THE ATRA ADVANTAGE

The Benefits are Endless

Why Join?

Community

ATRA believes in the power of connection. Members enjoy access to ATRA’s exclusive conversation platform, ATRA Connect.

Networking is a powerful tool, and ATRA Connect offers members a conversation space to connect with each other for support, guidance, expertise, and collaboration. Your community is waiting for you!

Empowerment

ATRA’s mission is to empower you. Members enjoy opportunities to receive scholarships and awards and engage in leadership roles and advocacy efforts. While ATRA’s mission benefits all recreational therapists, members have exclusive access to:

Annual Awards for professional recognition.

Scholarships for conference attendance.

Leadership roles and other volunteer opportunities that can help you find your voice, express your passions, and make powerful connections in the field.

Education

ATRA upholds the highest standards for continuing education quality and innovation. Quality matters! Members enjoy discounts on educational offerings, including online education opportunities and our Annual Conference.

Continuing education is more than a required hoop to jump through, it’s an investment in your clinical knowledge and expertise. Choosing high quality CEUs will elevate your practice and empower you in the workplace.

Our Annual Conference is the largest gathering of recreational therapists in the country and attracts recreational therapists from nearly every state and we have a significant international presence.

Development

ATRA knows that professional development is vitally important to you, your clients, and the profession. Members enjoy free and easy access to scholarly journals and discounts on recreational therapy publications and texts!

Evidence-based practices are the cornerstone of our expertise and an essential advocacy tool, but it can be challenging to access peer-reviewed journals if you’re not an academic. To help bridge the gap, ATRA members receive free access to the ATRA Annual in Therapeutic Recreation and Therapeutic Recreation Journal.

Textbooks are relevant outside of the classroom! Whether writing treatment protocols, submitting grants, or searching for new interventions or modalities, textbooks offer a wealth of evidence to support the work you do each day as a recreational therapist. Members receive a discount on all items from Sagamore-Venture, a major publisher of recreational therapy texts.

Advocacy

ATRA has a rich history of professional advocacy. Member support allows ATRA to have a presence at the federal and state levels, advocating for the inclusion and recognition of recreational therapy to the policymakers who can influence the acceptance and recognition of our services.

ATRA advocates strategically, ensuring lawmakers and other influential organizations are aware of recreational therapy’s vital services. Your membership helps ATRA amplify the collective voice of our profession.

ATRA recognizes the importance of licensure across all states and is actively advocating for state legislators to license the practice of recreational therapy. Licensure is necessary to protect the public and ATRA is committed to supporting all means to ensure the safety of those we serve.