What is therapy using organisms?
Therapy is planned help to improve health or wellbeing. In this kind of therapy, the tool is a living thing: a plant or an animal. A trained helper chooses an activity, sets a goal, keeps it safe, and checks progress. It supports medicine and care; it does not replace a doctor.
It is different from a hobby. A hobby is for fun. Therapy has a goal, a plan and a record.
Horticultural therapy
Horticultural therapy uses gardening tasks such as sowing, watering, potting, flower arranging and harvesting.
- Body: using hands and arms improves strength and movement.
- Mind: caring for a plant gives focus, calm and a feeling of success.
- Senses: touch, smell and colour wake the senses.
- Social: group gardening builds talk and friendship.
Who it helps: older people, people recovering from illness or injury, people with stress or low mood, and children with learning needs. Tasks are chosen to match the person: raised beds for wheelchair users, simple pots for beginners.
Animal-assisted therapy
Animal-assisted therapy uses a trained animal, most often a dog, with its handler, in a planned session led by a professional.
- Comfort: stroking a calm animal can slow the heart and relax us.
- Motivation: a patient may walk further or move an arm to play with the dog.
- Talking: shy children talk to the animal and then to people.
- Social: animals start friendly talk in groups.
Animal welfare: the animal must be healthy, trained, calm, rested and never forced.
Doing therapy well: goal, safety, check
- Know the person: likes, abilities, allergies and fears.
- Set a goal: for example "water two plants alone" or "stroke the dog for five minutes".
- Keep it safe: clean tools, no poisonous plants, vaccinated and calm animals, clean hands, a trained person always present.
- Talk and exchange: encourage the person to speak about what they do.
- Check: after each session write what happened and whether the goal was met, and then adjust.
Try it: your mood meter
Try it. Rate your mood from 0 to 10. Spend 15 minutes tending a plant or visiting a friend's calm pet (with permission). Rate your mood again. Open the 3D, switch Garden and Animal on and move the sessions slider. Notice that the 3D bar is only a model; real people differ.
Key formulas and definitions
- Therapy = trained helper + planned activity + goal + safety + progress check
- Horticultural therapy = therapy using plants and gardening
- Animal-assisted therapy = therapy with a trained animal and handler
- Model mood = 20% + effect × sessions (ideal picture only)
Worked examples
1. Give two differences between a hobby and therapy.
A hobby is for fun with no plan. Therapy has a trained helper, a goal, safety rules and a check of progress.
2. Name two groups of people horticultural therapy can help and how.
Older people: movement and company. People recovering from illness: strength, focus and calm.
3. Why must a therapy dog be calm and trained?
Patients may be weak, scared or in pain. A calm trained dog will not jump, bite or bark, so the session stays safe and comforting.
4. In the 3D model, mood is 20% at first, horticultural therapy gives +40 points. What is the mood after it?
20 + 40 = 60%.
Common mistakes
- Thinking any pet at home is a therapy animal. Therapy animals are trained and checked.
- Forgetting allergies, fear of animals or poisonous plants.
- Doing therapy without a goal or a progress record.
- Believing therapy replaces medicine. It supports medical care.