Horticultural Therapy Internships

Horticultural Therapy Internships

An internship is an effective way for horticultural therapy students to gain experience in the field. Through the internship, students learn how to apply the concepts and theories of horticultural therapy as a treatment modality for people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities.


Internships offer an opportunity for the intern to serve in the role of clinician, educator, and technician while gaining experience in the therapeutic and horticultural aspects of professional practice. Internships take place in a variety of settings such as hospitals and rehabilitation facilities, vocational centers, botanical gardens, and residential facilities.

A 480-hour internship in horticultural therapy is required for AHTA Professional Registration. During this internship, interns are supervised by a registered horticultural therapist (HTR or HTM level) who work closely with the intern to develop the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to provide effective horticultural therapy services. A registry of supervisors began in 2020. Supervisors may have been supervising prior to 2020 adding years of experience in supervision.

A current list of internship sites is available through the AHTA Member Center. Intern supervisors can be located by searching the member directory. It is the responsibility of the student to contact the horticultural therapy program and establish the internship. The AHTA Horticultural Therapy Internship Handbook offers a full explanation of the current internship requirements, policy and procedures.

Internship Extension due to Covid 19 Pandemic ended December 31, 2023
Beginning January 1, 2024, the AHTA reinstated the 2-year time frame for interns to complete their internship. If this presents a hardship and you accrued a significant number of hours but were unable to complete your internship before December 31, 2023, please contact the AHTA Office
Horticultural Therapy Internship Handbook

For more information, please see the Internship FAQ page or contact the AHTA Office for further information.

The AHTA has developed Guidelines for Telehealth Horticultural Therapy Internships. These Guidelines developed for intern supervisors offer suggestions to provide virtual horticultural therapy sessions. Under these guidelines, virtual horticultural therapy sessions may be counted as direct client hours. The AHTA is depending on supervisors to discuss telehealth with their interns, cover aspects of confidentiality specific to telehealth, and to ensure the safety of the individuals served through telehealth. Internship supervisors should contact the AHTA office for a copy of the guidelines, info@ahta.org.


Note: All horticultural therapy intern supervisors must be registered for a minimum of one (1) year and be approved by the AHTA as an internship supervisor. Prospective supervisors can contact AHTA or use the link below to submit an application.
Intern Supervisor Application

Horticultural Therapy Internship Resources

Do you know of a facility that might wish to host an internship? Please share that facility’s information with us.


Application Process


Applications are evaluated by the AHTA's Professional Registration Review Board. Applications for professional registration are accepted for review when all requirements for registration have been completed and upon receipt of a complete application packet.


Once a complete application is submitted, an applicant can expect results in 6 weeks. There are three applications for professional registration with the AHTA:


  1. Horticultural Therapist-Registered
  2. Therapeutic Horticulture Practitioner
  3. Reclassification from THP to HTR


All applicants are required to complete an online AHTA professional registration application and provide official transcripts for verification of applicable coursework. Applications will not be reviewed until all transcripts are received. 


All application materials are required to be submitted online. Acceptable documents include a clean copy scanned in JPEG format or PDF document. It is the responsibility of the applicant to complete the process and verify that all materials have been received.


Please note: If you are submitting courses from an educational institution that uses a quarter system as opposed to a semester system, a conversion table is available for your use. All AHTA professional registration course requirements are semester credits NOT quarter credits.

Application Information


Ready to submit your application for Professional Registration? The form does not save information, please ensure you have all required documentation for submission. Only Associate Level One and Associate Level II – year 3 members are eligible to apply.


Horticultural Therapist-Registered

Please complete the online application, upload the required documentation, and pay the $150 application fee.

Required documents include either:

  1. Internship - a completed, signed internship performance report for verification of the internship along with a copy of either the long-term project or internship case study.
  2. Internship work experience option: a completed, signed Verification of Work Experience-HTR form documenting dates and 1,500 hours of employment

.For more information, review the HTR Application process.


Therapeutic Horticulture Practitioner

Please complete the online application, upload supporting documentation, and pay the $100 application fee.


Required documents include a completed, signed Verification of Work Experience-THP form documenting dates and 500 hours of work experience and if applicable, proof of services rendered. 


For more information, review the THP Policies and Procedures.





Payment

There are two ways to pay your application fee:

  1. You may pay your application fee online at time of application.
  2. Mail a check to the AHTA office address listed below.
    AHTA Office
    8635 W Sahara Ave #711
    Las Vegas, NV 89117 

Maintaining Professional Registration


Once an applicant has been approved for professional registration, AHTA membership must be renewed annually at the Professional level to maintain either HTR or THP status. Membership fees include both membership dues and a credentialing fee. After three months of lapsed membership, a registrant must pay a reinstatement fee in addition to their annual membership dues to be reinstated. After two years of a lapsed membership, a registrant will be required to reapply for registration status. Reinstatement fees are: 

$75 – Horticultural Therapist-Registered

$50 – Therapeutic Horticulture Practitioner

After two years of a lapsed membership, a registrant will be required to reapply for registration status.