In this event, Emilee Weaver invites participants to rethink gardening tools as active members of the therapeutic team, serving not only as functional supports, but as reflections of dignity, sustainability, and self-care in therapeutic horticulture practice. Through this lens, she explores how all tools can become adaptive when thoughtfully selected for their unique features and matched to both the task and the participant, supporting meaningful participation as bodies and abilities change across the lifespan.
Grounded in practical application, the session highlights how a strong understanding of standard tool features can expand accessibility without overcomplicating sessions or relying on specialized equipment, while also introducing a range of lesser-known tools that can enhance access, efficiency, and inclusion. Participants will leave with clear, applicable strategies for selecting, using, and managing tools in ways that reduce strain, conserve energy, and support more responsive, participant-centered programming.
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About Emilee:
Emilee brings over 25 years of experience in professional horticulture, along with education in social work and a horticultural therapy certificate from the Horticultural Therapy Institute. She currently serves as the Director of Learning and Community Engagement for Root in Nature, an international training and networking community for aspiring, new, and experienced therapeutic horticulture and horticultural therapy professionals.
For more than 15 years, Emilee has developed therapeutic horticulture programs and educational offerings across diverse clinical and community settings. She served as lead content creator and instructor for online and hybrid TH certificate programs co-created by two universities and co-authored The Profession and Practice of Horticultural Therapy (2019), one of the field’s first comprehensive textbooks.
Her work has largely centered at the intersection of HT/TH and mental health, spanning inpatient psychiatric settings, justice-involved treatment programs, botanical gardens, farms, and elder care communities. Most recently her work includes international partnerships supporting TH training and consulting in regions impacted by war such as Ukraine and Armenia.
