Hi, I’m Christina Bittle
The Gardening OT
I am a Doctor of Occupational Therapy with a love for nature, gardening, mental health, and building community.
As an occupational therapist, I collaboratively find ways to adapt task, environmental, or personal factors to help my clients achieve their goals. I focus on daily activities that are important to my clients so they can find meaning and fulfillment at every stage of life. You can think of me as a professional human problem-solver.
I am the founder of GROW (Gardening Rooted in Occupational Wellness), a therapeutic gardening program designed to promote mental health, quality of life, and wellness for all participants. I work with organizations to implement GROW and tailor the program for their target populations.
About Therapeutic gardening
Therapeutic gardening is the process of using plant and gardening-related activities to support mental, physical, and social health and well-being for individuals of all ages and abilities.
GROW utilizes the principles of therapeutic gardening through the lens of occupational therapy to support these goals, tailoring activities to the specific needs of the group and the individuals within, to promote positive outcomes for all participants.
Mental
Research shows that gardening can improve our mental health, in factors such as stress management, reduced anxiety and depression, self-esteem, and overall well-being.
physical
Gardening can support our physical health in factors such as improved strength, functional mobility, balance, motor skills, and nutrition.
Social
GROW is designed as a group program to combat social isolation, create connections between participants, and support inclusion for individuals of all ages and abilities.
