Therapeutic
Recreation Service
How
many people know about the therapeutic recreation service in the United States?
Therapeutic recreation service is part of the leisure service system in the
United States. In the United States, there are many kinds of leisure services
and most of people use leisure services during their free time. According to
the Human Kinetics website, they express that there is debate about how to
define leisure because there are lots of different kind of leisure services.
However, there is a general consensus that there are three primary ways in
which to consider leisure: leisure as time, leisure as activity, and leisure as
state of mind. The therapeutic recreation service belongs to the third
definition of the leisure, leisure as state of mind. Unlike the definitions of
leisure as time or activity, the definition of leisure as state of mind is much
more subjective in considering the individual’s perception of an activity. If
so, what kind of people should get the therapeutic recreation service? And who
provide the service? Actually, people do not know well about the therapeutic
recreation service because there are other common therapies, such as physical
therapy and occupational therapy. Therefore, people should know there are
another salutary recreation therapy; in this paper will discuss about the
purpose and method of recreational therapy and about recreation therapist.
What
is purpose of therapeutic recreation? According to the American Therapeutic
Recreation Association, therapeutic recreation is treatment service designed to
restore, remediate and rehabilitate a person’s level of functioning and
independence in life activities. Furthermore, through the therapy, clients promote
health and wellness as well as reduce or eliminate the activity limitations and
restrictions on participation in life situations caused by an illness or disabling
condition. These are the differences from regular recreation program.
Furthermore,
for the method of recreation therapy, therapists use sports, adventure
programming, movement, leisure education, and creative arts, such as crafts,
music, dance and drama. The recreational therapists work with clients based
upon the clients’ interests. The recreational therapists intervenes the recreation
and they help clients to restore motor, social/ cognitive functioning, build
confidence, develop coping skills, and integrate skills learned in treatment
settings in to community settings. Therefore, the client could get the rehabilitation
during their interesting activities.
According
to the textbook, each state government provides direct recreation services
within the institutions or agencies it sponsors, such as mental hospitals, mental
health centers, special schools for people who are mentally retarded and in penal
or correctional facilities. Furthermore, many health care facilities have a
therapy referral process in place, of course with recreational therapy as part
of the standard referral process for other therapies and services.
To
become a recreation therapist, people should get a bachelor’s degree in recreational
therapy. After that, they need to take a national exam of Certified Therapeutic
Recreation Specialist. Moreover, qualified professionals are certified through
the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification. Furthermore,
they need internship before taking the national certification examination. And,
Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist must maintain their credential
every five years through the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation
Certification. In addition, American Therapeutic Recreation Association
maintains a comprehensive list of Therapeutic Recreation curriculum programs in
the United States. Therefore, the recreation therapists are professional who
get recognition from the United States.
According
to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the therapeutic recreation is a prospective
job in the United States. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the recreational
therapy job would grow 13 percents as fast average. Furthermore, they say “The rapidly
growing number of older adults is expected to spur job growth for recreational
therapy professionals and paraprofessionals in assisted-living facilities,
adult daycare programs, and other social assistance agencies. Continued growth
also is expected in community residential care facilities, as was daycare
programs for individuals with disabilities.” Moreover, according to the
Administration on Aging, they show the increasing older population for easier
viewing: persons 65 years or older – numbered 35.6 million in 2002. They
represented 12.3% of the United States population, about one in every eight
American. By 2030, there will be about 71.5 million older persons, more than
twice their number in 2002. Therefore, the United States need more recreation
therapists.
Furthermore,
the recreation therapists’ salary is not bad compare to other job. According to
the Salary.com, the salary is $54,398 per year basis on Fairfax County.
Moreover, the salary of Fairfax, Virginia is below national average, so the
other states give more salary than Virginia to the recreation therapists.
In
conclusion, the recreation therapy is also salutary therapy, such as physical
therapy and occupational therapy for people who has disability and older
adults. The clients do not feel pain or boring during the recreation therapy because
the therapy goes along basis upon the clients’ interests. Therefore, the
recreation therapy is a good therapy for the disability people who have wounded
heart and adults who need activity. Furthermore, the recreation therapists
would get benefit from their job and good salary. Moreover, the recreation
therapist is a stable job because the increasing adults rate percentage. Therefore,
the recreational therapy can hit two birds with one stone for the clients and
the recreational therapist.
Work
Cites
"American
Therapeutic Recreation Association." American Therapeutic Recreation
Association.
N.p., n.d. Web. 3 May 2014.
"Definitions of
Leisure, Play, and Recreation." human-kinetics. N.p., n.d. Web. 3
May 2014.
“Increasing Older
Adults Rate” Administration on Aging. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 May 2014.
McLean, Daniel D., and
Amy R. Hurd. Kraus' recreation and leisure in modern society. 9th ed.
Sudbury,
MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2012. Print.
"Recreational
Therapist." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics,
n.d.
Web. 3 May 2014.
"Recreational
Therapist Job Description." Recreational Therapist Job Description |
Salary.com.
Salary.com, n.d. Web. 4 May 2014.
"The Recreational
Therapy Professional ." . American Therapeutic Recreation Association,
n.d.
Web. 3 May 2014.
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