Gardening Heals Trauma at Women's Shelter (Radio Show Episode)

Abstract

A women's shelter in Kentucky taps into this therapeutic benefit of gardening to help heal deep trauma and pain experienced by victims of domestic violence. The directors of the shelter, named GreenHouse17, have recently teamed up with researchers at the University of Kentucky to study how weeding, pruning, and gathering bouquets of flowers help survivors heal from trauma. [CVRL Note: As Chair and Professor of Sociology University of Kentucky, Renzetti and her colleagues interviewed shelter service providers to evaluate the therapeutic horticulture program at the battered women's shelter. She noted in this Top of Mind interview that working in the shelter garden provided residents with fresh produce in their meals and a stipend to build their financial stability. Gardening also contributed to residents’ mental and physical health through exercise and providing a sense of accomplishment with employment and new skills. See the related research paper, also available in the CVR Library collection: “From Blue to Green: The Development and Implementation of a Horticultural Therapy Program for Residents of a Battered Women’s Shelter”] (Author Text).