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About Recreational Therapy

#RTisMoreThanFun

What is Recreational Therapy?

Recreational Therapy (RT) is a systematic process that utilizes recreation and other activity-based interventions to address the assessed needs of individuals with illnesses, disabling conditions, and/or adverse circumstances to promote psychological and physical health, recovery, and well-being. Recreational Therapy aims to restore, remediate, or rehabilitate the client’s level of functioning and independence in life activities. Recreational Therapists work in a variety of clinical and community settings and utilize their unique expertise to help individuals overcome barriers to well-being and/or participation in meaningful leisure activities.

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WHAT?

Meaningful Activity

Recreation and leisure pursuits enrich our lives with purpose, meaning, and community and are an important part of our overall well-being. Recreational Therapists utilize evidence-based practices to help clients develop the skills and confidence needed to engage in meaningful, health-promoting leisure activities. Recreational Therapy can help you feel like you again.

WHY?

Leisure Heals

Illness, injury, disability, and adversity can impact our sense of self and leave us feeling lost, alone, or adrift. The activities we once enjoyed may no longer feel accessible or meaningful. Recreational Therapists are here to help. We understand that the way you spend your free time is vital to your well-being, and we will partner with you to ensure that your leisure lifestyle remains robust and vibrant. Recreational Therapy treats the whole person, clarifying and prioritizing what matters most to the individual.

where?

Clinical and Community Spaces

Recreational Therapists are skilled healthcare providers who utilize a systematic process, evidence-based interventions, and purposeful activities to help clients achieve well-being. Recreational Therapists work in a variety of clinical and community settings—from schools, to hospitals, to community programs and beyond—and utilize their unique expertise to help clients overcome barriers to well-being and/or participation in meaningful activities.

How?

Purposeful Fun

Prescribed activity assists individuals in coping with the stress of illness, disability, or adversity so they may achieve and maintain optimal levels of independence, productivity, well-being, and quality of life. Whether utilizing recreation and leisure activities as therapeutic interventions to promote well-being or facilitating therapeutic interventions to promote participation in meaningful recreation and leisure pursuits, Recreational Therapists are cherished for the far-reaching impact of their vital services. Recreational Therapy changes lives.

DIVE DEEPER

The Power of RT

RT & Social Prescribing

Although social prescribing is a relatively new term, its principles closely mirror the longstanding practices of RT, making it a profession ideally positioned to lead and enhance these efforts.

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Addressing Isolation & Loneliness

RT, which focuses on building social connections and creating socially inclusive environments, and is ideally positioned to address social isolation and loneliness.

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The Unsung Heroes of Healthcare

RTs understand that the success of a person’s rehabilitation is expedited and enhanced through the intangibles—moments of joy, engagement, and connection.

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Recreational Therapy FAQs

  • How is Recreational Therapy different from other therapies?

    Recreational Therapy (RT) embraces a definition of "health" which includes not only the absence of "illness," but extends to enhancement of physical, cognitive, emotional, social and leisure development so individuals may participate fully and independently in chosen life pursuits. The unique feature of RT that makes it different from other therapies is the use of recreational modalities in the designed intervention strategies. RT is extremely individualized to each person by his or her past, present and future interests and lifestyle. The recreational therapist has a unique perspective regarding the social, cognitive, physical, and leisure needs of the patient. Incorporating client's interests, and the client's family and/or community makes the therapy process meaningful and relevant. Recreational therapists weave the concept of healthy living into treatment to ensure not only improved functioning, but also to enhance independence and successful involvement in all aspects of life.  

  • Who provides Recreational Therapy services?

    Recreational therapy is provided by qualified professionals know as Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialists (CTRS). For more information on the requirements to become a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist, please visit the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC). Several states also require recreational therapists to be licensed within their states.  

  • Where is Recreational Therapy provided?

    Recreational therapy is provided in a variety of settings where the therapeutic process is used. This process involves assessment of an individual's needs and functioning, planning of interventions, implementation of services, evaluation of interventions and client progress and documentation (APIED) of services provided. 


    Recreational therapists practice in settings such as inpatient and outpatient physical rehabilitation, inpatient and outpatient mental health, skilled nursing facilities and assisted living, adult day programs, park and recreation, adapted sports programs, acute care hospitals, pediatric hospitals and programs and school systems to name a few places. For more information about where recreational therapists work, click here.  

  • Who can benefit from Recreational Therapy?

    Research indicates that recreational therapy provides a variety of positive health outcomes for individuals of all ages with physical disabilities, older adults, individuals with psychiatric disorders, pediatric patients, youth at risk and people with developmental disabilities or brain injuries.  

  • How is Recreational Therapy beneficial?

    Recreational Therapy is an integral part of a patient’s treatment, as well as a service benefiting consumers of community services. Recreational Therapy enhances participant outcomes and reduces healthcare costs by:

    • Providing active, outcome focused care which achieves results
    • Enabling the generalization of skill developed in treatment to their home and community environments
    • Reducing the effects of primary and secondary disabilities
    • Providing treatment through cost effective means such as in small and large group settings
    • Serving as a cost-effective means to enhance or replace other more costly services
    • Addressing the whole person with the focus on enhancing independent functioning within physical, social, cognitive and emotional domains
    • Training individuals to identify and utilize community resources that enable independent functioning
    • Focusing on skills that carry over to everyday life and can make a difference in a person’s quality of life
    • Providing a diversity of interventions which are cost effective, add value and have significant durability across an individual’s lifespan. 

  • How can I get Recreational Therapy Services

    Many health care facilities have a therapy referral process in place and include RT/TR as part of their standard referral process for other ordered therapies and services. Once the referral for RT is made, usually by the physician or health care professional responsible for the client's care an assessment should be completed by the CTRS. On many inpatient program units a standard order is provided for each new resident "to evaluate for RT/TR services". Clients from outpatient, home health or community programs may also be appropriate for RT, and the referral is done on a case-by-case basis.


     

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