Supporting Mental Health Through Therapeutic Horticulture (Trellis)

Gardening and nature connection offer profound benefits for wellbeing—but without skilled guidance, these experiences can remain out of reach for many. Barriers such as inaccessible garden layouts, lack of initial support, and undertrained staff can prevent meaningful engagement.

This course equips gardeners interested in benefits of gardening with essential skills in therapeutic and traditional horticulture, inclusive garden design, and person-centred care—ensuring that gardening becomes a healing, enriching experience for all.

Fife Climate Hub are thrilled to offer 10 free spaces for our FCCAN Members. In order to register for the special offer – email Gosia.stanton@fccan.org.uk

What to expect

As a result of the training, you will:

• Explore the benefits of gardening and nature connection to mental health
• Understand the range of gardening and nature connection support – from general wellbeing to specialist Therapeutic Horticulture
• Explore the theory and practical methods that inform adaptive gardening techniques to support mental health recovery including communication and building relationships.

Trellis delivers this training using interactive online methods – a combination of slides, breakout rooms, quizzes, video clips and group discussions.

This online interactive workshop will be delivered by Emma Martindale , who is currently running a therapeutic horticulture programme, supporting patients with a depression and anxiety diagnosis at a G.P. surgery in East Lothian. Patients are prescribed a series of therapeutic gardening sessions. She will bring her experiences and insights into this and previous therapeutic horticulture work, to share at this session.

Trellis is a Scottish registered charity who supports over 520 groups who harness the power of gardening to enhance physical, emotional and social wellbeing. The Trellis network includes organisations from different sectors ranging from hospitals, care homes, to school, community spaces and prisons. Trellis members provide therapeutic sanctuaries offering recovery from ill health, rehabilitation, overcoming adversity and increasing skills, and confidence.

Who Can Apply

Any volunteers involved in community gardens and interested in developing work for enhancing mental health benefits. It is specifically for FCCAN members.

How to register

Registration for the special offer for FCCAN is managed by Fife Climate Hub.

Contact gosia.stanton@fccan.org.uk to make a note of interest and receive further guidelines.

IMPORTANT: This special offer is only valid until 24th December, so please register for it soon if you are interested.