TLN

The Therapeutic Landscapes Network is a knowledge base and gathering space about healing gardens, restorative landscapes, and other green spaces that promote health and well-being comprised of an international, multidisciplinary community of designers, health and human service providers, scholars, and gardeners. Its primary emphasis is on evidence-based design in healthcare settings.


February 22, 2012

“Soft Touch For A Silent Voice: Therapeutic Gardens for Veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder” – Masters Thesis by Michelle Parkins

Photo by Michelle Parkins, Soft Touch For A Silent Voice

Photo by Michelle Parkins. "The response to the veterans survey about water really illustrated to me the connections veterans (and others) have with water as a healing aid."

I met Michelle Parkins last May when I was teaching at the Chicago Botanic Gardens Healthcare Garden Design Certificate Program, and was immediately impressed by her commitment to her MLA research project on gardens for veterans with PTSD and other combat-related issues. Since then, Michelle has completed her thesis, which is available as a beautifully bound book at www.lulu.com/product/paperback/soft-touch-for-a-silent-voice. Below is the thesis abstract and a bit about Michelle, a veteran herself.Therapeutic Gardens for Veterans. Michelle Parkins and Annie Kirk

Michelle (that’s her on the left in the red jacket), in collaboration with Annie Kirk, principal at Red Bird Design and founder of the Acer Institute, recently created Therapeutic Gardens for Veterans groups on Linked In and Facebook. These groups are a “Collaboratory to advance therapeutic garden environments as an extension of support and care for veterans & their families.” I encourage everyone interested in this subject to join in on the conversation.

Here is what Michelle writes about herself and her interest in this subject:

My adventures in life have seemed to always evolve around the military; growing up an ‘Army Brat’ triggered my interest. My time in the Navy consisted of great travel overseas and the education I received both in and out of Navy was invaluable. Due to an injury, my time in the Navy was cut short, however my respect for my fellow veterans and active duty military has never gone away. As a veteran using the Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system, I saw first hand the need and potential benefits for utilizing the outdoor garden spaces as VA hospitals and clinics. Although I have completed my Master’s of Landscape Architecture I plan to pursue the research and possible consultation of gardens for veterans.

Master’s Thesis: “Soft Touch For A Silent Voice: Therapeutic Gardens for Veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder,” by Michelle Parkins

University of Oregon – Department of Landscape Architecture, December, 2011

Abstract
As this stage of the project comes to completion the war in Afghanistan enters its tenth year. With the number of veterans and active duty personnel returning from war, in addition to other veterans, attention needs to be given to support these citizens with the best possible healing environments available. Developing the principles and key elements of a healing garden environment for United States veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) will aid in the healing and coping for the affected one-third of the service members returning from current wars (Tanielian , 2008).  The objective of this project is to combine the information on veterans with PTSD and healing or therapeutic gardens to develop a list of key elements and design principles for healing garden environments located at Veteran Affairs Hospitals and clinics.  The end result is a set of transferrable design principles for the outdoor healing environments not only for Veteran’s Affairs Hospitals and clinics across the United States, but possibly for military installations across the Unites States and the world. The compilation of these key elements or principles was partially completed through conversational interviews with horticultural therapists, a psychologist, a naturopathic physician, social workers, landscape architects specializing in healing gardens, the Trauma Healing Project Research Team and other professionals who work directly with trauma survivors focusing on veterans who have survived being exposed to military trauma. Attending PTSD group therapy sessions at the Roseburg, OR Veteran Affairs Hospital, extensive literature reviews and a veterans survey assisted in identifying and supporting these key elements and design principles.

Many thanks, Michelle! If you would like to contact Michelle, please leave a comment here  and/or join either of the groups mentioned above.

For more information on restorative landscapes for veterans, see these past TLN Blog posts (click on the title for a live link to the post):

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February 15, 2012

Open Spaces Sacred Places National Awards Initiative – Call for Proposals

Open Spaces Sacred Places Initiative

Note: An informational webinar about the Open Spaces Sacred Places Award Initiative and RFP is scheduled for February 28, 2012 from 2:00 – 3:00 pm EST. For those who can’t make it, the webinar will be available on the opensacred.org website a few days after.

Press release from the TKF Foundation about their very exciting Open Spaces Sacred Places (OSSP) National Awards Program

The TKF Foundation announces the final phase of the Open Spaces Sacred Places (OSSP) National Awards Program.  The program is enacted in 2 phases, a Planning Grant Phase, now closed, and a final open call for proposals.

This national award program will fund cross-disciplinary teams of designers, research social scientists and community-based organizations to create and study a series of new public green spaces designed with the specific intent to provide the opportunity for a deeper human experience through a personal connection to nearby nature in cities.

Grants will be awarded from a remaining funding pool of $4 million. Funding will be provided to cross-disciplinary teams that conceptualize, plan, design and implement a physical space, conduct associated research study(s) and disseminate findings.  TKF seeks to identify projects that are replicable in their intent and projects that are generalizable in the challenges they address to serve as potential archetypes for urban areas across the U.S.

In announcing the grant opportunity, Tom Stoner, president of the Annapolis, MD-based TKF Foundation said, “In a time when we are more and more surrounded by the built world, beset by ever increasing stress and overwhelmed by technology, the need for open, sacred places in nature is more important than ever.  Every neighborhood needs a place where people can be in nature and reconnect to themselves, to place, and to each other. In order to make this vision a reality, we must document and communicate the transformational impact these spaces can have on individual lives and communities.” Stoner is also the author of the 2009 book, Open Spaces Sacred Places.

By 2030 nearly two-thirds of the world population will live in urban environments. In 2008, more than 80% of the United States population was already there. While more public green spaces are being built every day, a gap exists in the understanding of the impact of these spaces of restoration and renewal on individual and community well-being and resilience.

The Open Spaces Sacred Places Awards Request for Proposals (http://www.opensacred.org/grants) invites national partnerships of the highest caliber to apply. Universities, hospitals, research centers and cultural institutions; professionals in the field of landscape design, urban planning, and health care; and neighborhood associations, community-based and other social benefit organizations are encouraged to form collaborative teams to envision, create, study and communicate what is learned about the impact of Open Spaces Sacred Places on people living in stressful urban environments.

Important Dates:  
Proposal Submittal Opens: June 15, 2012 at 9:00 am EST
Proposal Submittal Deadline: June 29, 2012 at 3:00 pm EST
Awards Announcement:  January 31, 2013

The TKF Foundation was created in 1996 by Tom and Kitty Stoner to provide the opportunity for a deeper human experience by inspiring and supporting the creation of Open Spaces Sacred Places, public green spaces that offer a temporary place of sanctuary, encourage reflection, provide solace, and engender peace and well being. Since TKF’s founding, 130 Open Space Sacred Place sites have been created across the Baltimore-Annapolis-Washington, DC region. Visit www.opensacred.org for more information.

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February 15, 2012

With Love from (and thanks to) The Grass Stain Guru

awesome-hearts-in-nature-13_tariqweb.com_-527x400. Thanks also to the Grass Stain Guru

I didn’t see this post (with this sweet photo) from The Grass Stain Guru until late last night, but it’s too good not to share the day after Valentine’s Day:

Life is short.
Break the rules,
Forgive quickly,
Kiss slowly,
Love truly,
Laugh uncontrollably,
And never regret anything that made you smile.

- Mark Twain

Even better than a Wordless Wednesday!

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February 08, 2012

Wordless Wednesday, 2/8/12

Succulents and grasses. Photo by Naomi Sachs

A little break from winter. Photo by Naomi Sachs

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February 06, 2012

Best nature apps

Courtesy of Michael Leunig, http://www.leunig.com.au

Cartoon by Michael Leunig, http://www.leunig.com.au

Wow, I’m impressed. Yesterday afternoon, Sarah Koschak, Director at Listening Earth, posted this cartoon by Michael Leunig on Richard Louv‘s Facebook page. I saw it, loved it, and immediately shared on the Therapeutic Landscapes Network’s Facebook page.

Before I went to bed, the cartoon had over 50 “likes,” a record for the TLN FB page. 18 hours later, it has received 130 likes and 80 “shares” (people posting to other people’s walls or pages). Now, still less than 24 hours later, there 168 likes and 96 shares.

If you’re not into social media, this may not mean much to you, and I grant you that it’s a bit ironic that all of this happens through our various devices, including probably Facebook apps on iPhones, etc., but nevertheless…wow! So, what about this struck such a chord with people? What resonates so strongly? I’d love comments from you.

 

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