What is a Recreational Therapist?
- Allied health professional who uses activity-based interventions to address client treatment goals.
- Who do RTs work with?
- veterans, older adults, children, individuals with developmental disorders, cognitive disorders, physical disorders, and mental health disorders.
- Where do RTs work?
- parks and recreation departments, hospitals, fitness centers, rehabilitation centers, long term care facilities, assisted living facilities, correctional centers, mental health centers, adapted sports programs, school systems, and private RT facilities.
- Who Represents RTs?
- Who Accredits RT/TR Academic Programs?
To become a Recreational Therapist (CTRS) you must:
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- Earn a Bachelor or higher degree in Recreational Therapy (RT) or Therapeutic Recreation (TR) from an accredited college or university that includes the following coursework:
- 1 course (3 hours) in Recreation
- 6 courses (18 hours) in RT/TR
- 1 course (3 hours) in Anatomy & Physiology
- 1 course (3 hours) in Human Growth & Development Across the Lifespan
- 1 course (3 hours) in Abnormal Psychology
- Complete a 560 hour & 14 consecutive week internship under the supervision of a CTRS at the internship site and at the academic institution. Some potential internship sites are listed below. Your university will have a list of sites they have current agreements with.
- Community/Home Based Programs
- Hospitals
- Municipal or Special Rec Associations
- Bloomington SOAR
- Chicago Park District Special Recreation
- Fox Valley Special Recreation Association
- Kishwaukee Special Recreation Association
- Maine-Niles Association of Special Recreation
- NEDSRA
- Northern Illinois Special Recreation Association
- Northern Suburban Special Recreation Association
- Northern Will County SRA
- Northwest SRA
- STL ARC
- Southeast Association for Special Parks & Rec
- South Suburban SRA
- Waukegan Park District SR
- West Suburban SRA
- Outdoor Centers
- Veterans Health
- Pass the Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) exam from the NCTRC.
- Earn a Bachelor or higher degree in Recreational Therapy (RT) or Therapeutic Recreation (TR) from an accredited college or university that includes the following coursework:
Looking for an educational program? Try Southern Illinois University’s TR Program!