Theresa Rogers understood the benefits of gardening in the healing process. The wife of Rogers’ founder, Mrs. Rogers created a magnificent garden which, in the 1920s, drew busloads of people to visit what is now Rogers Memorial Hospital–Oconomowoc. Rogers was known throughout the Midwest for its beautiful landscaping and two miles of natural gardens.

Imagine leaving your job and family, picking up everything to move hundreds of miles away to enter treatment for your mental illness or addiction. You’ve been searching for months for a program that can help and for what feels like the hundredth time, a doctor tells you that you are in the right place. Do you believe it? Maybe not—but what if you heard from someone who has actually been there?

Rogers Behavioral Health in Oconomowoc and West Allis have been growing some of their own produce to help children and teen patients connect plant growth to their personal changes, reduce food avoidance and keep meals and seasonal treats tasting great. John Williams, director of dining services at Silver Lake Outpatient Center in Oconomowoc, WI, makes a point to include children from the Child Center and Adolescent Center when he grows the produce that will be used in their meals and other dishes at Silver Lake Outpatient Center

For some, having a mental illness can feel like you’re caged by a monster, leaving you unable to participate in the daily activities that you would like to engage in. That is the metaphor that Ashley Samson, experiential therapist at Rogers Behavioral Health–Chicago, started with in December 2015 when she designed new projects for her patients. Over time, that metaphor was adjusted to be more relevant to the different patient age groups in Skokie, IL.

When most people think of seeing a psychiatrist or psychologist, they picture talking face-to-face with someone. That is getting harder with a national shortage of psychiatrists. However, more providers of behavioral health—and their patients—are turning to and accepting an alternative: telepsychiatry.

Experiential therapy is a hands-on experience-based approach that assists in healing and overcoming mental or emotional challenges. At Rogers, there’s a variety of experiential therapy approaches available to patients, including art and music therapy, recreational therapy, yoga, horticultural therapy and adventure therapy—which uses challenge courses at various campuses.

The construction of a new horticultural therapy garden in the courtyard of the Child and Adolescent Centers is quickly making progress! The new addition will provide the space necessary for a new horticultural therapy program, but is also a piece of a larger vision to incorporate nature and the healing powers of the environment into treatment at Rogers Memorial Hospital.