Recreational Therapists

Summary

Recreational therapists provide treatment services and recreational activities for individuals with disabilities or illnesses.

Quick Facts: Recreational Therapists
2010 Median Pay	$39,410 per year $18.95 per hour
Entry-Level Education	Bachelor’s degree
Work Experience in a Related Occupation	None
On-the-job Training	None
Number of Jobs, 2010	22,400
Job Outlook, 2010-20	17% (About as fast as average)
Employment Change, 2010-20	3,800

What Recreational Therapists Do

Recreational therapists plan, direct, and coordinate recreation programs for people with disabilities or illnesses. They use a variety of techniques, including arts and crafts, drama, music, dance, sports, games, and field trips. These programs help maintain or improve a client’s physical and emotional well-being.

Work Environment

Recreational therapists work in a variety of settings and may arrange to have activities both indoors and outdoors. Most therapists work full time.

How to Become a Recreational Therapist

Recreational therapists typically need a bachelor’s degree. Most employers require therapists to be certified by the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC).

Pay

The median annual wage of recreational therapists was $39,410 in May 2010.

Job Outlook

Employment for recreational therapists is expected to grow 17 percent, about as fast as the average for all occupations. As the large baby-boom generation ages, they will need recreational therapists to help treat age-related injuries and illnesses, such as strokes.

Similar Occupations

Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of recreational therapists with similar occupations.

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Contacts for More Information

Learn more about recreational therapists by contacting these additional resources.

What Recreational Therapists Do About this section

Recreational therapists work with patients of all ages and abilities.

Recreational therapists plan, direct, and coordinate recreation programs for people with disabilities or illnesses. They use a variety of techniques, including arts and crafts, drama, music, dance, sports, games, and field trips. These activities help maintain or improve a client’s physical and emotional well-being.

Duties

Recreational therapists typically do the following:

• Assess clients' needs through observations, medical records, standardized tests, and talking with medical staff, clients' families, and the clients
• Work with other healthcare professionals to form treatment plans
• Create programs that meet clients’ needs and interests
• Plan and carry out interventions to prevent harm to a client
• Engage clients in activities, such as games, drama, and field trips
• Help clients learn social skills needed to become or remain independent
• Explain to clients ways to cope with anxiety or depression
• Record and analyze a client’s progress

Recreational therapists help people reduce depression, stress, and anxiety; recover basic physical and mental abilities; build confidence; and socialize effectively. They help people with disabilities integrate into the community by teaching them how to use community resources and recreational activities.

Recreational therapists use activities, such as arts and crafts, dance and movement, or sports, to help their clients. For example, people who are paralyzed on one side may need therapists to teach them to recover basic motor skills, such as picking up a cup with their functional side.

Therapists may help people with disabilities by teaching them how to use community resources, such as public transportation or parks.

They may also provide interventions to clients who need help developing new coping skills. For example, they might encourage clients who have limited social skills to play games with others.

Recreational therapists work in places such as substance abuse centers, rehabilitation centers, assisted living facilities, special education departments, and parks and recreation departments.

Therapists who work in hospitals and rehabilitation centers may work with physicians, nurses, psychologists, social workers, physical therapists, and occupational therapists. For more information, see the profiles on physicians and surgeons, registered nurses, psychologists, social workers, physical therapists, and occupational therapists.

Recreational therapists are different from recreation workers, who organize recreational activities primarily for enjoyment. For more information, see the profile on recreation workers.

Work Environment About this section

Recreational therapists work both indoors and outdoors with their patients.

Recreational therapists held about 22,400 jobs in 2010. The following industries employed the largest number of recreational therapists in 2010:

Recreational therapists work in a variety of settings and may arrange to have activities both indoors and outdoors. Therapists often work in hospitals or nursing and residential care facilities. They may work in places such as substance abuse centers, rehabilitation centers, special education departments, and parks and recreation departments. They may use offices for planning or other administrative activities, such as client assessment, but may travel when working with clients. Therapists and their clients commonly go to fields and parks for sports and other outdoor activities.

Work Schedules

Some recreational therapists work evenings and weekends to meet the needs of their clients.

How to Become a Recreational Therapist About this section

Recreational therapists use a variety of therapies to improve the physical and emotional well-being of their patients.

Recreational therapists typically need a bachelor’s degree. Most employers require therapists to be certified by the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC).

Education

Most recreational therapists need a bachelor’s degree in therapeutic recreation or a related field. Though less common, associate’s, master’s, or doctoral degrees are also available.

Therapeutic recreation programs include courses in assessment, human anatomy, medical and psychiatric terminology, characteristics of illnesses and disabilities, and the use of assistive devices and technology. Bachelor’s degree programs usually include an internship.

Certification and Licenses

Most employers prefer to hire certified recreational therapists. Hospitals and other clinical settings often require certification by the NCTRC. The council offers the Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) credential to candidates who pass a written certification exam and complete a supervised internship of at least 480 hours. 

NCTRC also offers specialty certification in five areas of practice: geriatrics, behavioral health, physical medicine/rehabilitation, developmental disabilities, or community inclusion services. Although therapists typically need at least a bachelor’s degree in recreational therapy, in some cases therapists may qualify for certification with an alternate combination of education, training, and experience.

Some states require recreational therapists to be licensed; requirements vary by state. As of 2010, only Oklahoma, North Carolina, Utah, and New Hampshire required recreational therapists to hold a license. For specific requirements, contact the state’s medical board.

Important Qualities

Compassion. Recreational therapists should be kind, gentle, and sympathetic when providing support to clients and their families. They may deal with clients who are in a great deal of pain or under severe emotional stress.

Critical-thinking skills. Recreational therapists should be able to quickly think of adaptations to activities when a client’s therapy plan requires adjustment.

Leadership skills. Recreational therapists must be organized and able to plan, development and implement intervention programs in an effective manner.

Listening skills. Recreational therapists must listen to a client’s problems and concerns. They can then determine the course of treatment or therapy program appropriate for that client.

Patience. Recreational therapists may work with clients who need more time and special attention than other clients.

Speaking skills. Recreational therapists need to communicate well with their clients. They need to be able to give directions during activities or instruct a client on healthy coping techniques.

Pay About this section

The median annual wage of recreational therapists was $39,410 in May 2010. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $24,640, and the top 10 percent earned more than $62,670.

Some recreational therapists work evenings and weekends to meet the needs of their clients.

Job Outlook About this section

Employment of recreational therapists is expected to grow by 17 percent from 2010 to 2020, about as fast as the average for all occupations.

As the large baby-boom generation ages, they will need recreational therapists to help treat age-related injuries and illnesses, such as strokes. As people age, their declines in general physical ability, and sometimes mental ability, may also be treated with recreational therapy.

Legislation requiring federally-funded services for disabled students will continue to shape the need for recreational therapists in education settings.

Additionally, third party payers will continue to use therapists’ services as a way to cut costs in patients’ recoveries from injuries or illnesses, moving treatment to outpatient settings rather than more costly hospital settings.

Job prospects

Job prospects will be best for recreational therapists with both a bachelor’s degree and certification. Therapists who specialize in working with the elderly or who earn certification in geriatric therapy may have the best job prospects. Nursing and residential care facilities employ almost a third of recreational therapists. As the percentage of older adults continues to grow, employment in nursing and residential care facilities industry will grow as a whole, increasing the need for these workers.

Contacts for More Information About this section

For information and materials on careers and academic programs in recreational therapy, visit

American Therapeutic Recreation Association

For information on certification, visit

National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification