Creekside Recreational Therapy Services

Empowering People * Strengthening Families * Achieving Goals * Having Fun

Recreational Therapy (RT) is...

Recreational Therapy improves people�s ability to function and be independent by promoting health & wellness as well as reducing & eliminating the challenges, limitations and restrictions that people of all ability levels experience on a daily basis.

RT differs from play because before, during and after the activity, the Recreational Therapist speaks with the person (or group) and asks processing questions (sometimes called "debriefing") and empowers people to learn while they are involved in the activity.

Our Philosophy of RT...

is getting to know the person (by assessing their strengths and needs), helping them to set goals and using specific activities to help them achieve their goals and teaching them how to be able to continue to reach their goals independently. Many times, the person doesn't even realize he/she is learning because they're having fun. To me, all recreation is therapeutic -- you just have to make it that way.

Recreational Therapy

RT uses many interventions including Adventure Based Therapy, Horticulture Therapy, Relaxation Techniques, Communication and Social Skills Training, Anger Management Techniques, Assertiveness Training, Therapeutic Touch, and Values Clarification. There are many more interventions that Recreational Therapists commonly use.

RT can be practiced in clinical (hospital, outpatient clinic, doctor's office), residential (group home, foster home, family home or assisted living facility) and community (school, daycare, after school program, camp, recreation and parks program, etc.) settings.

Who provides RT Services?

A therapeutic recreation specialist (TRS), sometimes referred to as a recreation or recreational therapist (RT), works with individuals who have mental, physical, emotional and/or developmental disabilities. Activity modalities or recreation mediums are used to treat or maintain the physical, mental and emotional well-being of consumers served. Interventions are selected that will assist to remediate the effects of illness or disability and/or enable an individual to increase personal independence. For example, a TRS may use a knitting activity to help a consumer increase fine motor dexterity. Or a TRS may train a consumer to use an adapted fishing reel to enable the consumer to continue motivation for activity involvement in a lifetime passion. Similarly, a TRS may lead an anger management group to teach aggressive consumers alternative coping skills, lead a reminisent group to aid aging adults to cope with memory changes or teach consumers to overcome environmental barriers (stairs, curbs) in order access their community confidently and independently. (Taken from www.ncrta.org)

In North Carolina, "recreational therapist" and the initials, "LRT," also designate individuals who have been granted a license from the North Carolina Board of Recreational Therapy Licensure. Only individuals who received this license may use these credentials and practice in North Carolina. Individuals who use the credentials, "LRT/CTRS," are licensed by the North Carolina Board of RT Licensure and certified by the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification. Minimum requirements to become licensed include: a bachelor's degree in Recreational Therapy, Therapeutic Recreation or a Recreation degree with an emphasis in Therapeutic Recreation, an internship under a licensed LRT (or CTRS if outside North Carolina) and a satisfactory score on a certification exam.

Who needs Recreational Therapy?

The simple answer is everyone! The person receiving RT services, his or her family, friends, coworkers and others can all benefit from RT. People with and without disabilities or illnesses of all ages are welcomed to participate in Recreational Therapy. For more information on the benefits of Recreational Therapy, please click here.

People with the following challenges have benefited from participating in Recreational Therapy programs: Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) including Aspberger's Syndrome, Anger Management, Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Developmental Disabilities (DD), Mental Retardation (MR), Schizoaffective Disorder, Spinal Cord Injuries (SCI), Stress Management, Substance Use and Abuse, Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI), other mental and physical illnesses and many other challenges.