About The
GrowTH Network
The GrowTH - Grow Therapeutic Horticulture - Network is a professional support platform for therapeutic horticulture and horticultural therapy practitioners, as well as trained allied health professionals. It’s designed to help you confidently build and adapt your practice with ongoing support, while saving time, energy, and cost at every stage.
What's Included in The GrowTH Network
Connection Opportunities
Create a personal profile, connect with other members, and engage in chat forums. The network has 250+ members across every inhabited continent.
Activity Database
A robust database with 200+ step-by-step activities, and four new activities added per month. The database is sortable in multiple ways such as domain of wellness, season, material requirements (budget) and ability to deliver virtually.
Resource Library
This extensive library includes resources such as customizable templates, intake forms, evaluation forms, sample budgets, visual cue templates and more. Learn more about the contents and access three free resources below.
20% Discount on Courses
Annual members enjoy a 20% discount on all introductory/pre-recorded Root in Nature courses.
Events
Regular guest speakers on relevant professional development topics, as well as population-specific networking events. All events are free to GrowTH Network members. Check out our upcoming events.
Practitioner Support Calls
Feel isolated in this field? Join our monthly one-hour virtual drop-in calls with an experienced, registered horticultural therapist for connection, support and Q & A.
Resource Library Contents & Navigation
The Resource Library is organized into sections that reflect the natural stages of TH program development. Sections include:
- Program Site Assessment & Viability
- Participant Intake & Assessment
- Participant & Program Goals
- Program Planning, Schedule & Curriculum
- Therapeutic Gardens & Programming Environments
- Traditional & Adaptive Tools & Techniques
- Horticulture Knowledge
- Program Budgets, Funding & Proposals
- TH Marketing
- Consent, Liability & Volunteer Forms
- TH Session Facilitation & Organization
- TH Program Management & Billing
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200+ Activities in a Sortable Database
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80+ Document Resource Library
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Professional Development & Networking Events
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Expert-led Practitioner Support
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Personal Profile & Connections
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Chat Forums
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20% Discount on Self-Paced Courses
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200+ Activities in a Sortable Database
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Professional Development Events
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Expert-led Practitioner Support
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Personal Profile & Connections
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Chat Forums
What Our Members Are Saying
Activity Database
Your membership includes a database of more than 200 therapeutic horticulture activities that is sortable in the following ways:
- Session Component: Opening Activity, Activity, Closing Activity
- Activity Type: Horticulture, Botanical Arts & Crafts, Mindfulness/Meditation, Sensory, Games/Trivia, Culinary, Soilless
- Material Requirements: Cost vs. No/Low cost
- Domains of Wellness Affected: Physical, Cognitive, Emotional, Social, Spiritual & Creative
- Season
- Indoor / Outdoor
- Physical Exertion Level Required
- Population / Cognitive Ability
- Ability to Deliver Virtually
Video Tour & Sample Resources
Take a virtual tour of the GrowTH Network and receive three sample resources from the library:
- TH Site Hazards Inventory
- Plants That Stimulate the Sense of Touch
- 13 Elements of a TH Program Proposal
The GrowTH Network is one of the most exciting things to expand the growth of horticulture as a therapeutic tool that I have seen in recent years. Professionals from many fields working together with volunteers will bring this valuable tool to many more people.
— Dr. Paula Diane Relf
Professor Emeritus
Virginia Tech University
GrowTH Network
Annual Membership
$108
/yr
save 10% annually
Registration coming soon
What's Included
Online profile and network
A growing activity database
Resource library
20% discount on all courses
Free events
One-hour group call (monthly)
GrowTH Network
Monthly Membership
$10
/mo
Registration coming soon
What's Included
Online profile and network
A growing activity database
Resource library
20% discount on all courses
Free events
One-hour group call (monthly)
GrowTH Network
Monthly Membership
$10
/mo
Registration coming soon
What's Included
Online profile and network
A growing activity database
Resource library
20% discount on all courses
Free events
One-hour group call (monthly)
INCLUDES 7-DAY FREE TRIAL
Annual Membership-
7-Day Free Trial
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Personal Profile & Connections
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Sortable Activity Database
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Resource Library
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20% Discount on Courses*
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Guest Speaker Events
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Monthly Peer Support Calls
*excluding the Advancing Skills in Therapeutic Horticulture course
Students & Volunteers:
50% off the first year of your annual membership
Click here for discount
INCLUDES 7-DAY FREE TRIAL
Monthly Membership-
7-Day Free Trial
-
Personal Profile & Connections
-
Sortable Activity Database
-
Resource Library
-
Guest Speaker Events
-
Monthly Peer Support Calls
Upcoming Events
Supporting Emotional Resilience: Addressing Climate Emotions through Nature-Based Practice
Climate change is not just an environmental issue – it’s an emotional one. Many clients are grappling with eco-anxiety, grief, despair, and anger as they witness environmental shifts and wonder what, if anything, they can do.
In this session, Alexis Ashworth shares an evidence-informed framework for supporting emotional resilience in the face of climate-related distress, drawing on therapeutic horticulture, trauma-informed practice, and nature-based tools. You’ll explore the emotional dimensions of climate change, how to recognize when clients are within or outside their Window of Tolerance, and how to offer regulation strategies rooted in nature and values-aligned action.
This presentation will offer:
- Guidance on validating and working with five key climate emotions
- Strategies to help clients move from emotional paralysis to Active Hope
- Nature-based techniques like symbolic planting and grounding exercises
- Practical tools including the Climate Emotions Wheel and WOOP framework
This session will help you support clients (and yourself) through uncertainty with clarity, compassion, and care.
Alexis Ashworth is the passionate founder behind Root in Nature, a venture born out of her deep love for plants, gardening, and the therapeutic benefits they offer. She is presenting a collaborative body of work led by climate-aware psychotherapist Sarah MacKay.
Holding a BComm in Finance and an MBA in International Development Management, Alexis brings a blend of business acumen and a passion for making a positive impact. With 11 years of experience as CEO of Habitat for Humanity in Ottawa and Halifax, Alexis was recognized for both business achievements and community involvement by being named one of Ottawa Business Journal’s Forty Under 40.
Alexis’s journey into horticulture began through her volunteer work with World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF), where she discovered the profound connection between nature and well-being. Her dedication to horticultural therapy led her to study the Foundations of Horticultural Therapy and become active in several international associations and initiatives.
During weekends, you’ll find her tending to her fruit & vegetable gardens, cultivating food that her husband skillfully cooks and her two young daughters enjoy.
Population Group Call: Children & Youth
This online event, led by Rebecca Reimer, will focus on therapeutic horticulture considerations for working with children and youth in educational, community, and care settings. With an emphasis on engagement, regulation, learning, and connection, the session will explore how plant- and nature-based activities can support developmental stages, as well as the social and emotional health and wellbeing of children and youth.
Drawing from her extensive experience with this population, Rebecca will guide the discussion, sharing insights from practice while also inviting participants to contribute their own experiences, questions, and strategies. This collaborative format supports knowledge exchange, highlights diverse approaches, and deepens collective understanding of how therapeutic horticulture can be thoughtfully adapted to meet the needs of children and youth.
Rebecca is a therapeutic horticulture practitioner and program leader with experience designing and delivering horticulture-based programs in educational, community, and therapeutic settings. She currently serves as a Therapeutic Horticulture & Grounds Manager at a private K-12 school, integrating evidence-informed practice, accessibility, and trauma-aware approaches into program development and landscape management.
Rebecca is actively working toward her Horticultural Therapist Registered (HTR) designation and completed foundational horticultural therapy training under Mitchell Hewson. With a background in biblical studies, children’s ministry, and human services, she is committed to using plants and green spaces to support well-being, connection, and meaningful participation across the lifespan.
Monthly Practitioner Support Call
GrowTH Network members can participate in monthly drop-in Q&A and check-in calls with Katie. McGillivray, HTR. These calls provide a supportive environment where practitioners can seek guidance, share experiences, and engage in ongoing professional development.
Katie (she/her) is a Registered Horticultural Therapist (HTR) a member of the Canadian Horticultural Therapy Association (CHTA). A strong advocate of asset-based community development and reflective practice, Katie has been supporting therapeutic horticulture projects and programs for a wide variety of populations since 2014.
Katie completed her horticultural therapy certificate with Ann Kent and was proud to “build her own degree” in therapeutic horticulture, completing a minor in counselling and majoring in general studies, focusing on courses in horticulture, agriculture, psychology and research. Katie is passionate about increasing access to therapeutic horticulture in communities and facilitates regular in-person and virtual sessions. Her approach is collaborative, client-centred and strengths-based.
Katie is also a major foodie and her work in therapeutic horticulture often intersects with community food security and food justice work. When not in the garden, Katie loves cooking, entertaining and paddle boarding.
Guided Imagery in Therapeutic Horticulture: Supporting Resilience, Regulation & Access to Nature
Join us for a session exploring how garden-based guided imagery can support psychological resilience, emotional regulation, and wellbeing within therapeutic horticulture practice.
This presentation will introduce nature-based visualization as a tool for widening access to the benefits of nature, particularly for people who may not be able to engage directly with gardens or outdoor environments due to physical, medical, emotional, sensory, or environmental barriers. Participants will consider how guided imagery can be incorporated into therapeutic horticulture sessions, including as a way to open or close programs, support passive engagement with nature, and create more accessible pathways for participation.
The session will also highlight the relevance of guided imagery for highly sensitive people, including how visualization may support comfort, nervous system regulation, and a more positive experience in nature-based programming. In addition, the presentation will explore how garden imagery can be used as a practical resource for practitioner self-care and burnout prevention.
Participants will take part in a practical experiential demonstration of a garden-based guided imagery tool, with guidance on how these resources may be used by practitioners and participants.
Marie Součková is a psychologist, lecturer, and HR consultant with 15 years of experience in business settings. Her expertise includes stress management, burnout prevention, resilience, and sustainable performance. She is in her fifth season as a community gardener in Prague, Czech Republic. Trained in therapeutic horticulture and nature-based therapy, she founded InnerGarden.ai to bring garden-based guided imagery into healthcare, social care, and workplace settings.
Population Group Call: Adults
This online event, led by population ambassador Lindsay Jennings, will focus on therapeutic horticulture considerations for working with adult populations across community, wellness, clinical, and non-traditional settings. With an emphasis on facilitation, program and environmental design considerations, and meaningful engagement, the session will explore how plant- and nature-based activities can support resilience, meaning, and participation.
Drawing from her extensive experience with this population, Lindsay will guide the discussion, sharing insights from practice while also inviting participants to contribute their own experiences, questions, and strategies. This collaborative format is designed to support knowledge exchange, highlight diverse approaches, and deepen collective understanding of how therapeutic horticulture can be thoughtfully applied across adult populations.
Lindsay is the founder of Keep Growing – Mindset & Nature Therapy, a nature based therapy business out of Colchester County, NS. With training and certifications in areas such as Horticultural Therapy, Forest Therapy, a master level Mindfulness Practitioner, Mental Health First Aid, Mindful Leadership, and the Community Resiliency Model, Lindsay uses a therapeutic approach that is less traditional and more focused on the connection to the Self and Environment; changing mindset and increasing resiliency using Nature as the therapist.
A member of the GrowTH Network since October 2024, Lindsay brings nearly two decades of experience to programming in therapeutic horticulture. Working with teachers, post-secondary staff and students, adult literacy learners, private practice aging-at-home clients and federally incarcerated women, Lindsay’s background in adult programming is broad.
Personally experiencing the compounding and debilitating effects of stress, anxiety, isolation and depression, Lindsay was able to harness the healing powers of nature to come to a healthier place as a person and where a passion developed into helping to improve the mental health of others using biophilia and the people-plant connection.
StrongerU customers save $75 on a GrowTH Network & Intro Course bundle! Ask for details.
Join our Founder & CEO Alexis for a live 20 minute Information Session on the GrowTH Network. Click the link below to watch a recorded session now!
FAQs
The network is a space for horticultural therapists, therapeutic horticulture practitioners, students of therapeutic horticulture and allied professionals trained in therapeutic horticulture.
Yes! We’re here to support you, and that means supporting your business. If you have events or other offerings that others could take part in, please feel free to share them on the GrowTH Network timeline or in forum posts.
Yes! The purpose of this network is to give you practical tools you can use directly in your own practice—no crediting needed. That said, the resources are only licensed for active members. If you cancel your membership, you no longer have permission to use the documents.
Yes – you can ‘connect’ with members in the directory. If they accept your connection, you can send private messages to each other. We want to facilitate connections between people and provide a space to openly share ideas, resources, experiences and successes.
Absolutely! There is a form set up on the relevant pages of the community to collect submissions from members. The more members who engage and share, the more robust the community will become over time. Members are part of helping the network grow!
The GrowTH Network and sortable Activity Database require significant infrastructure and ongoing management. Registered horticultural therapists create, review and vet activities and resources. They also manage monthly check-in calls and other events. We’ve worked hard to keep the cost affordable while ensuring that the value provided far exceeds the price.
We were hoping to have a Canadian price and an US price. However, our software (MemberPress) is only able to process one currency. Since this is an international community, and the US dollar is widely recognized worldwide, we chose that currency and set the price at the US dollar equivalent of our intended Canadian price.
Best Ottawa Business (BOBS) Award Winner
Root in Nature was recognized for Best Performance in Social Entrepreneurship by the Ottawa Board of Trade and the Ottawa Business Journal.
Coralus Venture
Root in Nature is grateful to be selected as one of the Ventures working on the World’s To-Do List by Coralus Activators. We receive interest-free funding, connections and relationships to grow our impact.
Best Ottawa Business (BOBS) Award Winner
Coralus Venture
Root in Nature is grateful to be selected as one of the Ventures working on the World’s To-Do List by Coralus Activators! We will be receiving support from radically generous Activators, including funding, connections and relationships to grow our impact.