January 2022 - Arleen Ferrara "Horticultural Therapy in Practice"

The Southern California Horticultural Society welcomes Arleen Ferrara as the first speaker of the new year. She is a landscape designer and owner of Satori Garden Design in Los Angeles, and she is also a horticultural therapy practitioner. During her 14 years in business, Ferrara has served on the board of the L.A. chapter of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers and is certified in permaculture. However, her interest in horticultural therapy began when she was putting her garden guru skills to work at the schools of her then-young children. She came to realize how powerful gardening is for children, especially those struggling with developmental delays or social challenges, and her experiences there led her into a secondary career in horticultural therapy.

Ferrara pursued her educational training in horticultural therapy through Colorado State University, and in 2013 she began an internship at Vista Del Mar Child and Family Services with the goal of becoming a registered horticultural therapy practitioner. During her time at Vista, Ferrara designed and developed two large gardens and the horticultural therapy program that serves children and young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

In this presentation, Ferrara will discuss what horticultural therapy is and where it is practiced, and she will share her experience using therapeutic horticulture with children. As stated on her website: “Horticultural therapy is practiced in many environments with many special populations – from schools to rehab facilities, for inpatient or outpatient mental health, as community based homeless support and so on. It is used to meet therapeutic goals and objectives whether they be for an individual or group.” (Links to a list of books and organizations through which we can expand our knowledge in this field will be posted on SCHS’s website following the program.)

We are pleased to usher in 2022 with a program celebrating the benefits all of us can derive from the world of horticulture, spiritually as well as physically.