Teresia Hazen has worked at Legacy Health in Portland, Oregon since 1991, as a registered horticultural therapist, mental health professional and leader in employee health promotion. She supervises twelve therapeutic gardens at six Legacy hospitals, serving patients, clinical programs, visitors and 11,000 employees 24-7, year-round.
Teresia received an undergraduate education degree at the University of Washington and a Master’s in education at the University of Portland. She has training concentrations in horticulture (93-credit hours), addictions counseling, gerontology, and school administration. She has served on the board of the American Horticultural Therapy Association and in a variety of leadership roles. Through a collaboration of Legacy and Portland Community College gerontology program, she teaches the therapeutic horticulture training program accredited by the American Horticultural Therapy Association.
Horticulture for Health and Healing. Horticulture and gardening are valuable leisure resources, a therapeutic rehabilitation tool, and they provide a powerful restorative experience for many people. Trained professionals, registered horticultural therapists (HTR), provide services to support rehabilitation, social and leisure programs, and educational programs – all to promote health and well-being. This session gives examples of horticultural therapy, therapeutic horticulture, vocational programming, and health and wellness promotion using gardening and horticulture. Gardening is an inclusive tool to help everyone enjoy a lifetime of good health.
