A Way to Heal Mind, Body, and Spirit

Posted in Adult Education, Learning Experiences, People, Testimonials on May 30 2012, by Joyce Newman

New Summer Intensive classes in Horticultural Therapy start July 9!

Among the lesser-known public gardens in New York City is the Enid A. Haupt Glass Garden, an amazing urban oasis located at the Rusk Institute for Rehabilitation. That’s where Lori Bloomberg first learned about horticultural therapy and where she fell in love with the people and the curriculum of the program.

“It just felt like home,” explains Lori. “And after a year of volunteering, I learned about the NYBG Horticultural Therapy Certificate Program with classes in the city, and decided to enroll. I started classes slowly in the regular program, and then I did the Horticultural Therapy Summer Intensive to accelerate the learning schedule.”

Lori majored in fine arts and design in college and she worked in graphic arts most of her career. Discovering the field of horticultural therapy was like finding a new way not only to heal the body and mind, but the spirit as well.

Horticultural therapy is in fact one of the oldest healing therapies and is a widely recognized form of treatment for people with physical or mental disabilities. The Rusk Institute launched one of the nation’s first horticultural therapy programs in the 1970s with support from Enid A. Haupt, whose philanthropy also made the eponymous conservatory here at the NYBG what it is today. The Rusk program expanded in the ’90s with the addition of a perennial garden, also funded by Mrs. Haupt.

Children and adult patients from each of the Rusk units grow plants, arrange flowers, and make nature craft projects, gaining a sense of personal accomplishment, productivity, and self-reliance while guided by trained horticultural therapists. One of the therapists, Matthew J. Wichrowski, is also on the faculty at NYBG, having taught some of Lori’s most memorable classes.

“Matthew and the other NYBG horticultural therapy instructors are just amazing—very efficient and giving, as well as very thorough,” says Lori. “My favorite memories are of these teachers and how passionate they are about their classes. Gary Lincoff and his mushrooms; John Beirne and his magnolia blossoms; activity plans with Pat Czarnecki; and Phyllis D’Amico, with whom we planted wheat grass in total darkness to experience what it’s like to work without sight.”

Lori recently completed the 100-hour NYBG certificate requirement while interning at the Rusk Institute, and she continues to intern there while finishing her course work. She hopes to graduate soon and is excited about a new career working with children and the elderly. “It will be a totally new direction for me,” she says.

Registration for the 2012 Horticultural Therapy Summer Intensive Classes is now open, offering students the opportunity to fulfill–in just a few weeks–many hours required for a certificate. Courses begin July 9! To register, or for more information, visit our Adult Education site or call 800-322-NYBG (x6924).

Photo courtesy of Yuji Nakahashi.