Community of Practice Networking with Florida Horticulture for Health Network

Join a networking session hosted by the Florida Horticulture for Health Network that will focus on building a community of practice for Horticultural Therapy/Therapeutic Horticulture practitioners and those interested in how horticulture can positively impact health. Breakout groups will facilitate small group discussion and can include questions for experienced practitioner moderators. Please bring program and activity ideas for all populations.

Moderators: Lesley Fleming, MA, HTR, Katie Grimes, MAT, HTR & Zuzana Poláčková, MS, HTR

Lesley Fleming, HTR leads the Florida and the Nova Scotia Horticulture for Health Networks, writes extensively on horticulture for health topics, leads the THAD initiative, and has worked with many of the special populations, from her homebase in Central Florida.

Kathryn E. Grimes (Katie), HTR, MAT has guided outdoor and garden-based programming for over 20 years in contexts that include schools, a community garden, parks and recreation, early learning environments, and a large AZA-accredited zoo in Texas. Her special areas of expertise include designing and implementing therapeutic and sensory gardens, programs, walks, tours, and interactions that focus on care for the environment and affect human well-being.

Zuzana Poláčková, MS, HTR is an accredited Trauma Healing Facilitator with the Trauma Healing Institute in the USA and Canada, and a doctoral researcher in horticultural therapy at the University of Salford, Manchester. Her work over the past decade including published papers, has focused on vulnerable populations, including survivors of human trafficking, through tailored therapeutic and community-based interventions in diverse international contexts. She currently serves as Resource Facilitator for Anti-Human Trafficking and Technical Advisor for Horticultural Therapy with Medical Ambassadors International and the Medical Ambassadors of Canada Association.