RESEARCH

Therapeutic Gardening: A Counseling Approach for Bereavement from Suicide

Through a case study of a woman who lost her son to suicide, the article demonstrates how gardening, planting, and reflecting on nature’s metaphors can provide solace, encourage storytelling, and aid in coping with grief.
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Summary

This article proposes therapeutic gardening as a counseling approach for individuals bereaved by suicide, highlighting nature’s restorative properties. The approach involves counselors guiding clients through interactions with nature, such as gardening, planting, and reflecting on metaphors found in the natural environment related to life, death, and rebirth. A case study of Valerie, a woman whose son died by suicide, illustrates the approach, where she planted flowers representing her family and found solace and healing through gardening and storytelling.

The counselor facilitated Valerie’s healing by encouraging storytelling, meaning-making, and the development of rituals in the garden. Valerie’s engagement with the garden provided both a distraction from her pain and a means to cope with it, leading to a decrease in sadness and guilt and a sense of adapting to life without her son. The article suggests that therapeutic gardening, when implemented with sensitivity and intention, can offer a unique and effective way to support individuals grieving a suicide loss.

Link

Machado, M. M., & Swank, J. M. (2018). Therapeutic gardening: A counseling approach for bereavement from suicide. Death Studies, 43(10), 629–633.

 

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