MAHTN Newsletter, Vol. 6, #4 2025

Welcome to the

2025 April edition - MAHTNMatters

As spring awakens the world with fresh greenery and delicate blossoms, the work of a horticultural therapist becomes even more meaningful. Guiding others to connect with plants during this season of renewal fosters healing, growth, and a deep sense of belonging. Watching seeds sprout and buds unfurl mirrors the resilience and potential within each of us, reminding us that, just like nature, we are always growing. Through the simple act of nurturing a plant, we cultivate patience, hope, and joy—gifts that extend far beyond the garden and into our daily lives. As we close out National Horticultural Therapy Week, MAHTN would like to thank all of you, for all that you do!

Mikkele Lawless - Editor MAHTNMatters

What a Fabulous Turnout for our

2025 MAHTN - NYBG HT WEEK

Networking Event!

Every year, MAHTN collaborates with the New York Botanical Garden to host a networking event for students or anyone interested in Horticultural Therapy (HT) and Therapeutic Horticulture (TH). This year’s event featured inspiring speakers who shared insights into their programs, with some even offering exciting internship opportunities. It was a valuable opportunity to connect, learn, and explore new possibilities in the field.

A Big Thank You to all who attended, Phyllis D'Amico & Anne Meore from NYBG, the MAHTN Board Members and our speakers:

Stephanie Bourke, TH Intern from Frlinghuysen Arboretum

Rachelle Kritzer Filipek Ph.D., TH Intern from T.H.R.I.V.E. @ NYBG

Jane O'Brien, TH Program Director from J-Atep Flower Farm CSA

Maggie Riche, Program Director for Plant-Grow-Give @ The Mercy Home

Fred Ellman, HT, Program Director from Blossom Respite Cafe and Garden

Mikkele Lawless, HT, CDP, MCMG, Program Director from Earth's Embrace at Parker Health Group

See you next year!

Save the Date: March 22, 2026

A Special Shoutout!

Congratulations to MAHTN's very own Rich Matteo for placing 2nd in two plant competitions at this year's

Philadelphia Flower Show!

Please join us for our next COP virtual meeting

on HT/TH work with the Elder Community.

Our next session will be 4/23/25. We will continue to schedule the COP on the 4th Wednesday of the month at 7.00pm.

Recap: At our March COP meeting we were fortunate to host the poet, Patricia McKernon Runkle. Thank you to Megan Fainsinger for facilitating this. Patricia read from her collection of poems, “To the You Who Used to Be: Poems on Dementia and Wholeness”. The poems trace Patricia’s childhood, to her mother’s young womanhood, to her eventual decline into dementia. To a person in the COP, the experience of listening to Patricia’s words was both beautiful and extremely meaningful. A Q+A followed which brought more insights from us and Patricia. Patricia commented on how impressed she was as THs with our ability to listen. This was a great session, we believe what the COP is intended to do, and we hope for many more MAHTN members to join us in the future.

For more information about the COP contact Fred Ellman at fred@ongrowingmindfulness.com

Please contact megan.fainsinger@gmail.com to be added or removed from the mailing list for the monthly ZOOM LINK email.

All are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Therapeutic Horticulture:

Using Nature-based Programming to Build Community

Free Webinar from The Missouri Botanical Gardens

April 10

6:30pm - 7:30pm

Click here for more information!

Earth Day Celebration

Apr 19, 2025

10AM - 3PM

Governors Island - Colonels Row Green

Celebrate Earth Day on Governors Island! Featuring free activities for all ages, including ecological stewardship, walking tours, an Island-wide scavenger hunt, seedball workshops, a tree stamping art activity, climate tech demos, DJ sets, community science exhibits, and more.

World Therapeutic Horticulture Day (WTHD)on May 18, 2025, aims to increase recognition for therapeutic horticulture and its amazing benefits. To make an even bigger impact this year, the planning group agreed to gather TH stories and photos, videos and quotes. We're inviting everyone in the field to contribute.

Please go to this link and share your story!

Member Perks

The Potting Shed

Available to all MAHTN members providing a comprehensive repository of information and ideas to support HT's.

Inside the Potting Shed you will find:

On-demand access to HT webinars and videos
Networking opportunities
Access to specialized Communities of Practice
Marketing Tool Box
Employment Opportunities

Check out our new postings!

If you have an employment opportunities to share please email: info@mahtn.org

Check back each month to see updates and new materials added!

What's New in the Media?

HORTICULTURAL THERAPY & THERAPEUTIC HORTICULTURE

Research Database

The Horticultural Therapy / Therapeutic Horticulture Research Database is a comprehensive, organized collection of research studies focused on the benefits, methodologies, and applications of horticultural therapy (HT) and therapeutic horticulture (TH). It serves as a resource for researchers, practitioners, educators, policymakers, and funding organizations interested in evidence-based applications of HT/TH. Click here to go to the Database.

Gardening therapy 'life-changing' for stroke victim

Read all about it here.

Program Spotlight

An interview with:

Rich Matteo HT

Rich is the horticultural therapist at Overbrook School for the Blind in Philadelphia. This program focuses on students from 3 - 22 years old with the goal of introducing students to the natural world in a safe environment as well as working on their individual therapeutic goals.

What population do you work with?
The visually impaired and special needs children.

Why did you choose to develop this program or how did you get into this population?
This was an amazing opportunity to start a program from the ground up for the school. The space was already built and ready to be used. I jumped right in and never looked back. I had never worked with this population before starting at Overbrook, so it involved a lot of learning on the fly and adjusting my lessons to meet the individual needs of each of my students.

What is innovative about your program?
We have recently been working with a 3D printer to make braille signage for many of the plants on campus. We are hoping to have our orchard completely labeled with accessible signs by the end of spring.

What kinds of activities do you do?
We do flower arranging almost every day. We have a commercial grade flower refrigerator that we stock in the cold months by purchasing flowers from our local Produce Junction. In the summer and fall, all the flowers are grown here on campus. We create arts and crafts depending on the season or holiday that is approaching. I found it easier with my population to break every activity into segments that can be completed in several classes instead of trying to get it all done in one class period.
How is your program evaluated?
The program is evaluated by what we produce. I keep track all year long of every ounce of produce we grow, how much gets donated and how much stays on campus to go to staff or the cafeteria. At Christmas we have a craft sale and in the spring we have a plant sale. All the proceeds from our flower arrangements all go into an annual report that goes to the board of trustees and the school administration.

How can I get more information about your program?
We are in the process of updating our website but you can find us here: https://www.obs.org/who-we-are/green-initiatives.cfm

Anything else you'd like to mention?
We are always available to offer advice or help. If you or anyone you know is looking for an internship opportunity, please let me know.