Careers in Recreational Therapy

Therapeutic recreation is the entire process of treatment and recreation services that are provided to those people who are suffering from serious illnesses and other disabling conditions. The primary services offered are concerning the treatment of the disease and are often referred to as recreational therapy. The purpose of these services is mainly to restore, remediate or rehabilitate the disabled functions in order to provide independence and also to reduce or if possible eliminate the effects of a certain illness or disability. The main focus of recreational therapy is to provide resources and opportunities to improve health and well-being. Therapeutic recreation is provided by specialists who have been trained and certified to provide these services. There are many opportunities for people to develop their careers in recreational therapy as there are many people who need help in this field.

Recreational therapists have certain duties and responsibilities and it is very important for people who want to develop their careers in recreational therapy to abide to them. These specialists usually work with people who suffer from mental or physical diseases and are often confronted with emotional disabilities. The  selection of activities and other recreational modalities is an essential thing because they are used in treating and maintaining the physical, mental and well being of the patients. The interventions applied by the recreational therapists are helping these individuals to remediate the effects of their illness and gain higher levels of personal independence. The final goals of these interventions are to improve the patients’ abilities to physically, mentally and socially function.

Careers in recreational therapy involve work in interdisciplinary teams as the information needed about each patient is gathered from client assessment, medical records and staff and, of course family members. Each individual recreational therapy is developed on the client’s individual needs, abilities and interests. Physical recreational therapies are almost always based on the clients’ hobbies. Most people in this situation are paralyzed and can no longer perform some of their favorite activities. The recreational therapists are trying to combine fun with work as it has demonstrated to bring outstanding results. Thus, the clients are encouraged to move their paralyzed limbs in order to perform activities, such as fishing, painting, playing chest and so on and so forth. Also, in cases of psychological problems, the recreational therapist may utilize assertiveness programs in order to help the patient achieve more self confidence and gain more personal independence.

As we mentioned before, in order to be able to practice this job you need to have a degree in therapeutic recreation. Most places require people who have graduated from the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC). It has been shown that through out the last years hospitals have enlarged their demand for recreational therapists offering more and more positions in this field.  Entry level positions will require a bachelor’s degree in therapeutic recreation or in recreation with majoring in therapeutic recreation. Other positions in this field, offered by nursing homes and other such institutions may require a minimum of an associate degree in recreational therapy or even trainings in drama, art or music therapy. A recreational therapist should be ready and comfortable working with ill or disabled people. They have to be patient, tactful and persuasive because they are dealing with individuals who experience a variety of special needs.

The best recreational therapist knows how to combine humor and imagination in order to adapt any situation to the patient’s needs.