“I don’t like the ones who came after you. I didn’t like the ones before you.” On my last day at the greenhouse, I said goodbye to one of the participants from our therapeutic horticulture program whom I haven’t seen in a long time and she ended up in tears. As programs and work engagements inevitably end, I have been reflecting on the therapeutic relationship between the practitioner and the client, as well as our responsibility towards them. This is why therapeutic horticulture isn’t just teaching gardening.
A part of us suffers when they are suffering, and we have to possess the wisdom to redirect or detach. We meet them with compassion and unconditional positive regard. Existential psychiatrist Irvin Yalom’s description of the client and the clinician as fellow travelers struck a chord. I am thankful for the trust and the connections we have built as I walk the journey with them while addressing their therapeutic goals. And there will come a time when our paths must diverge – hopefully they would be more equipped to carry on on their own or with another therapist/practitioner.
My parting gift for J was any of my personal plants that she wanted, and she grabbed them excitedly. I know they’ve gone to a good home.