Horticultural Therapy is ideally suited to engage veterans alienated from traditional civilian healthcare routes who present with a range of complex and challenging healthcare needs. It presents, on the surface, as a deceptively simple and accessible activity. Carried out by trained professionals, it is an evidence-based, effective and cost-effective treatment. By targeting specific client-centred goals, it is able to integrate improved individual physical, emotional, cognitive and social outcomes with broader opportunities to transition successfully into civilian society through learning a valuable skill set and a meaningful occupation. This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the methods of Horticultural Therapy as applied to this unique client group. It describes the type of combat training and experiences veterans may have had, and sets out the common issues and pitfalls civilian therapists often face when working with the military. Looking to the future, it also identifies promising avenues in terms of how we may improve the treatment we offer to best serve the needs of these ex-service men and women who fight on our behalf. About the Author: Joanna Wise gained a First in Psychology at Birkbeck in 1992, and worked as a Research Psychologist and Psychotherapist, specialising in Cognitive Analytic Therapy and Sexual and Relationship Problems at the Department of Psychiatry, UMDS, Guy’s Hospital. She trained in Horticulture and Garden Design at Capel Manor and set up a successful international garden design business based in North West London. Most recently she has united her twin passions of healthcare and horticulture, by becoming a qualified Horticultural Therapist and worked for Gardening Leave, based at The Royal Hospital, Chelsea, with veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. She has since gained a broad experience of different client groups working with Thrive (The Society for Horticultural Therapy) and The Harington Scheme, and is a founding member of the Association for Social & Therapeutic Horticulture Practitioners. She is currently carrying out doctoral research on her area of specific interest: developing the use of Horticultural Therapy to facilitate access to the healthcare services for socially excluded client groups. |