AHTA Annual Conference


2025 AHTA Conference: Nurturing Community: Planting The Seeds of Our Future

Days
Hours
Minutes
Seconds

See the conference schedule below.

Thursday Oct. 9th




Please click below to view Thursday Schedule

Friday Oct. 10th & Saturday Oct. 11th


Please click below to view Friday/Saturday Schedule

Saturday Oct. 11th

Poster Presentation


Please click below to view Poster Presentation Schedule

Thursday October 9th, 2025

Date/time (Pacific) Room Title Presenter
Thursday 8:30 AM - 9:45 AM California Redwood Keynote Speaker Derrick Stowell, PhD, HTR, CTRS
Thursday 9:45 AM - 10:00 AM Screen Break
Thursday 10 AM - 10:30 AM California Redwood Reclaiming Spaces: Acessible Healing Gardens Dr. Ivette Ruiz
Thursday 10 AM - 10:30 AM California Aster Pediatric Nature Stations: Therapeutic Garden Programming for Hospitalized Children Meghan Mckiernan, BS, HTR
Thursday 10 AM - 10:30 AM California Fuchsia Therapeutic Horticulture at the University of Florida: 12 Years of Service & Learning Elizabeth (Leah) Diehl, RLA, HTM / Sam Kaplan/ Lauren St. Clair
Thursday 10:30 AM -11:00 AM California Redwood Gardening for Health: Therapeutic Horticulture for Neighbors Facing Food Insecurity Lauren Hickman, HTR
Thursday 10:30 AM -11:00 AM California Aster Cultivating Resilience: Horticultural Therapy for Outcomes with Post-Secondary Student Bianca van der Stoel
Thursday 10:30 AM -11:00 AM California Fuchsia Horticultural Therapy as Part of Normalization Reforms in Correctional Institutions Julia Kuzovkina/ John Campanelli/ Laura Urban
Thursday 11:00 AM - 11:15 AM Screen Break
Thursday 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM California Redwood Mental Health Carol LaRocque
Thursday 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM California Fuchsia Seniors April Ellis
Thursday 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM California Aster Youth Kelly Warnick
Thursday 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM Coyote Mint Greenhouse/horticulturalist Matt Jansen and Trish Hildinger
Thursday 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM Coyote Mint Physical Disabilities Katie Ryzhikov
Thursday 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM Western Goldenrod Education Sara Rodriguez
Thursday 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM Western Goldenrod Developmental Disabilities Maryanne McMillan
Thursday 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM Western Goldenrod Veterans Active Duty Military Donna Hunt
Thursday 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM Coyote Mint HT/TH students & HT education Christine Capra and Rebecca Haller
Thursday 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM Coyote Mint Independent Contractors Megan Goulden
Thursday 12:15 - 12:45 PM Lunch
Thursday 12:45 PM - 1:15 PM California Redwood Rutgers University Gary L. Altman, MS, LAC, CRC,CVE, HTR
Thursday 12:45 PM - 1:15 PM California Aster Horticultural Therapy Institute Christine Capra/ Rebecca L Haller, HTM
Thursday 12:45 PM - 1:15 PM California Fuchsia College of DuPage Kelly Warnick, HTR, JD
Thursday 1:15 PM - 1:45 PM California Redwood Temple University Peg Schofield HTR
Thursday 1:15 PM - 1:45 PM California Aster University of Florida Elizabeth Diehl, HTM, RLA
Thursday 1:15 PM - 1:45 PM California Fuchsia Oregon State University Anne Gearhart/ Melissa Bierman, MS, HTR
Thursday 1:45 PM - 2:00 PM Screen Break
Thursday 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM California Redwood Conference Kick Off:Announcement and Fireside Chat on Credentialing Lana Dreyfuss, LPCC, LCADC, SEP, HTR
Thursday 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM California Aster Moth Session Laura Rumpf

Friday October 10th, 2025 / Saturday October 11th, 2025

Date/time (Pacific) Room Title Presenter Moderator
FRIDAY
Friday 8:30 AM - 9:45 AM California Redwood Keynote - The New Nature Movement Richard Louv
Friday 10:00AM -11:00 AM California Redwood Healing through greenery: The Role of Horticultural Therapy in the Revival of Ukraine Yuliia Rashkovska Jeanne Schultz
Friday 10:00 AM -11 :00AM California Aster Cultivating Inclusivity: Creating Safe, Equitable, and Honest Teaching Spaces in Horticultural Therapy Sarah Tanke, HTR/ Dr. Emily Boehm Tina Kocol
Friday 10:00 AM -11:00 AM California Fuchsia Horticultural Therapy: Enhancing Motor Skills & Emotional Intelligence in Adolescents of Kerala Dr. Beela G.K. Kamyshia Thompson
Friday 11:00AM - 11:15 AM Screen Break
Friday 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM California Redwood TeleHT and Veteran Well-Being: Lessons from the THRIVE Pilot Study Brooke Lorenzetti/Anne Meore LMSW, HTR Kamyshia Thompson
Friday 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM California Aster Strength in Numbers: Growing impactful HT programs through community partnerships Gayle Gratop, HTR Tina Kocol
Friday 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM California Fuchsia A Swedish model for nature-based rehabilitation – insights from 20 years of treating stress- related exhaustion Marja Abrahamsson/ Hanna Berko/ Emelie Rödström Matt Jansen
Friday 12:15 PM -12:45 PM Screen Break
Friday 12:45 PM - 1:45 PM California Redwood Membership Meeting and Awards AHTA Board
Friday 1:45 PM-2:00 PM Screen Break
Friday 2:00 PM - 3:00PM California Redwood The Power of Proximity: Unlocking the Benefits of Nearby Nature Elizabeth (Leah) Diehl, RLA, HTM Linda Brown-Kuhn
Friday 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM California Aster Aligning Your HT Program with Community Partner Needs Mike Maddox, HTR April Ellis
Friday 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM California Fuchsia Cultivating Intergenerational Connections Through Horticultural Therapy Betsy Anderton Tipton, PhD MaryAnne McMillan
Friday 3:00 PM -3:15 PM Screen Break
Friday 3:15 PM-4:15 PM California Redwood Blossoming Together: Integrating Chinese Flower Culture into Community Horticultural Therapy Li Zheng, Ph.D./Lin Ji/ Tong Zhu Linda Brown-Kuhn
Friday 3:15 PM-4:15 PM California Aster School Sensory Gardens: Building Therapeutic Wellness Through Nature-Based Learning Carmen Ketron, MS, MPA/ Noni Langford Nicole Giron
Friday 3:15 PM-4:15 PM California Fuchsia Meet Me at the Garden: Horticultural Therapy for dementias Lydia Burton (MPH) April Ellis
Friday 4:15 PM - 4:30 PM California Redwood Announcements AHTA Board
SATURDAY
Saturday 8:30 AM - 8:45 AM California Redwood Opening and Announcements AHTA Board
Saturday 8:45 AM - 10:15 AM California Aster Reach for Growth: A pathway back to our wisest self" Stephanie Ramirez, LCSW, THP Tina Kocol
Saturday 8:45 AM - 10:15 AM California Fuchsia It's NO Joke~ Humor and Horticultural Therapy Libba Shortridge, MLA, HTR/ Hsiang-Hua Chen (Melanie), MS, HTR Jeanne Schultz
Saturday 10:15 AM - 10:30 AM Screen Break
Saturday 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM California Redwood Mindful Gardening Program Integrating Mindfulness and Compassion Eva Creus, DVM, PhD Katie Ryzhikov
Saturday 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM California Aster Eco-Psyche Nexus (EPN) Framework Daniela Silva-Rodriguez Matt Jansen
Saturday 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM California Fuchsia Co-Designing Therapeutic Gardens for Multilayered Community Benefits Deidre Schuetz/Kenneth Powell-Wilson Tina Kocol
Saturday 11:30 AM -11:45AM Screen Break
Saturday 11:45 AM - 12:45 PM Various Rooms Poster Session (see below)
Saturday 12:45 PM - 1:45 PM California Redwood Horticultural Therapy for Perinatal Mental Health Manuela de Szyszlo Lana Dreyfuss
Saturday 12:45 PM - 1:45 PM California Aster Building Community: Horticultural Therapy and Youth with Substance Use Disorder Kenneth Harvey, MA, IAH, THP Linda Brown-Kuhn
Saturday 12:45 PM - 1:45 PM California Fuchsia Sense of Place? How Does This Apply to HT/TH? Lesley Fleming, MA, HTR/ Bree Stark Tina Kocol
Saturday 1:45 PM - 2:00 PM California Aster Nature Nests: A Calming Creation for All Ages Cantrece Jones
Saturday 2:00 PM - 3:30PM California Redwood Closing and Announcements AHTA Board

Saturday October 11th, 2025 - Poster Presentation

Date/time (Pacific) Room Presenter/Title Presenter/Title
Saturday 11:45 AM - 12:45 PM Coyote Mint Dr. Paul Shing-fong Chan - The Impact of Horticultural Therapy on Student Well-being Phasakorn Fungfoo, PhD student - Horticultural Therapy and Cognitive Function in Dementia: A Meta-Analysis
Saturday 11:45 AM - 12:45 PM Coyote Mint Virginia Cioncoloni, PhD Student - Impact of Horticultural Therapy on Cancer Patients: A Pilot Study
Saturday 11:45 AM - 12:45 PM California Fuchsia Christopher Banke - School-Based Groups: Integrating CBT and Horticulture Interventions Rohini Y. Deshpande, Phd (Hort), HTR. - Pulses in Horticultural Therapy: Growing Wellness through Legumes
Saturday 11:45 AM - 12:45 PM California Fuchsia Elizabeth D. Eubanks, M.Ed. - Therapeutic Horticulture and Grief Healing: A Holistic Approach for Children Julia Kuzovkina/ John Campanelli/ Laura Urban - Horticultural Therapy as Part of Normalization Reforms in Correctional Institutions
Saturday 11:45 AM - 12:45 PM California Aster Stacey LaFave, MS - Nature-Based Approach to Living Beyond Cancer Queshaun Sudbury, DNP, CCM, PMHNP - The Gardener-Garden Mutuality: A Dance of Growth and Well-being
Saturday 11:45 AM - 12:45 PM California Aster Avery Wageman, M.A., LPC. - Walk & Talk Therapy: Cultivating Mental Health in Rural Colleges Annette Hatala, OTL/OTD, - Portable/Temporary Vertical Gardens