What is Therapeutic Recreation?
The term, "therapeutic recreation," refers to a continuum of services provided by qualified therapeutic recreation professionals. Recreation therapy is often included as a component of therapeutic recreation. The American Therapeutic Recreation Association defines therapeutic recreation as: ...the provision of treatment services and the provision of recreation services to persons with illness or disabling conditions. The primary purpose of treatment services, which are often referred to as recreational therapy, is to restore, remediate, or rehabilitate in order to improve functioning and independence as well as reduce or eliminate the effects of illness or disability.
The primary purpose of recreation services is to provide recreation resources and opportunities in order to improve health and well-being. Therapeutic recreation is provided by professionals who are trained, certified, registered, or licensed to provide therapeutic recreation (ATRA, 1988).Similarly, the National Therapeutic Recreation Society defines therapeutic recreation as: Practiced in clinical, residential, and community settings, the profession of therapeutic recreation uses treatment, education, and recreation services to help people with illnesses, disabilities, and other conditions to develop and use their leisure in ways that enhance their health, independence and well-being (NTRS, 1994).
(some positions listed below require advanced education)
| Recreational Therapist | Director of Therapies |
| Senior Citizen Programs | Clinical Specialist |
| Occupational Therapist | Physical Therapist |
| Speech Pathology Clinician | Youth Camp Recreation Therapist |
| Community Rec Programmer | Physical Therapist Supervisor |
| Program Specialist | Recreation Program Asst |
| Healthcare Consultant | Rehabilitation Counselor |
| Speech Pathology Specialist | |
| Employment settings for the therapeutic recreation specialist | |
| Hospitals | Rehabilitation Centers |
| Outpatient Centers | Home healthcare |
| Retirement Communities | Veterans Administration Hospitals |
| Specialty schools (blind, deaf, etc) | Healthcare organizations |
| Nursing homes | Correctional facilities |
| Psychiatric facilities | Senior centers |
| Adult day care | Universities/colleges |
| Self-employed | |
| People oriented | Excellent communication skills |
| Motor skills | Physical coordination |
| Patience | Perseverance |
| Persuasiveness | Motivational skills |
| Ability to design & implement rehabilitative programs | Leadership |
| Ability to plan recreational activities |
Therapeutic Recreation Job Bulletin Board http://www.recreationtherapy.com/trjob.htm
Therapeutic recreation internship sites http://www.recreationtherapy.com/internship/index.html
Rehab Mall.com - job listings http://www.rehabmall.com/jobs/index.html
Job listings (from Temple University) http://www.temple.edu/tr/jobs.htm
MonsterTRAK http://www.monstertrak.com
Other job listings www.uncwil.edu/stuaff/career/services/jobs.htm
Helpful information as you prepare for a career in therapeutic recreation http://www.nrpa.org/branches/ntrs/career.htmAbout therapeutic recreation http://www.duke.edu/~bobzien/tr.html
Professional Career Center: look for a job and resources http://www.nrpa.org/infoctr/career/career.htm
Recreational Therapy Career Information http://www.etxahec.org/hcp/2a.htm
National Therapeutic Recreation Society http://www.nrpa.org/branches/ntrs.htmNorth Carolina Recreation Therapy Association http://www.ncrta.org/
The American Therapeutic Recreation Association http://www.atra-tr.org
NCTRC - National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification http://nctrc.org
Childlife and Therapeutic Recreation Coalition http://www.recreationtherapy.com/childlife
New York State Therapeutic Recreation Association - excellent links!! http://www.nystra.org/links.htm
UNCW Post-Graduate SurveyTherapeutic Recreation Directory: resources for therapeutic recreation professionals
http://www.recreationtherapy.com
TRIPS: Therapeutic Recreation in Public Schools http://perth.uwlax.edu/trschools
Conferences and workshops http://www.temple.edu/tr/confer.htm
Craig Hospital in Denver: National Center of Excellence in the specialty of rehabilitation and research for patients for spinal cord and brain injury http://www.craighospital.org
Therapeutic recreation links
http://www.sandfordgroup.com/industrylinks/alternate_industry_links/
therapeutic_industry_links.html
Therapeutic recreation chat rooms http://www.recreationtherapy.com/chat
Cornerstones Magazine Online: Therapeutic Editorial Library
http://www.sandfordgroup.com/editoriallibrary/therapeutic_library/theraedlibrary.html
National Therapeutic Recreation Society publications http://www.nrpa.org/branches/ntrs/pubs.htm
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