Horticultural Therapy Program for Multicultural Groups

In 2006, 41% of newly-married Korean men living in agriculture or fishery area were married to foreign wives. These foreign wives suffer social, cultural, and psychological maladjustment. They need support in understanding Korean culture & language, economic independence, and mental health. This horticultural therapy program (HT program) was practiced to help the foreign wives gain emotional stability, to help them adapt to rural society, and to help them improve the relationship with their families. The participants of this HT program were 10 foreign wives, 5 Chinese, 2 Vietnamese, 1 Japanese, 1 Thai, and 1 Filipina. Total sessions were 12, and each session lasted for two hours. This program started April and ended July in 2007. After this program, self-esteem of participants increased from 29.6 to 33.5, and stress decreased from 77.3 to 64.7. Participants also expressed sense of satisfaction and accomplishment after the program.