About Christine Pollard, HTM
approachable * creative * dedicated * engaging * entertaining * enthusiastic * experienced
good sense of humour * great storyteller * honest * inspiring * knowledgeable
personable * resourceful * respectful * supportive
Comments about Christine from students of her Home Farm Horticultural Therapy Certificate.
It is my enthusiasm, humour and love of life and people that led me from my BSc in Agriculture/Horticulture, to work with Agriculture Canada in virus testing, to extension agriculture and community development with CUSO in Papua New Guinea, to Horticultural Therapy (HT), Providence Farm and now Home Farm in the Cowichan Valley of British Columbia, Canada.
For the past 25 years, I have had the opportunity to combine my community development expertise with my horticulture to develop the HT Programs at Providence Farm in Duncan and now in my local, national and international community. My accomplishments during this time included the establishment of an accessible public garden, community garden plots, a seniors garden club for persons with mental health issues, a supported employment program for persons with mental health issues and horticulture training and rehabilitative programs for persons with other barriers to employment and education.
Since 2001, I have established the Home Farm Horticultural Therapy Certificate, the only HT Certificate available in Canada accredited by both the American Horticultural Therapy Association and the Canadian Horticultural Therapy Association.
Because of the difficulty of rural living HT students accessing Internship opportunities, I have established a mobile Internship Program recognized by both the CHTA and AHTA. Under the supervision of a registered Horticultural Therapist both organizations recognize 1000 hour internships as a way of gaining HT experience and points towards professional registration. This way HT growth and development of programs can reach rural areas where human services are traditionally lacking.
I now support the CHTA as the Education Coordinator. We have now established the CHTA HT Competancies. The Education Work Team is now working on CHTA Education Guidelines to be posted on the CHTA website available to CHTA members so that more educational opportunities can be made available in Canada with guidance from the CHTA.
We are have updated the CHTA Internship Guidelines that is now posted on the CHTA website encouraging CHTA Professionally Registered HT's to mentor CHTA members working towards their professional registration.
My current consultation contracts include Malaspina Univeristy College (MUC) Horticultural Therapy Diploma. As of July 2007, we now have our first four graduates of the HTh Diploma in Canada! MUC currently has 7 more students enrolled in the HTh Diploma. We are hoping that the momentum will continue to build to support HT in Canada.
As one of five Masters level Horticultural Therapists in Canada professionally registered with the American Horticultural Therapy Association, I have spoken internationally advocating the benefits of horticulture for health.
You can also find me now in my downtown Duncan studio, in a little garden shed with a courtyard garden behind The Green Door Society building 126 Ingram Street.
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At the end of the day, my own 7 acre Home Farm produces all the meat, fruit, vegetables and value added products for my family with enough over to offer Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) to other families.
National and International Presentations
- November 2002 Vancouver, Canada. BC Chapter of the Canadian Horticultural Therapy Association
- September 2000 Chicago, USA. American Horticultural Therapy Association
- May 2000 Paris, France. World Association of Psychosocial Rehabilitation
- March 2000 Vancouver, Canada Ministry of Health, Best Practices in Mental Health
- September 1998 Seattle, USA American Community Gardening Association
- October 1997 Edmonds College, Washington, USA North West Chapter of the American Horticultural Therapy Association
- August 1995 Montreal, Canada American Horticultural Therapy Association
- September 1994 Portland, USA North West Chapter of the American Horticultural Therapy Association
- Exhibit. Schizophrenia 1990: Poised For Discovery International Conference, Vancouver, Canada
- August 2007, Comox Valley Horticultural Society, Comox, BC, Canada
- Sept 2006, CHTA Conference, Royal Botanical Gardens, Ontario, Canada
- June 2006, AHTA Conference, Portland, Oregon, USA