Therapeutic gardens boost mental and physical health
Tucked away on the campus of B.C. Children’s Hospital is an oasis of sorts. It’s a therapeutic food garden frequented by young inpatients and outpatients in programs run by B.C. Mental Health and Substance Use Services.
Julia Thiessen, executive director of the Environmental Youth Alliance, gave the Georgia Straight a tour of the eight plots, five barrel planters, and berry patch behind the Mental Health Building. The Vancouver-based nonprofit built the garden two years ago in partnership with the Provincial Health Services Authority and regularly conducts therapeutic-horticulture sessions there for children and youth being treated for eating, mood, and other disorders. Read More…
By Stephen Hui
May 6th, 2015
