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Program Overview

Currently accepting applications Apply now >> Next program starts: Autumn 2008 Program location: UW campus, Seattle Next information meeting: Thurs., July 17 (see details >>) Sign up to receive e-mail updates >> Contact a program representative >>

For centuries, people have returned to the garden in search of health and well-being. In fact, many experts suggest that the "need for contact with the outdoor environment is hard-wired into the human species." The undeniable power of this connection is evident in the profound effect – physical, psychological and emotional – that landscapes have had on people throughout history who have turned to gardens for inspiration and healing.

In this program, you will explore the capacity of the natural world to refresh, renew and re-engage the human spirit while promoting increased rates of healing, improved productivity and personal well-being. This program examines the healing power of landscapes on a variety of scales, from the intimate surrounds of healthcare facilities, to those of prisons, hospice facilities, eldercare homes, public parks, play areas and residential gardens.

This program is intended for individuals with no formal design background, but a general interest in gardening and creating healing places. Others who will benefit from this program include healthcare and facilities professionals (care providers, therapists, health administrators), and people with a design background in one of a number of disciplines (e.g., landscape architecture, garden design, interior design, architecture) who seek to leverage that training toward a professional credential in therapeutic garden design.

This nine-month certificate program includes three three-credit courses that will examine the concept of the therapeutic garden in history and research. Participants will apply the principles inherent in these historical lessons to facilitate the conceptual design of a healing garden or a related topic of interest. Throughout the program, students gather information via class lectures, exercises, case studies, guest speakers and field trips. During Winter Quarter, each student develops a proposal for an independent project relevant to his or her specific interests, which then becomes the focus of activities in Spring Quarter. Examples of projects might include a post-occupancy evaluation report, a design proposal, healing curriculum for a specific facility, open space assessment for a care facility, or a research paper on ways in which different organizations are making use of healing gardens. Certificate recipients will have acquired the insights and skills necessary to facilitate the creation of healing gardens.

Contact a Program Representative To learn more about the Therapeutic Gardens Certificate Program, please call 206-685-8936 in the greater Seattle area, or 888-469-6499, or e-mail us.