5/03/2014

Research Paper #2 (Therapeutic Recreation Service)

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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