About Revive with Nature
Genna Patterson
Social and Therapeutic Horticulture Facilitator
Founder and Facilitator of Revive with Nature, Genna, found her way into Therapeutic Horticulture when she was looking for a healthy way to help her handle stress in her corporate role in publishing in Dublin. Starting simply with tomato seedlings, then a house plant or two, then some flowers and peas, Genna found her time with plants, and indeed walking in nature, as a way to restore herself. Getting her hands dirty and planting or tending to the plants were the times she was happiest and at peace. In her garden flat in Dublin, she cultivated plants in pots, growing food and flowers, until a move back to her home town of Wicklow allowed her more space and time to be in nature.
Genna's interest in Social and Therapeutic Horticulture was sparked by an introduction class in GIY in Waterford, but it wasn't until she, like alot of people during the global Covid-19 pandemic, really took the time to get into it. Genna found a respite from the hopelessness of the news and missed social connections, by learning through trial and error to grow a variety of vegetables. The most significant impact came though when she found her way through postnatal depression with her first baby, by spending time in her garden.
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Genna has felt the benefits of Therapeutic Horticulture herself time and time again. From a sensory walk in the woods to picking daisies with her kids (a boy and a girl) in a park, the results of spending time in nature, no matter how seemingly small, can have wonderful repurcussions throughout one's life.
Genna trained as a Facilitator in Social and Therapeutic Horticulture at Festina Lente in Bray, County Wicklow in 2022/2023 and qualified with Distinction QQI level 6 in Coaching. She is Garda-vetted and insured. She set up Revive with Nature to share in the power of plants and nature to help others revive their social, physical and mental wellbeing.
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Genna has worked with multiple groups including nursing homes, home school groups, social care groups, Active Wicklow, disability groups and private groups. If you want to work with Genna, email revivewithnature@gmail.com or whatsapp 085 7542743.
