən (Lekwungen) peoples, specifically the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations, and the W̱SÁNEĆ peoples. Just this year, Rachel took on her first TH contract job as a Therapeutic Horticulture Practitioner, supporting pregnant and new mothers in recovery. Prior to this, Rachel worked in the anti-violence field for almost 15 years working specifically with women, and mostly Indigenous women, from a woman-centered, trauma-informed perspective. Rachel is currently a stay-at-home mama to her plant-loving 3-year-old, tending to our balcony container garden and exploring trails and gardens in Victoria, BC.

Learn communication strategies for people with diverse abilities, led by a healthcare worker with twelve years of experience working directly with complex care residents. By gaining sensitivity to the challenges experienced by people living with cognitive and physical differences, the HT professional can deliver more effective programs, increase engagement, and uphold the dignity of individuals. We will discuss a wide range of topics such as: hearing and vision impairment, nonverbal communication, developmental disabilities, dementia, stroke, brain injury, depression, anxiety and trauma. Additionally, we will address keeping ourselves safe with violence prevention, de-escalation, and personal grounding techniques.

Bio

Nanette Moss Heise has been a healthcare assistant working primarily in complex care for twelve years. In 2025 she transitioned to the role of Activity Assistant, where she plans programs benefitting the five domains of health. She is also an artist and writer with a focus on plants. This includes physically using plants, depicting plants, and writing about the lore, symbolism, and uses of plants. Nanette’s background as a plant person includes working on an organic farm, at a plant nursery, in community and small space gardens. While homesteading in coastal Washington state, she developed an interest in native and medicinal plants. This learning has continued on Vancouver Island. Nanette has great respect for the healing power of plants. Spending time in nature with botanical allies creates space to reflect on challenges, get grounded, and uncover creative solutions. This path of healthcare, activities, and plants led organically to Horticultural Therapy.

In 2023, Rebecca Reimer reached out to a local private school with the idea of starting a garden club. By 2025, she had joined the school’s staff, developing a vibrant Therapeutic Horticulture (TH) and Horticultural Therapy (HT) program—beginning with special education students and now expanding further. This journey includes the formation of meaningful community partnership that transformed a neglected, mulch-covered garden into a dynamic program featuring certified pollinator habitats, sensory gardens, hydroponics, aquaponics, composting, and more.

Bio

Rebecca Reimer is a Horticultural Therapy Student, currently working towards her Registered Horticultural Therapy designation in association with the Canadian Horticultural Therapy Association. In her practice, The Restorative Way, she utilises plants, outdoor spaces, and mindfulness, to enhance the physical and mental well-being of people so that they can live lives of joyful expression. She is a speaker who shares her personal story of overcoming severe depression by spending time in nature. The realization that she was at peace whenever she was in her garden led her to discover Horticultural Therapy and the science behind why spending time outside is good for the body and the mind. She is currently building a Horticultural Therapy program at Chatham Christian Schools. Outside of school, she facilitates gardening and natural art workshops that allow people to create a mindful life and build self-esteem through meaningful activities that are transferable to their everyday lives.