Research and Practical Cases of Horticultural Therapy for Mental Health Rehabilitation Service Users and People with Autism in China

The literature indicates that horticultural therapy originated in the United States, where it was initially implemented in American psychiatric hospitals and achieved good results. Xinhe Social Work Center has always been committed to promoting horticultural therapy. Looking at China, in fact, many experts have been carrying out horticultural therapy among mental health rehabilitation service users and people with autism since 2001, and have achieved remarkable results.

1. Ban Ruiyi. Rehabilitation effects of horticultural therapy on patients with chronic schizophrenia [J]. Nursing Research, 2001, 15(6):327-329.

2. Ban Ruiyi; Observation of the rehabilitation effects of horticultural therapy on patients with chronic schizophrenia [J]; Nanfang Journal of Nursing; 2001, Issue 05

3. Ban Ruiyi; Analysis of the rehabilitation effects of horticultural therapy on chronic schizophrenia [J]; Journal of Practical Nursing; 2002, Issue 02

4. Yang Jinchen, PhD, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Feeling depressed? Try horticultural therapy [N]; Health Times; 2006

5. Guo Xiangtao; Zhou Jianhua;; Application of horticultural therapy in rehabilitation and convalescence spaces [J]; Southern Agriculture (Landscape and Flower Edition); 2010, Issue 02

6. Guo Cheng, Jin Cancan, Lei Xiuya; Application of horticultural therapy in interventions for social impairment in children with autism; Journal of Beijing Forestry University: Social Sciences Edition; 2012, Issue 4

7. Huang Qiangwei; Zhou Dan;; Effects of horticultural therapy on anxiety in hospitalized patients with mental illness [J]; Journal of Clinical Nursing; 2012, Issue 05

8. Guo Cheng; Application of horticultural therapy in interventions for social impairment in children with autism; Journal of Beijing Forestry University (Social Sciences Edition); Vol. 11, No. 4, December 2012

Funded project: National Education Science "Eleventh Five-Year Plan" 2009 Ministry of Education Key Project "Research on Education and Psychological Assistance for Special Children in China" (DBA090365).

9. Fu Yanru; Qiu Hongfei;; Design of children's rehabilitation gardens based on sensory experience [A]; Proceedings of the 2013 Annual Conference of the Chinese Society of Landscape Architecture (Volume 1) [C]; 2013

10. Ji Yili; Design research on therapeutic gardens for autism; China Horticulture Abstracts; 2014, Issue 01

11. Zhou Yao;; A preliminary study on the application of horticultural therapy in community health care for older adults [J]; Chinese Journal of Geriatric Health Care Medicine; 2014, Issue 03

12. Zhang Jiayi; Guo Tinghong; A preliminary study on horticultural therapy in rehabilitation gardens for children with autism, Sichuan Architecture; 2014, Issue 06

13. Let Love Light Up the Starry Sky: Horticultural Therapy Project Serving Children with Autism; Chengdu Shude High School

14. Zhao Feiyi, Zhang Zheyuan, Han Ci, Xia Xiaojie, Xu Hong; Research on the ecological, sociological and physiological mechanisms of horticultural therapy interventions for childhood autism; Journal of Beijing Forestry University (Social Sciences Edition); 2016, Issue 03

[Author affiliations]: Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine; Haiyan Clinical Medical College of Zhejiang Medical College; Faculty of Education, East China Normal University;

[Funding]: National Natural Science Foundation of China funded projects (81102729; 81473594); National "Eleventh Five-Year" Science and Technology Support Program Project (2007BAI10B01-027); Shanghai Municipal Health Bureau Traditional Chinese Medicine Scientific Research Fund Project (20134358)

15. Soul Flower Language Project, helping community mental health rehabilitation service users become self-reliant. Implementing organization: Guangzhou Yuexiu District Xinhe Social Work Service. Officially launched in December 2016.

Editing and reporting: Zhao Peiheng

Reprinted from the Horticultural Therapy HTAC blog.