协会概况与历史
美国园艺治疗协会（American Horticultural Therapy Association，简称 AHTA）创立于 1973 年，是美国境内唯一一家以推动园艺治疗作为治疗性、康复性专业发展为核心使命的国家级非营利组织。协会为 501(c)(3) 注册，会员制运营，办公地点位于美国新泽西州艾伦代尔（Allendale）都会区。AHTA 汇集了相信植物与自然具备疗愈力量、并且愿意以专业方式运用这种力量的人群，涵盖治疗师、教育者、研究者和志愿者四类核心成员。
使命与专业承诺
AHTA 的使命是推动园艺治疗成为一种被广泛认可的治疗与康复专业。六项具体职责包括：传播园艺治疗的原则与实践，鼓励从业者的专业成长，建立行业专业标准与认证程序，促进相关研究，向公众、医疗界、学术界和相关行业倡导园艺治疗的价值，以及推动园艺治疗教育机会的扩展。协会同时发布多元、公平、包容（DEI）声明，强调园艺治疗从业者应在所有能力、年龄、族裔、性别、种族、性取向、经济状况与信仰的人群中开展工作。
资质认证与专业注册体系
AHTA 运营三类递进式专业资质。第一类是 THP（Therapeutic Horticulture Practitioner，治疗园艺从业者）注册，面向完成相关教育与工作经验的从业者；第二类是 HTR（Horticultural Therapist-Registered，注册园艺治疗师），需在 THP 基础上完成额外要求；第三类是 2025 年首推的 HT-BC（Horticultural Therapist – Board Certified，董事会认证园艺治疗师），由 AHTA 与心理测量专家联合开发，是行业最高资质。AHTA 同时认证 9 个学分的学院证书课程，覆盖特拉华谷大学、Horticultural Therapy Institute 等多所机构，专业注册另需完成 480 小时、由 HTR 或 HTM 督导的实习。
学术期刊与教育资源
AHTA 出版的《Journal of Therapeutic Horticulture》（JTH）是园艺治疗领域的同行评审学术期刊，刊载研究项目、案例研究、服务描述、治疗实践与设计项目等论文。会员投稿免收文章处理费（APC），非会员投稿需缴纳 300 美元；2024 年起，JTH 通过开放获取模式向公众免费开放，并已收录于 Google Scholar。会刊方面，AHTA 季刊《Cultivating Healing》围绕治疗园艺在惩教设施、退伍军人关怀、社区康复、本土植物与气候变化等议题发表文章，2026 年夏季刊主题包括 HT-BC 认证介绍与年会议程亮点。协会另维护 HTR 与会员目录，供公众与会员按姓名、州/省、国家、邮编检索。
年会议程与行业奖项
AHTA 年度会议是协会最重要的行业聚会，2026 年会定于 10 月 15 日至 18 日在加利福尼亚州旧金山举行，主题为「Thriving in the Grove: Building Resilience Through Horticultural Therapy」。会议场地涵盖旧金山市中心的圣弗朗西斯万豪酒店、旧金山植物园、菲洛利历史庄园与花园（Filoli Historic House & Garden）以及阿尔卡特拉斯岛。协会年度颁发五项历史悠久的行业奖项：以 1981 年首任主席命名的 Rhea McCandliss 专业服务奖、Alice Burlingame 人道服务奖、John Walker 社区服务奖、Ann Lane Mavromatis 奖学金与 Charles A. Lewis 研究卓越奖。协会另于 1995 年首次发布治疗花园设计特征指南，至今仍为行业设计参考。
About AHTA and Historical Evolution
The American Horticultural Therapy Association (AHTA), founded in 1973, is the only national organization in the United States dedicated exclusively to advancing horticulture as a therapeutic and rehabilitative practice. Operating as a 501(c)(3) membership-driven nonprofit headquartered in the greater Allendale, New Jersey area, AHTA brings together practitioners, educators, researchers, and volunteers who share a professional commitment to the healing power of plants and nature.
Mission and Professional Commitment
AHTA’s stated mission is to promote and advance horticultural therapy as a respected therapeutic and rehabilitative profession. The association carries this out through six defined activities: disseminating the principles and practices of horticultural therapy as a treatment modality, encouraging the professional growth of practitioners, establishing professional standards and credentialing processes, promoting related research, advocating for the field among the public, healthcare, academic, and allied professions, and promoting educational opportunities. The organization has also published a formal Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) statement recognizing that human diversity is as central to horticultural therapy practice as biodiversity is to natural systems.
Credentials and Professional Registration
AHTA administers three progressive professional credentials. The Therapeutic Horticulture Practitioner (THP) recognizes practitioners with formal education and work experience in the field. The Horticultural Therapist-Registered (HTR) builds on the THP with additional supervised experience. The Horticultural Therapist – Board Certified (HT-BC), introduced with its inaugural testing window in 2025 and developed in collaboration with psychometric experts, sets a national benchmark for advanced expertise. AHTA also accredits college-level certificate programs equivalent to nine semester credits, including offerings at Delaware Valley University and the Horticultural Therapy Institute, while requiring a supervised 480-hour internship for professional registration.
Academic Journal and Educational Resources
The Journal of Therapeutic Horticulture (JTH), published by AHTA, is the premier peer-reviewed academic publication in the field, covering research projects, case studies, program descriptions, therapeutic practice, and design projects. Article processing charges are waived for AHTA members while non-members pay 300 USD; since 2024, JTH has been made openly available to the public under an open-access model and is indexed in Google Scholar. AHTA’s quarterly magazine Cultivating Healing focuses on correctional facility programs, veteran services, community gardening, native plants, and credentialing developments. The summer 2026 issue highlights HT-BC certification and the upcoming annual conference, and the association maintains searchable HTR and member directories.
Annual Conference and Industry Awards
AHTA’s annual conference is the field’s largest professional gathering. The 2026 conference, themed “Thriving in the Grove: Building Resilience Through Horticultural Therapy,” will take place October 15-18 in San Francisco, California, across venues including the San Francisco Marriott Marquis, the San Francisco Botanical Garden, Filoli Historic House and Garden, and Alcatraz Island. Each year AHTA also recognizes contributions to the profession through five longstanding named awards: the Rhea McCandliss Professional Service Award, the Alice Burlingame Humanitarian Service Award, the John Walker Community Service Award, the Ann Lane Mavromatis Scholarship, and the Charles A. Lewis Excellence in Research Award. AHTA additionally published the first set of therapeutic garden design characteristics in 1995, a framework still referenced by landscape designers working in healthcare and rehabilitation settings today.
How do I join the association，thank you