Dr. Pike’s Living Laboratory continued
health professionals and community organizations. Depending on the project, her work may include evaluating a property, creating a landscape plan, training sta or developing safety procedures for outdoor programs. She also helps property owners incorporate edible plants, shade-producing trees, wildlife habitat and year-round color into their landscapes. e objective is to create spaces that are attractive and useful while responding to the realities of Florida’s climate. Heat, heavy rain, sandy soil, seasonal storms and determined insects all have opinions, and a successful plan needs to account for them. A therapeutic garden requires considerably more thought than placing a bench beneath a palm tree. Outdoor programs must address accessibility, allergies, uneven ground, wildlife, extreme temperatures and physical limitations. In clinical settings, additional considerations include consent, privacy, cultural sensitivity, professional boundaries and the ability to document a client’s progress. Pike approaches the outdoors as another carefully de- signed setting for treatment and education. Plants, sen- sory experiences, creative projects and gardening ac- tivities may support a program, but each element must have a purpose. Goals need to be iden- ti ed, risks evaluated and results measured.
at thorough approach is re ected in Pike Wellness’ 17-session continuing-education series, *Designing and Using erapeutic Green Spaces*. e program covers neuroscience, human development, permacul- ture, trauma-informed outdoor practice, sleep, nutri- tion, therapeutic gardening and the mental e ects of food insecurity. Other sessions address screen fatigue, accessibility, professional ethics, weather-related risks, treatment planning and methods for evaluating results. e curriculum also examines nature prescriptions and green social prescribing. Both concepts consider appropriate outdoor activity as one part of a larger wellness or treatment strategy. A walk, gardening session or creative activity in a natural setting is not presented as a cure or substitute for professional care. Instead, the environment becomes another resource that clinicians may use thoughtfully. Scienti c interest in the relationship between nature and mental health has expanded in recent years. A 2025 analysis reviewed 78 studies involving nearly 5,000 people and found that repeated periods of nature exposure were associated with positive e ects among adults experiencing diagnosed mental illness or related symptoms. Short, regular periods outdoors appeared particularly promising, although researchers have not established a universal amount of time that works for every person or condition. At Pike’s farm, these theories can be observed in a practical setting. Schools, scout troops, parents, educators and treatment professionals are invited to see how a mature food forest functions.
Free educational tours are generally o ered on Sunday aernoons with advance registration.
34 Coastal Pearl Living - TOGETHER
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