What is Therapeutic Recreation?

The goal of optimal healthcare is for the whole self to be cared for.

As humans, we have complex needs in social, intellectual, physical, emotional, spiritual, financial, environmental, and vocational realms.

Therapeutic recreation builds towards a hopeful future in medicine. A society that values and strives towards healing the whole self, in all of its dimensions, to increase well-being and optimal living for all persons, regardless of socioeconomic status, race, gender, age, or health condition.

 

What is Therapeutic Recreation?

"Therapeutic Recreation is a health care profession that utilizes a therapeutic process, involving leisure, recreation and play as a primary tool for each individual to achieve their highest level of independence and quality of life" (CTRA, 2024).

 

What does a Recreation Therapist Do?

"Recreation Therapists are among the allied health professionals who work in a variety of health care settings. Recreation Therapists use forms of recreation, leisure, and play as treatments modalities to support purposeful and meaningful interventions that are based on individual strengths and values, and are guided by assessments. These health care professionals utilize the APIED (Assess, Plan, Implement, Evaluate, and Document) process to direct service delivery" (CTRA, 2024).

Who can benefit from recreation therapy?

"Recreation therapy has conducted and is continuing to conduct research to demonstrate that its practice is efficacious in order the strengthen its place in the modern healthcare environment" (Porter, 2015, p. 1).

Recreation has positive benefits in the body's ability to cope with the ebbs and flows of life. However, recreation can be applied in a therapeutic capacity to help treat disorders in those who suffer. Recreation therapy can benefit individuals with various health conditions, such as:

  • Amputation & Prosthesis
  • ADHD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder)
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder
  • Back Disorders & Back Pain
  • BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder)
  • Burns
  • Cancer
  • Cerebral Palsy
  • Stroke (Cerebrovascular Accident)
  • COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)
  • Diabetes Mellitus
  • Epilepsy
  • Feeding & Eating Disorders
  • Fibromyalgia (Adult & Juvenile)
  • Gambling Disorder
  • GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder)
  • Guillain-Barré Syndrome
  • Hearing Loss
  • Heart Disease
  • Intellectual Disability
  • MDD (Major Depressive Disorder)
  • MS (Multiple Sclerosis)
  • Neurocognitive Disorders
  • Obesity
  • ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disorder)
  • CD (Conduct Disorder)
  • Osteoarthritis
  • Osteoporosis
  • Parkinson's Disease
  • PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder)
  • Pressure Ulcers
  • Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • Schizophrenia Spectrum & Other Psychotic Disorders
  • Sickle Cell Disease
  • Spina Bifida
  • Spinal Cord Injury
  • Substance-Related Disorders
  • Total Joint Replacement
  • Traumatic Brain Injury
  • Visual Impairments & Blindness

Who facilitates therapeutic recreation?

Resources

Canadian Therapeutic Recreation Association (CTRA). (2024). About recreation therapy. https://canadian-tr.org/about-recreation-therapy/ 

Porter, H. R. (2015). Recreational therapy for specific diagnoses and conditions, H. R. Porter (ed.). Idyll Arbor, Inc.