February Is Recreation Therapy Month

Recreation therapy uses recreation and activity-based interventions to help individuals improve health, wellbeing, and quality of life. While it may look like all fun and games, recreation therapy interventions are designed and chosen intentionally to work toward the person’s goals. Additionally, at Smiling Goat Ranch, all activities are based in the Horse Boy Method of equine-assisted therapy and learning. These activities are not only fun, but also backed by research. Smiling Goat is entering its second year of having a full-time recreation therapist (CTRS) on staff, who facilitates day-to-day programs as well as supervises recreation therapy interns. Keep reading for a Q&A with recreation therapy intern Lauren!

Why did I choose recreation therapy?

During my sophomore year of college, I would volunteer a few times a week under a recreation therapist at a retirement community center in my college town. Each week I would see the same residents, and I began to know them on a deeper level. As we played board games or did seated exercises, the residents would tell me all kinds of stories from their life that allowed us to form a special friendship.

There was one day in particular that I will never forget that made me decide I wanted to study recreational therapy. I was giving a resident a manicure one afternoon when she looked me in the eyes and told me that she had noticed how often I had been volunteering at the center. She said that her own family did not even visit her as much as me and that her days were truly made when I visited. She went on to thank me for the time I had been spending with her and how much it had made a positive difference in her overall well-being.

The best part is, that particular resident had also been making a positive difference in my overall well-being without even knowing or trying. I knew from there that recreational therapy was the path I was meant to take. There is no greater reward than knowing you are helping someone else in their life, whether you are playing a board game or painting their fingernails. Being a recreation therapist means that I can lessen the enormous impact of having a disability and help improve the overall quality of one’s life and have fun while doing it!

Now, I have been provided with the best opportunity to combine my love of recreational therapy and animals as an intern at Smiling Goat Ranch. Recreation therapy at the ranch is like nowhere I have experienced before. There are a multitude of interventions such as archery, aerial silks, therapeutic horseback riding, sensory work on horses, time with the little animals and much more. Smiling Goat Ranch provides so much potential to integrate the outdoors and healing qualities of animals. It is a safe healing environment for all ages, and I look forward to being a small part of the people’s lives who step foot on the ranch. 

Did you know?

·       Therapeutic Recreation is ranked #10 in college majors that lead to satisfying careers.

·       There are over 19,000 Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialists (CTRS) in the United States .

·       The National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC) provides a national certification that signifies a Recreational Therapist has the knowledge, skills, and abilities to provide recreational therapy. A CTRS must complete a bachelor’s or master’s degree in Therapeutic Recreation, a 560-hour internship, and a national certification exam.

Who does recreation therapy serve?

Recreation therapists work in settings such as nursing facilities and assisted living, adult day programs, adapted sports programs, hospitals, school systems, equine therapy centers, and more.

Research shows that recreation therapy provides a variety of positive health outcomes for individuals of all ages. Individuals with physical disabilities, psychiatric disorders, youth at risk, older adults and people with developmental disabilities or brain injuries can all benefit from recreation therapy.

How does it help?

Recreation therapy is an evidence-based practice, often provided alongside physical therapy, occupational therapy, psychotherapy, and behavioral health services. Therapists are trained to assess an individual's needs and choose interventions or activities that work towards the person’s goals.

Recreation Therapy increases participation and lowers the cost of treatment by:

·       Providing active, goal-oriented care which achieves outcomes.

·       Focusing on skills that carry over into everyday life and can make a difference in a person’s quality of life.

·       Focusing on improving a person’s independence in the physical, social, cognitive and emotional domains.

Learn more about recreation therapy from the American Therapeutic Recreation Association.