Bex works as an Occupational Therapy (OT) Assistant at an NHS Adolescent Hospital where she uses Social and Therapeutic Horticulture (STH) as a valuable nature-based therapeutic intervention.
Since graduating, Bex has used her training to run year-round weekly STH groups as part of the therapeutic timetable and individual therapeutic horticulture sessions that enable young people to engage with nature.
“Graduating from the Thrive diploma has given me the knowledge and skills to adapt to the needs of the young people. I’m able to support those who may otherwise have struggled to engage in a clinical setting, and I have also used the knowledge from the course to design and begin creating a therapeutic garden at the hospital.”
Bex has always enjoyed spending time in nature and recognises its benefits.
“Bringing STH and nature-based interventions to the hospital is another way of supporting people. Interacting with others can make people feel quite vulnerable, but there's no judgement when working with plants, which particularly supports those I work with in 1:1 sessions.
Spending time in nature, is a form of connection to the moment, your emotions, yourself, others and the seasons.
Actively engaging with nature through meaningful activity is incredibly beneficial, and you can also benefit through passively spending time in the garden.”
There's a lot of research about how being in an unnatural hospital environment can have a negative effect on your mental health, Bex explains.
“Even if people don’t want to engage in gardening, coming along to the sessions supports them to experience both a nature and social connection. After a while they often start to get involved and you begin to see the wonder in their faces as they see the plants they have nurtured grow.”
Adapting sessions to meet an individual’s needs is an important part of STH and enables them to reach their personal goals.
“I always have an idea of what I'm going to do throughout the season, but it will change and adapt based on people’s interests and risk. If for whatever reason we can't go out in the garden, we bring elements of nature inside and enable a connection based on their interests, such as textiles or miniature gardens.”
Since delivering the weekly STH sessions as part of the therapeutic timetable there have been multiple health benefits.
“We know the benefits of nature are really positive and I’ve witnessed improvement in emotional regulation. Even when someone isn’t feeling very good, they know through our sessions that going outside will help them and the young people have said how it supports them to regulate their emotions. Engaging in therapeutic horticulture has helped them have conversations they haven’t necessarily felt able to have in the hospitals clinical setting, because they feel more comfortable outside, while engaged and connected with nature and experiencing the physiological benefits”.
Bex hopes to work full time as an STH practitioner in the future, and as well as the weekly STH and individual sessions, Bex also plans to run post meal support sessions for young people who are on an eating disorder pathway. This is a particularly difficult time for them and there is research into the therapeutic benefits.
“I would like to establish STH at the hospital as a therapeutic intervention that is separate from OT and educate staff on how passively connecting with nature is beneficial in itself.”
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