Recreational Therapy Career Guide and Counseling

Question: Does anyone know about recreational therapy? How hard is it to find employment with a bachelors degree? If I decided to go back to school for a masters in occupational therapy how closely related are the two fields? If I decided to get a masters degree in recreational therapy how does employment look for that? I have looked at several websites online. I am hoping that someone who works in either of these fields can give me some information.

Answer: There are many job possibilities for working with those with disabilities as services and opportunities for them are improving. Many metropolitan areas have recreation commissions that have many programs tailored to those with disabilities and are always needing educated people to take the helm. Unfortunately, a career in therapeudic recreation does not pay what it should and as a result, many who would like to do it, can't.

Question: i need a detailed explaination of a RECREATIONAL THERAPY AID, and what they do? in my 9th grade health class i hav to giv a speach on a recreational therapy aid ive looked everywhere to find more info but i cant find anything. if possible, i need to know: annual income what they do where they do it what type of education do you need to do it and when they do it all the info i can get will be great!! thank you all!!

Answer: This site should help: http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos082.htm

Question: Does anyone know of good universitites to pursue a degree in recreational therapy? I want to go to a school that is highly recommended in the field of rectional therapy or therapeautic recreation. Does anyone have any experience in these fields and could offer some advice?

Answer: I have a GREAT recommendation. HARVARD UNIVERSITY! Its the best University, you can even check from the leader board. The problem is, you need good grades and join really many clubs like Advanced math etc. plus, you need to be in some sports team. Harvard is really hard to get into. Trust me. Anyways, Good luck with your studies!

Question: Why is leisure /recreational therapy so important? I am trying to set up a leisure program for the mrdd population. I need to explain to my board of directors why it is important for this to happen for the clients I serve. I already know that self care, work, and leisure are what makes up a persons well balanced life, but how do I explain the importance of this so my clients can benefit?

Answer: I don't know if this will help you. It may actually be a bit too metaphysical for your BOD. There are six processes in nature. Every possible thing that occurs can be seen to be one of these processes. From the lowest process to the highest, they are: Crime, Disease, Corruption - this process will appear at all levels of existence. Diseased cells, diseased bodies, diseased minds, diseased societies. Elimination - all processes occur on all levels. A cell will remove material it no longer needs, a body, for example, plant or animal, will eliminate material IT can't use...plants dump Oxygen, animals remove nitrogen solid waste, CO2, etc. A detective, in attempting to solve a crime, eliminates theories that DON'T WORK. Or a student taking a multiple choice test. Eliminates the answers that don't work. You must find other examples. Growth - obvious Healing - also known as REcreation. The normal stress of existing begins to allow the process of Corruption, Disease to enter and HEALING must now take place. Without recreation, a person's mental capacity plummets. (for example, this would account for prisoners making pets of cockroaches and running them in "races" while in prison. ANYTHING for the crucial process of emotional healing.) This also links to the parable about "rendering to Caesar". Our bodies are "Caesar" and even if one is trying to lift their consciousness into another realm, they are doing it while in A BODY. And sometimes, you just need to listen to music. Or go see a movie. Or feed some ducks some old bread. Whatever. Refinement- take a restaurant, many examples. Food comes in from a delivery truck in bulk. The prep cook refines it to a certain level, the cook refines it further by cooking it, and also arranging it in a refined pattern on the plate. The customer further refines it on a personal level by chewing it, mixing it with digestive enzymes until it is small enough to be in the blood stream. Transmutation - something becomes greater than the sum of it's parts. On a physical level, this could be seen as the birth of a new life form. Two people come together and now there are three. (which makes you think. If heterosexuality it part of the process of transmutation, where would homosexuality fit in? Refinement? No. Healing? No;How? Growth? uh unh. Elimination? Nope. Gee. there's only one process left. CORRUPTION.) On the level of inner growth, a person might achieve a level of wisdom that is simply not available to ordinary consciousness. If any of the top five processes are blocked, then the process of corruption WILL occur. So that's it. The six processes of nature.

Question: I am am back to school to get certified in Recreational Therapy. My only concern is the job market? Any advice I am in Orlando Florida . I am more interested in working in a hospital or practice, rather than a nursing or retirement home ? Any advice would be great ! Thank you

Answer: A nursing home or retirement home will always be somewhat recession proof. Recreational Therapy could be more volatile, but the market is still in good shape.

Question: recreational therapy & occupational therapy? how closely related are they?

Answer: Occupational therapy focus on the use of meaningful occupations (or daily activities) for a person to regain function or skills in their lives. Occupational therapist work with children, adults and elderly persons. They treat people with physical, mental health and occupational challenges. OT's require a Masters degree and must be licensed in the state they wish to practice. Their services are covered by insurance. Recreational therapists focus on leisure. They assist people in regaining or exploring leisure activities to live a full and meaningful life. They do not address medical issues, but focus on the leisure/recreational activities that people wish to participate in. They typically have a bachelor degree and requirements to practice vary by state. Their services are not typically covered by insurance. While leisure is an area of occupational that occupational therapists may address, recreational therapists must only address leisure issues.

Question: History of Recreational therapy?

Answer: always works for me. love to sail. always took my little girls to the shore and we sailed. long ago. ahh, life is sometimes a difficult trek.

Question: Physical Therapy Help? I will attend Coker College next year and i will recieve my BA. They do not have a physical therapy major, so what could i major in? Here is a list Biology....Chemistry.....Psychology...… Science....Recreational Therapy....Exercise Science....Sports/Fitness Administration....Sociology I also plan to go to tech to get an associates degree in physical therapy assistance.......is this enough to become a physical therapistS?

Answer: There is absolutely no need to be a PTA first. This will only slow down the time it will take you to be a PT. It does not matter what you get your BS in as long as you get your prereqs done. These generally included bio, gen chem, gen physics, anatomy, physiology, psy and math. Many people do get an exercise science degree as it often meets the pre reqs. http://www.apta.org/AM/Template.cfm?Sect… http://www.apta.org/AM/Template.cfm?Sect…

Question: Recreational riding for people with special needs.? Do you have to be certified to provide recreational or fun riding to people with special needs? Not therapy, just fun, safe riding.

Answer: I don't know for sure. If you aren't doing "therapy" you wouldn't have to have any certification for that. However, your risk goes up when you provide riding opportunities for people with special needs so I would think you would have to have some pretty good insurance for that at the very least. If you are catering to people with special needs instead of to the general public, I would assume you would have to have some sort of license or something. I'd check with your county or state for their regulations.

Question: Attention Nurses, or health care professions? I'm a college student, studying recreational therapy. I am conducting a brief review. How do ou feel is the defined area of experties for Therapeutic Recreation Specialist? You can be honest. I just need good rounded answers!

Answer: as an RN, i got no idea what a recreational therepist is even. i say if you can get paid and you enjoy it, god bless ya. ill even promise to send you referrals if i ever see a doctor write one. so my answer is it sounds like a crazy fun job, and if insurence companies pay for it, or medicare or whoevere, congratz on a fun job choice. good luck