MAHTN's 2026 Annual Conference
“Connection & Healing Through Horticulture”
Saturday, September 19th, 2026
9:30-3:30PM
Tyler Arboretum, Media, PA
Join your MAHTN colleagues for a day of connection, inspiration and wisdom! We welcome anyone with interest in the field to join us.
9:30am: Doors open for Registration & Light Breakfast
10:15am: Welcome and Keynote Presentation
“Lifting the Veil: A Conversation About Grief"
Kate Irvine, THP, CNLP
11:30am: Membership Meeting and Updates
12pm-1pm: Lunch
1pm-3pm: Afternoon Breakout Sessions (1 Hour Each)
Tyler Arboretum Tour with Nancy Heinbaugh
AND
"Herbs: Lessons for Loss & Caregiving"
Including a Hands On TH Activity: Healing Salves
Betty Guise HT & Mikkele Lawless HT
3pm: Raffle, Reflection and Announcements
Tyler Arboretum is open until 6pm - so there will be time to explore more after programming ends!
Meet Our Speakers
Katelyn Irvine is a Therapeutic Horticulture Practitioner (THP) as well as a Certified Nursery & Landscape Professional (CNLP) with a long-standing background in mixed media arts. When she’s not curating horticultural therapy workshops, she’s busy acting as the Creative Director of Pleasant Run Nursery in Allentown, New Jersey. Throughout her body of work, the idea of beauty in the grim has returned time and time again, reflected first in her art and now in her work as an ecologically-focused horticulturist with a love of birds, beetles, and native medicinal plants. When she’s not in the garden, Kate spends her time with her shih-tzu/boxer mix, Gigi, hiking local haunts and identifying various mushrooms and mosses.
Instagram: @katydid_HT
LinkedIn: Kate Irvine | LinkedIn
Website: www.katydidhorticulturalwellness.org
Betty Guise is a Horticultural Therapist and licensed Social Worker in Harrisburg PA, with a Certificate in Horticultural Therapy from Delaware Valley University. She contracts with Hospice of Central Pennsylvania for her program, “A New Leaf,” which serves adults who are grieving the loss of a loved one. Inspired by nature’s “life lessons,” the program melds education, socialization, creativity, and social support. Betty has shared her personal and professional experiences as a co-presenter at the 2024 AHTA conference; the “Grief Talks” social work conference with Highmark’s Caring Place; and the Caring Place Family Night which featured HT activities.
Mikkele Lawless is a Certified Horticultural Therapist through the New York Botanical Garden, a Certified Dementia Practitioner, Rutgers Master Gardener, Biophilic Artist, and instructor at the New York Botanical Garden, where she teaches Therapeutic Horticulture for Older Adults. With a background in Psychology and more than 10 years in the field of therapeutic horticulture, Mikkele currently works with Parker Health Group in Highland Park, New Jersey, developing and facilitating programs for nursing home, assisted living, memory care, and adult day care residents, as well as intergenerational programs. She is passionate about using plants and nature to foster connection, purpose, creativity, and well-being through meaningful therapeutic experiences.
Members: $60 / Nonmembers: $75 / Students: $50
Learn more about Tyler Arboretum on their website - https://tylerarboretum.org/ - including directions, accessibility and more.
Looking for a way to arrive via public transit? There is a nearby Septa train station - please email info@mahtn.org to arrange a pick up - we're happy to help! Please plan to arrive by 9:15.
Morning refreshments and lunch are included with the conference fee. Please note there is a field to indicate if you have any dietary restrictions when registering.
Please direct any inquiries to info@mahtn.org - we look forward to sharing more details in the coming weeks and seeing you there!
