P ike’s career makes particular sense when viewed among the trees. She is a board-certi ed art therapist, professional educator and certi ed educational leader whose work has consistently explored the relationship between creativity, environment and human well-being. She earned a master’s degree in creative arts therapy from Nazareth College and completed a doctorate in art therapy at Florida State University. Her doctoral research examined the use of art therapy as cognitive training for culturally diverse older adults. “A therapeutic garden requires considerably more thought than placing a bench beneath a palm tree.” She later served as president of the Florida Art erapy Association and has taught creative arts therapies internationally. Agriculture may appear to be an unexpected addition to that résumé, but plants and farming have been present throughout much of her life. Pike spent childhood summers on her grandparents’ properties, absorbing lessons from both forestry and
traditional agriculture. She later lived in Cuernavaca, Mexico, where she worked for a holistic wellness company and learned to cultivate plants used in health and beauty products. Farm work also accompanied portions of her undergraduate and graduate studies, giving her years of practical experience before Pike Wellness was established. e Jupiter Farms food forest began aer Pike and her husband recognized how thoroughly corporate work and technology had taken over their daily lives. Long hours in front of screens were accompanied by weight gain, vitamin D de ciencies and growing concerns about their health. ey began developing the property as a way to spend more time outdoors, improve their diet and restore a healthier rhythm to family life. What started as a personal project gradually developed into a working farm with agricultural status and a much broader purpose. e property became the headquarters of Pike Wellness, where Pike could combine her clinical background with permaculture, education and community outreach. Today, Pike Wellness provides eco-art therapy education, food-forest consultation and guidance in the design of therapeutic green spaces. Pike works with homeowners, schools, treatment facilities, mental- continued
Coastal Pearl Living - TOGETHER 31
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