The Clinician In Bloom®

Learn floristry while making space for yourself and your professional practice.

A six-week live online professional learning experience for healthcare clinicians, bringing together floristry, psychological theory and reflective practice. Each week, learn practical floristry while making meaningful space to pause, create and reflect on yourself within your professional work.

No previous floristry experience is needed.

6 weeks live online | 12 hours of structured professional learning
Mondays, 12 October–23 November 2026
10:30 am–12 noon Brisbane time

Registration closes 28 September 2026.

What this looks like each week....

Practical Floristry

Learn step-by-step floristry techniques as you create a different arrangement each week.

Mindfulness & Reflective Practice

Pause, notice your experience and use guided questions to reflect on yourself and your professional work.

Psychological Theory

Explore a different psychological or theoretical lens to support professional learning and reflection.

Therapeutic Horticulture

Explore flowers, plants and the creative process as an experiential medium for reflection and learning.

Each week, these elements come together as you create a floral arrangement and use the process as a prompt for guided reflection.

Developed by a psychologist and florist
who gets it!

Does this sound familiar?

You’re the one people count on. You hold space. You show up. You give....over and over again.

Perhaps lately you’ve noticed:

Switching off at the end of the day can be difficult.

Your own needs can move down the list when there is always something else requiring your attention.

Traditional approaches to self-care don't always resonate with you.

Self-care can start to feel like another task on an already full list.

You miss having something creative, sensory and enjoyable that is simply for you.

Image

Now imagine this...

You have dedicated time in your week to step away from the usual demands of clinical work and do something completely different.

You’re learning a new creative skill, working with your hands and making something beautiful.

At the same time, you’re making space to think about yourself within your professional work. Not through another lecture or another task to complete, but through flowers, metaphor, psychological ideas and guided reflection.

You begin to notice what sustains you, what draws your

attention, the patterns you bring to your work, and what you might want to do differently.

And each week, you finish with something tangible: an arrangement you created yourself, new floristry skills, and reflections you can carry back into your professional practice.

You learn to "Stop and smell the roses", or as what's shown in this photo- slow down and pick some Queen Annes' Lace from the garden.

This is where The Clinician In Bloom offers something different.

Because the ones who hold space for everyone else

deserve a space of their own.

And while you’re not looking for therapy,

you are looking for a unique and different space that supports


reflection, insight, and renewal.....without pressure or performance.

Who’s This
Perfect For?

The Clinician In Bloom has been created primarily for clinicians working across mental health, medical, allied health and other healthcare settings.

psychologists

social

workers

occupational

therapists

counsellors & psychotherapists

psychiatrists

GP's, obstetrician &

Medical clinicians

obstetricians

general practitioners

paediatricians

physiotherapists

allied health

clinicians

other healthcare &

support roles

Why this matters for professional practice...

And as if there weren’t already enough reasons to work with flowers....

There is another important reason I developed The Clinician In Bloom in this way.

Professional development isn’t only about building clinical knowledge and skills. Reflective practice and clinician self-care are recognised as important professional competencies across many disciplines. Being a clinician isn’t only about what we know and what we do. It is also about our capacity to reflect on ourselves within our work, and to consider what helps us practise sustainably over time.

The Clinician In Bloom offers a different way to engage with this. Through floristry, psychological theory, floral metaphor and guided reflection, we create space to think about ourselves within our professional work, not just the work itself.

What Healthcare Clinicians
Are Saying....


I spoke to many healthcare clinicians and these are some of the key themes that came up repeatedly.....

and how this training helps in applying self-care:

"I struggle to switch off, there is always something I am responsible for"

How this training helps:

The floral arranging process creates an opportunity to slow down, engage your attention and notice your experience. Working with colour, texture, scent and the physical process of arranging provides a tangible starting point for reflection and mindfulness.

💐Floral metaphor helps by giving form to stillness. A closed bud, a drooping stem, a moment of bloom... each becomes a symbol for your internal state, inviting you to notice, breathe, and focus on YOU!

"Self-care feels like another thing to do on the to-do list, when I already give so much"

How this training helps:

This training reframes self-care as something that can sit within professional learning, rather than another task to add to your list. Through floristry, reflection and psychologically informed ideas, you have dedicated time to consider what supports and sustains you in your work.

💐Floral metaphor helps by showing that even flowers need water, sunlight, and care... without guilt. You begin to see your own needs as natural, not indulgent.

"I'm craving doing something for me that's creative and sustainable"

How this training helps:

This is dedicated space for creativity and reflection, without needing to produce something for someone else. Working with flowers offers a different way to slow down, engage your attention and reflect, while exploring ideas relevant to your professional work.

💐Floral metaphor helps -flowers give us a tangible way to explore ideas such as growth, balance, space and change. The choices we make while creating an arrangement can become prompts for considering ourselves and the way we work.

"I give so much to everyone else and there is nothing left at the end of the day for me"

How this training helps:

You’ll learn about the psychology of compassion fatigue and how creative, hands-on practices can support emotional replenishment. This reflective education is designed to help you understand and care for yourself in your professional role.

💐 Floral metaphor may show an unbalanced arrangement or wilted flower might reflect how you’re feeling.....but unlike words, you don’t need to explain it. The act of creating becomes a way to process without pressure.

"I've tried mindfulness activities before but they don't work for me"

How this training helps:

This is mindfulness in motion. You’ll explore how sensory-based, non-verbal activities like floral arranging offer grounding, even for those who find stillness challenging. Provides focus without needing silence and stillness, great for those who struggle with tranditional mindfulness activities.

💐 Floral metaphor Mindfulness blooms in motion, through stems that bend, petals that fall, and hands that learn to let go. Flowers don't demand stillness...they invite attention.

"In our clinical work we rarely get feedback"

How this training helps:

The act of creating a floral arrangement offers a rare opportunity to see the results of your care reflected back to you. It becomes a visual reminder that your attention, thoughtfulness, and presence lead to something meaningful, something you can see and appreciate. In clinical work, that kind of immediate, affirming feedback isn't always received.

💐 Floral metaphor helps by making your emotional and creative labour visible. The final arrangement is a living reflection of care, intention, and emotional truthsomething you can actually see and feel .

The Clinician In Bloom, is for
healthcare clinicians looking for:

Sensory and creative tools
Using flowers and the making process to pause, engage your attention and create space for reflection.

Reconnection with joy and beauty
Making space for something hands-on and creative alongside the demands of professional work.

Engaging in reflective practice through floral metaphor
Using flowers, metaphor and psychologically informed ideas to explore yourself within your professional work.

Greater awareness of what sustains you
Reflecting on your needs, boundaries and the patterns you bring to your professional role.

More sustainable professional practice

Considering what helps you continue caring for others while also making space for yourself.

But What Is This Training
Exactly You Ask???

This isn’t just a floristry class and it’s not therapy.

It’s a professional learning experience created specifically for healthcare clinicians, bringing together practical floristry, psychological ideas, mindfulness and reflective practice.

You learn floristry while using the creative process as a different way to pause, reflect on yourself within your professional work, and consider what helps sustain you as a clinician.

Here's An Overview:

This training program has been developed specifically for healthcare clinicians, bringing together practical floristry, psychologically informed reflective practice and clinician wellbeing.

As a healthcare clinician, I am acutely aware of the demands of this work and the importance of professional learning that not only develops our knowledge and skills, but also creates space to reflect on ourselves within the work we do.

I originally trained as a florist after choosing to do something creative for my own self-care. Through floristry, I was introduced to therapeutic horticulture and became increasingly interested in what could happen when flowers, psychology and reflective practice were brought together.

This became the foundation for developing The Clinician In Bloom®.

Across the six weeks, the program brings together therapeutic horticulture, mindfulness, reflective practice, floral metaphor, psychological theory and practical floristry.

Each week you learn practical floristry techniques and create a different floral arrangement. The sensory and creative process of working with flowers provides an experiential starting point for reflection.

Psychological theory then provides another layer. Each week I introduce a selected psychological or theoretical lens, drawing on ideas such as attachment theory, compassion-focused approaches, therapeutic horticulture principles, schema, meaning-making, and reflective and sustainable practice theories. These theories are not taught as standalone therapeutic approaches. Instead, they help us think about what we notice through the floral experience and consider how this might relate to ourselves, our relationships, our patterns and our professional work through these various theorectical lens.

Floral metaphor also provides a tangible way of exploring these ideas. The vase, the focal flower, the wild posy, the story arrangement, the centrepiece and the lasting stem each provide a different starting point for reflection across the six weeks.

Alongside the professional learning, there is space to create, pause and connect with other clinicians.

At the end of each session, you have an arrangement you have made yourself, new floristry skills, and reflective ideas you can carry back into your professional practice.

No floristry or creative experience is needed. You’ll be guided step by step.

What is Therapeutic Horticulture?

Therapeutic horticulture is the intentional use of plant-based activities, such as gardening, floristry, or working with natural materials, to support wellbeing, reflection, and emotional well-being. It is not therapy, but a purposeful, structured, evidence-informed practice that engages the mind and body through sensory, creative, and nature-based experiences.

In her book The Well-Gardened Mind (2020), psychiatrist and psychotherapist Sue Stuart-Smith explores how working with plants and flowers can offer profound benefits for our emotional wellbeing, stating:

“Flowers are not just decorative; they are expressive.

They speak to the emotions in a way that words often cannot.”

These are the principles drawn upon in this training; using flowers not only as a creative medium, but as a reflective one. Each activity uses the sensory, symbolic, and metaphorical qualities of floral arranging to support clinicians in pausing, noticing, and reconnecting with their own needs.

How psychology theory

is woven through

the experience...

Each week, flower meanings and metaphor come together with a different theoretical lens to guide reflection on ourselves and our professional work.

Attachment theory:

explores connection and relational awareness in clinical practice.

Compassion-focused approaches:

reflects on how we respond to ourselves when work is difficult.

Attention Restoration Theory:

learn how attention, cognitive fatigue and engaging with nature helps.

Schema theory:

explores patterns and expectations we bring to our professional roles.

Narrative and meaning-making:

think about the stories we construct about ourselves and our work.

Reflective and sustainable practice:

reflect on what helps us sustain our work over time.

These ideas shape the reflection within the floral experience. They are not taught as standalone theoretical approaches.

What Are The
Weekly Themes?

  • The Vase:
    Recognise what needs tending

💐 Floral metaphor: “A vase only holds
what’s poured into it”

  • The Focal Flower:
    Reframe where to put your focus

💐 Floral metaphor: " Every arrangement begins with one bloom....
the one that brings everything else into harmony.
What if you placed yourself at the centre again?"

  • The Wild Posy-
    Reconnect with creativity and joy

💐 Floral metaphor: "A wild posy doesn't follow rules,
it grows from what’s available, not what’s perfect.
It reminds us that beauty can come from spontaneity, from what’s already in our hands.
In its unevenness and freedom, it reflects the parts of us that thrive when we let go of control"
.

  • The Story Arrangement-
    Reflection and meaning making

💐 Floral metaphor: “Each stem holds a piece of something lived:
a memory, a mood, a moment.
Together, they form a story only your hands know how to tell.”

  • The Centrepiece:
    Replenish and hold space for self

💐 Floral metaphor: "A centrepiece isn’t just placed, it’s intentionally chosen.
It holds space, sets tone, and invites pause and is long lasting.
It is low, grounded, and built to stay"

  • The Lasting Stem-
    Reinforcing integration and sustainable self-care

💐 Floral metaphor: "Not every stem fades when the petals fall.
Some hold their shape long after the bloom is gone...
resilient, steady, and quietly strong.
These are the parts that stay: the habits rooted in rhythm,
the insights woven into how you move through your days."

Practical Information -
What's Included...

Live- Online Session Schedule


6 Weeks, 1.5 hour live online
Mondays 1030am-12 noon
(AEST- Brisbane Qld Time- check daylight savings)

12th October,

19th October,

26th October,

2nd November,
-break-,
16th November,

23rd November

12 hours of CPD

Including live sessions and pre-recorded learning.

Pre-recorded learning + participant guidebook

Complete the pre-recorded learning before each live session and use your guidebook to support your learning and reflection.

Step-by-step floristry instruction

No floristry experience is needed. You’ll be guided through creating a different floral arrangement each week.

Reflective practice activities

Connecting flowers, metaphor and psychological theory with reflection on yourself and your professional work.

Certificate of completion

Provided following completion of the program requirements.

Flowers & Materials

Flowers and materials are an additional cost and are not included in the course fee. As a guide, I recommend allowing approximately $30–$50 per week, but it certainly doesn’t have to cost that much. I’ll give you guidance each week on what you need, along with simple and affordable options for sourcing your flowers. You can use supermarket or market flowers, what you already have growing, forage suitable materials, or substitute flowers depending on what is available locally. Part of the experience is learning that beautiful arrangements don’t require expensive flowers. There will always be flexibility to work with what is accessible and affordable for you.

Register Here

Choose the payment options that work best for you

pay in full

$897

one payment today

two payments

2 x $450

The first payment is charged when you register, followed by one scheduled payments in one month's time.

three payments

3 x $300

The first payment is charged when you register, followed by two scheduled payments in one month and two month's time.

Please note: after you register and pay, you will receive emails with further details about the training and student portal. Please check your "junk" folder or email me: [email protected] if you don't receive them.

Want to experience a little of The Clinician In Bloom first?

Start with the free Which Flower Are You? quiz.

In just 90 seconds, discover one of four flowers offering a different lens on the kind of self-care that might work for you, then receive your personalised flower journal with botanical stories, floristry and reflective prompts.

Framed quiz visual for clinicians showing elegant warm tones

STILL NOT SURE?

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some common questions. If you still have more questions please reach out.

Question 1: How is The Clinician In Bloom® professional development?

Professional development isn’t only about building clinical knowledge and skills. Reflective practice and attention to our own wellbeing are also recognised aspects of professional competency and sustainable professional practice. The Clinician In Bloom provides a different way to engage in this learning. Floristry is the experiential medium, with psychological theory, therapeutic horticulture, floral metaphor and guided reflective practice woven through each week to support reflection on ourselves within our professional work. The program includes 12 hours of professional development and a certificate of completion. Please check the CPD requirements relevant to your profession.

Question 2: What if I’m not creative or I’m worried I won’t be good at floristry?

You don’t need to be creative or have any floristry experience. I’ll guide you step by step, but there is no expectation that your arrangement will look like mine or anyone else’s. Flowers aren’t perfect, and your arrangement doesn’t need to be either. Part of working with natural materials is noticing their differences, imperfections and unpredictability. There is no judgement and no right or wrong arrangement to create. This isn’t about becoming a florist or making something perfect. It’s about learning something new, enjoying the process and noticing what comes up along the way.

Question 3: What if I miss a live session?

It always makes for a better learning experience for yourself and the group if you do attend live sessions, however I understand that clinical work and life don’t always go to plan. If you need to miss a live session, a recording will be available for you to watch afterwards. To receive your certificate of completion, you’ll need to complete the pre-recorded learning and either attend or watch each of the six sessions.

Question 4: Do I need to buy flowers and materials?

Yes. Flowers and materials are an additional cost and are not included in the course fee. As a guide, I recommend allowing approximately $30–$50 per week, but it certainly doesn’t have to cost that much. I’ll give you guidance each week on what you need, along with simple and affordable options for sourcing your flowers. You can use supermarket or market flowers, what you already have growing, forage suitable materials, or substitute flowers depending on what is available locally. Part of the experience is learning that beautiful arrangements don’t require expensive flowers. There will always be flexibility to work with what is accessible and affordable for you.

Question 5: Who can participate?

The Clinician In Bloom is designed primarily for clinicians working across mental health, medical, allied health and other healthcare settings. It may also be suitable for support workers and others with relevant professional training who work alongside people in health and wellbeing settings. You don’t need a psychology background, and The Clinician In Bloom is for people of all genders. The program is currently available to Australian residents only.

Question 6: Does The Clinician In Bloom® train me to deliver this approach with others?

The Clinician In Bloom® is professional development designed for your own learning and reflective practice. You may find that the experience inspires ideas for how you use flowers, nature or creative practices within your own work, in ways that are appropriate to your professional role and scope of practice. This work is the result of many years of development and brings together my clinical psychology background, reflective practice and floristry training. The frameworks, structures, metaphors, activities and processes that form The Clinician In Bloom® are my intellectual property. They are not available for replication, adaptation or train-the-trainer use. I am continuing to develop and deliver this work myself, and I appreciate your understanding and respect for the integrity of the program.

If you are interested, register now or enquire on email at [email protected]

Please note: to avoid any potential conflicts of interest psychological therapy clients of Carla are unfortunately unable to participate in training.

This program is available to Australian residents only.

*Disclaimers:

➡️ To avoid any potential conflicts of interest,
psychological therapy clients of Carla are unfortunately not able to participate in training.

➡️ The psychoeducation and training programs delivered by Carla Anderson Clinician Psychology and Training are not clinical psychology services; they are psychoeducational only.

➡️ This work is the result of many years of development and integrates my clinical psychology background, perinatal and infant mental health work, reflective practice, and floristry training.
The frameworks, structures, metaphors, and processes that form these training programs are protected intellectual property.
They are not available for replication, adaptation, mentoring, or train-the-trainer pathways. I am continuing to develop and deliver these models myself, and I appreciate your understanding and respect for the integrity of this work.

© Copyright 2025. Carla Anderson Clinician Training.
All Rights Reserved.