HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE ON THEORETICAL MODELS FOR RESEARCH AND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT IN HORTICULTURAL THERAPY

The need for theoretical frameworks to guide the research and implementation of treatment in professional areas that are concerned with healthcare outcomes is evident as indicated by the books and courses on the subject in occupational therapy, gerontology and many related subject areas.
Problems related to research in horticultural therapy (HT) as a treatment modality are far from unique in the heath care arena.
It has been reported that “the major limitation of past outcomes research has been its limited ability to link medical care with outcomes, because of the lack of theory development to guide the research process, inadequate data sources, or both.” A chapter in the book Farming for Health addressed this need and current consideration regarding research models in horticultural therapy and related fields.
This paper will 1) look at early models (either as text or diagrams) that have been put forth as a starting point for establishing effective theories of human-nature interaction in a therapeutic or treatment setting for future research in HT, 2) expand on some models discussed in the prior paper, and 3) identify considerations for the development of future models.

XXVII International Horticultural Congress – IHC2006: International Symposium on Horticultural Practices and Therapy for Human Well-Being

P.D. Relf

therapeutic horticulture, frameworks, theory, outcomes research

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2008.775.9