I am currently in my last year of school, working toward a career in Recreational Therapy. Most of the time, when I tell people this, I get confused looks and many questions. Usually, the first question is, "What's that?" Unfortunately, this isn't the easiest question to answer. Recreational Therapy is a treatment service designed to restore and rehabilitate a persons degree of independence and level of functioning. It also promotes health and wellness, and reduces the limitations/restrictions to participation in life situations caused by illness or disability. In short, Recreational Therapists work to improve the quality of live and independence for people with short term or long term disabilities.
A majority of people have never heard of Recreational Therapy, or Therapeutic Recreation, which is a shame. Recreational Therapists work in such a variety of settings with virtually anyone. They can be found in hospitals, schools, inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation facilities, substance abuse centers, adult day services, community programs, and many more settings. They use leisure activities to help people to achieve their goals. This might mean playing sports, sewing, doing puzzles, dancing, reading, volunteering, or playing board games. Often, this therapy includes finding adaptive ways to do these activities.
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Recreational therapy isn't the same as Physical Therapy or Occupational Therapy. Though they are often used in co-treatment, Recreational Therapy has a different focus. They focus more on "health;" meaning not only absence of illness, but also the enhancement of all aspects of life so that they may participate in life functions independently. They focus on using the persons past, present, and future life experiences and interests into treatment. Often time, the clients family, community and interests into the program make it more meaningful for the individual. No two peoples treatment is the same. The end goal for all clients in Recreational Therapy is to be more independent and to be able to successfully participate in all aspects of life.
Recreational Therapists spend their days working to make others happy. Though it is a very rewarding field to be in, often they do it because they truly want to make a difference for someone. They get to have fun and interact with people all day, with the end goal of improving the quality of life for others. They form close relationships with clients and earn a great amount of trust and respect. Though not everyone knows what they do, they change the lives of others everyday.
