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.

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We had a great experience participating in the Raising Kellan podcast. We appreciate the opportunity to share the transformative work of care farming with the disability community and beyond. Together, we’re growing a more inclusive future… one story, and one farm, at a time.

About Raising Kellan

Empowering, connecting, and educating parents raising a child with a disability. For parents. By parents.

Raising Kellan’s vision is to create a movement that breaks down the stereotypes, prejudice, and stigma that lead to discrimination and exclusion of individuals with disabilities.

Find the podcast episode highlighting CFN’s work below, and enjoy the more than 100+ other episodes!

Spotify

YouTube

Apple

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What are care farms? Simply put, a care farm involves the therapeutic use of farming practices to facilitate healing. Also known as green care or therapeutic farming, care farming is supervised and structured, providing “farming-related activities for individuals with a defined need.” These activities include things like animal husbandry (livestock, small animals, poultry), agriculture, horticulture, woodland management, produce collection, craft-making, woodworking, garden tending, habitat restoration, and more.

Care farms provide structured and supervised care services, usually as part of an educational or rehabilitative program. They have been found to be successful for a variety of vulnerable groups, such as people with mental health problems, people suffering from mild to moderate depression, adults and children with learning disabilities, children with autism, people with a drug or alcohol addiction history, disaffected youths, and people on probation.

Read Dr. John LaPuma’s blog post…

The post What Are Care Farms? appeared first on Care Farming Network.

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The post DEEP DIVE with Gould Farm: A Therapeutic Community that Promotes Recovery for People with Mental Health + Related Challenges appeared first on Care Farming Network.

Presenters:

Mallory Dockery of Bittersweet (OH) View Presentation Here!

Becca Roe of Red Wiggler Care Farm (MD) View Presentation Here!

David Cloniger of Old School Farm (TN)

The post Training for Inclusive Work with Neurodivergent Employees appeared first on Care Farming Network.

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The post DEEP DIVE with Simple Sparrow Care Farm: Trauma-Informed Care Farming appeared first on Care Farming Network.

A workshop exploring how to prevent burnout in care farming was offered at the 2025 Care Farming Network National Conference. Speakers included:

Chris Krivanek of Homesteads for Hope (NY)

Amanda Brooks of A Farm Less Ordinary (VA)

Care farming comes with unique challenges—how do you balance the demands of farm production while staying true to your mission of care? This session explored the critical question: What comes first—the care or the farm? Panelists shared strategies for prioritizing tasks, managing repetitive duties, and preventing day-to-day burnout. They also offered tips on self-care and maintaining personal well-being amidst the pressures of care farming.

Click to view slide presentations:

Homesteads for Hope

Old School Farm

The post Preventing Burnout in Care Farming: Balancing Mission and Daily Challenges appeared first on Care Farming Network.

A workshop exploring how aquaponics and hydroponics are transforming farm operations and creating opportunities for meaningful work was offered at the 2025 Care Farming Network National Conference. In this panel, three farms will presented their unique models, demonstrating how these growing methods are integrated into their farm systems. Panelists also shared how they provide inclusive employment, job skills training, and support for individuals with diverse abilities through their aquaponics and hydroponics practices.

Speakers included:

Cape Abilities Farm Staff (MA)

Michael Lynch of Greens Do Good (NJ)

Click to view slide presentation:

Greens Do Good

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Brittany Wiitala of 21 Roots Farm (MN)

Danielle Moore of SMILE Farms at League Education + Treatment Center (NY)

Ashley Kubik and Olivia Boyce of Lynchburg Grows (VA)

The question was posed: “How can we effectively match farm tasks to the unique strengths and abilities of individuals with developmental disabilities, mental health challenges, or veterans with PTSD?”

Click to view slide presentations:

21 Roots Farm Slides

Lynchburg Grows Slides

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