A recreational therapist, also known as a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS), is a licensed professional who is trained to treat ill or disabled people through recreational activities. These activities are designed to help a patient’s physical, emotional, cognitive, spiritual, and mental well-being by reducing stress, anxiety, and depression caused by their illness. Patients are assessed and individual therapy plans are created to meet the patient’s specific needs and interests.
Determining a patient’s specific needs is an important part of developing proper treatment for a recreational therapist. To create a treatment plan, they may use standardized exams, medical records, conversations with doctors, family interviews, and personal observations. The patient’s input is critical, because the patient’s reaction to the treatment can determine its success.
A recreational therapist’s primary goal is usually to improve or restore motor function and reasoning ability. As a result, many therapies include a physical component, however minor, in the treatment that requires the patient to complete the activity using his or her mind. Activities can also be combined or followed up with a “discussion” to help patients recognize their own thoughts, feelings, and reactions to the activity. These conversations can lead to personal revelations for the patient, which can aid in his or her development, coping skills, and eventual recovery from illness.
Patients’ reactions, participation levels, and progress are all monitored by recreational therapists. If it is determined that a patient is not responding well to treatment, the treatment may be altered. When developing a therapy, patients’ personal interests are frequently aimed to be supplemented in order to improve its chances of success.
Depending on the patient, a recreational therapist may plan a variety of activities. Some patients may respond to or require certain activities, while others may require others. Stretching exercises, relaxation breathing techniques, arts and crafts, animal play, dancing, drama, music, and group gatherings are some examples of activities.
Patients who require social recovery may benefit from the guidance of a recreational therapist. Interacting with a recreational therapist may give a patient who has previously had to rely on others due to illness or disability a greater sense of independence and confidence. Recreational therapists, at best, help to lessen or eliminate the effects of illness or disability. Hospitals, rehabilitation centers, private schools, nursing homes, and psychiatric and correctional facilities are common places to find these therapists.