Therapeutic Horticulture Practitioner (THP)Notice: During the holiday season, professional registration applications will not be accepted or processed from November 26th, 2024, through January 1st, 2025. Please do not submit your application, supporting materials, or submit electronic transcript requests during this time. The office will begin accepting applications again on January 2nd, 2025.
The American Horticultural Therapy Association is pleased to announce a new professional credential – the Therapeutic Horticulture Practitioner, THP. The THP is intended for practitioners who provide therapeutic horticulture services aligned with the AHTA definition:
The designation Therapeutic Horticulture Practitioner (THP) ensures that professional competencies have been achieved based on standardized academic requirements and professional training. Individuals at this registration level may advance to Horticultural Therapist-Registered upon completion of additional requirements. Review the Reclassification – Horticultural Therapist-Registered information below. Apply TodayPlease review all of the information on this page before applying. Eligibility for the Therapeutic Horticulture PractitionerTo be eligible for Therapeutic Horticulture Practitioner, an applicant is required to:
Professional Registration Policies and Procedures Therapeutic Horticulture PractitionerNavigate this page:
Work Experience RequirementHorticultural Therapy Coursework InformationApplication InformationReclassification InformationResourcesWork Experience RequirementAll applicants are required to have documented 500 hours of work experience in therapeutic horticulture. Work experience is defined as a combination of therapeutic horticulture service delivery, non-direct client services, and supporting horticulture responsibilities. Therapeutic horticulture service delivery is defined as direct client contact utilizing horticultural activities as the primary modality. Of the 500 hours:
A completed Verification of Work Experience form signed by the applicant and either an employer, supervisor, or volunteer coordinator is required at time of application. An independent contractor must provide proof of services rendered to include dates and hours (i.e., signed contract, paid invoices, written agreement). Note: If combining hours from more than one site with different supervisors, complete one form per site. Review the Professional Registration Policies and Procedures - Therapeutic Horticulture Practitioner for complete information. Horticultural Therapy Coursework InformationGrade: All coursework must be for college credit. All coursework must have a passing grade of C minus (C-) or above or a pass for a pass/fail course. Credit: Horticultural therapy coursework may be a combination of semester and quarter credits. The total combined credit must equal the required nine (9) semester credits in horticultural therapy. For reference, review the Quarter to Semester Conversion Table for additional information. Coursework must be converted from quarter to semester credits at time of application. Required coursework: The following horticultural therapy coursework represents subject areas and not specific course titles. If the degree program does not offer specific horticultural therapy courses, the nine (9) semester credits in horticultural therapy may be achieved by: 1) Completing an AHTA Accredited Certificate Program. 2) Completing courses as an Independent Study. The independent study must be academic coursework reflective of the required course content in horticultural therapy and not be hands-on or work experience. Horticultural therapy coursework completed as an independent study is required to cover the content areas as defined below. The following subject areas do not represent actual course titles. A course may include additional topic areas.1. Overview of the profession to include:
2. Disability groups, characteristics and considerations, to include:
3. Program materials, tools, and techniques, to include:
4. Program management, to include:
The AHTA Education section of the website lists colleges and universities that offer horticultural therapy as a degree option and lists AHTA accredited horticultural therapy certificate programs. THP Application ProcessReady to submit your application? There are four components to complete an application for professional registration:
Please be ready to submit:
Note: Official transcripts are required for all coursework. Unofficial transcripts, or unsealed transcripts, will not be accepted.
Upon receipt of application, if there are any questions regarding the submitted materials, the review board will contact you and may ask for additional information. The application will be held and will not be processed until this information is received. Review the THP Policies and Procedures for complete information about the application process and application review process. Complete Application TodayReclassification for the HTR, Registered Horticultural Therapist-RegisteredAn important professional option available to the Therapeutic Horticulture Practitioner is the ability to advance to Horticultural Therapist-Registered, HTR, under a reclassification option. The AHTA awards the professional designation Horticultural Therapist-Registered, HTR. The HTR requires coursework in plant science, human science, and horticultural therapy, in addition to a horticultural therapy internship or equivalent work experience. A THP may apply the 500 hours of work experience in therapeutic horticulture toward the required 1,500 hours internship-work experience option for the HTR. With an additional 1,000 hours of work experience, a THP will have the required hours. When working toward future professional registration at the HTR level, therapeutic horticulture practitioners should review the AHTA Professional Registration Policy and Procedures for Horticultural Therapist-Registered for information about all the HTR requirements. Professional Registration Resources
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