ISHS Acta Horticulturae 775: XXVII International Horticultural Congress - IHC2006: International Symposium on Horticultural Practices and Therapy for Human Well-Being
DEVELOPMENT OF A SPECIALIST OUTREACH COURSE FOR HORTICULTURAL THERAPISTS AND COMMUNITY GARDENS STAFF IN VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA |
| Author: | J.P. Rayner |
| Keywords: | horticultural therapy, university, training, outreach, short course |
| Abstract:
There are many vocational and higher education courses in horticulture in Australia, but few opportunities for specific training in horticultural therapy. This is in spite of increasing interest in the sector and demand for a specialist training program from practitioners working in the field. This paper describes “Community and Therapeutic Horticulture”, a specialist outreach course delivered by the University of Melbourne in partnership with the Horticultural Therapy Association of Victoria and Cultivating Community. This part-time course aims to meet the training needs of staff working in a range of therapeutic and community settings. The development, planning and implementation of the course is described, including course planning and design, balancing content and activities, selecting appropriate teachers/ presenters, course participants and organizational issues. The course review and eval¬uation process is also discussed, including surveys completed by the course partici¬pants. Survey results indicate that while most participants were very positive about the course experience and outcomes, there were areas in which the course could be improved. | |
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