Job Profile: Working as a Horticultural Therapist

Some people opt to enter the medical field to work alongside human patients. For others, their motivation might be to work with animals. But what about those with a passion for plant life?

While gardening is most commonly viewed as a hobby, that doesn't mean there aren't real benefits to be gained from working with plants. Horticultural therapists make it their profession to use interaction with plant life as a way to help facilitate rehabilitation in the lives of physically and mentally handicapped patients.

What they do:

According to the American Horticultural Therapy Association, horticultural therapy is defined as "a process utilizing plants and horticultural activities to improve social, educational, psychological and physical adjustment of persons and thus improving their body, mind, and spirit". With that definition in mind, the main goal of horticultural therapists is to rehabilitate, train and provide recreation for their patients in order to bring about improvement in those patients' lives.

Most horticultural therapist's patients are either physically or mentally handicapped, with disabilities ranging between age, ability and circumstance. It is up to each horticultural therapist to involve their client in all phases of gardening. This is accomplished by planning, coordinating and conducting a therapeutic gardening program for their client. Horticultural therapists typically work as part of a rehabilitation team that will include doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists, occupational therapists and others. They will confer with their team to evaluate their patient in order to come up with a gardening program that best suits the client's specific capabilities.

Horticultural therapists can work with patients on a one-on-one basis, or in a small group. Typical work activities include teaching individuals basic horticultural tasks such as planting out, lawn mowing, sowing seeds, setting out plants, soil preparation and pruning. Therapists must also demonstrate the use of tools and materials to ensure they are used safely. They typically keep daily records of the patients, including job sheets, time sheets and individual portfolios of evidence of work.

According to the American Horticultural Therapy Association, horticultural therapy takes place in gardens that can be found in various locations. These include rehabilitation programs, vocational and occupational training, psychiatric and mental health clinics, hospitals and correctional facilities. Among other settings are public and private schools, nursing homes and senior centers, and community and botanic gardens.

What they need:

There is no one defined path for a career in horticultural therapy. Those interested in pursuing such a career can opt to earn a bachelor's degree in horticultural therapy, which is available at select colleges and universities around the nation. One can also opt to earn an associate's degree in horticultural therapy, a certificate in horticultural therapy, or take individual coursework in horticultural therapy. The American Horticultural Therapy Association also recognizes and registers horticultural therapists through a voluntary professional registration program.

What they earn:

The average salary for a medical coder is $41,844, according to CBsalary.com. The 25^th and 75^th percentiles of salaries fall between $34,749 and $58,283, respectively.