Therapeutic Recreation Advising Guide
Therapeutic Recreation/Recreational Therapy (TR/RT) is a healthcare and human service profession that uses recreation, leisure, play, sport, and community-based activities to improve the overall well-being and quality of life for individuals who are experiencing disability, illness, and/or other health conditions. The American Therapeutic Recreation Association defines TR/RT as “a systematic process that utilizes recreation and other activity-based interventions to address the assessed needs of individuals with illnesses and/or disabling conditions, as a means to psychological and physical health, recovery and well-being.” (2017) Recreational therapists are nationally certified and can be found working in a wide range of settings including but not limited to: inpatient hospitals or health facilities, long-term care and skilled-nursing facilities, adapted outdoor recreation organizations, school systems, community mental health centers, forensic facilities, addiction recovery centers, municipal parks and recreation organizations, after-school programs, and veterans hospitals.
TR/RT Professional Links
- National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification
- American Therapeutic Recreation Association
- Washington State Therapeutic Recreation Association
- Pacific Northwest Therapeutic Recreation Association
- British Columbia Therapeutic Recreation Association
- I am a Recreational Therapist
- Therapeutic Recreation Directory
Therapeutic Recreation Concentration Requirements
Students in the TR concentration will learn a wide variety of clinical skills (assessment, individualized care planning, clinical documentation, evaluation, critical thinking, adaptation, facilitation skills, and medical terminology) necessary for entry-level employment as a recreational therapist. The curriculum is designed to ensure that students are eligible to take an exam through the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC) so that they may become a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS). Students in this concentration who want to become certified through NCTRC must complete the following courses:
Therapeutic Recreation Courses (39 credits)
- RECR 274 Introduction to Therapeutic Recreation (4 credits)
- RECR 375 Assessment and Documentation in Therapeutic Recreation (4 credits)
- RECR 376 Therapeutic Recreation Programming (4 credits)
- RECR 380 Therapeutic Recreation Principles, Practices, & Techniques (5 credits)
- RECR 378 Human Relations: Effective Communication in Therapeutic Recreation Settings (4 credits)
- RECR 473 14-weeks/560 hours Internship (15 credits) or RECR 472 (12 credits) & RECR 471 (3 credits)
- RECR 421 Therapeutic Recreation Trends and Issues (3 credits)
Support Area (25 credits)
- PSY 230 Lifespan Developmental Psychology (5 credits)
- PSY 250 Introduction to Personality and Abnormal Psychology (5 credits)
- BIO 348 Human Anatomy and Physiology (5 credits)
- Plus 10 additional credits of upper division courses of your choosing.
Support Area Suggestions
Students can complete the support area by either completing a minor (e.g., Minor in Psychology and Exceptionality and disability Minor) or through a selection of individual upper-division courses. Below are some suggestions for classes students can take for the additional 10 credits of upper-division courses. The choices below are simply suggestions; students can select other university courses with faculty advisor approval. Check with your advisor if you have any questions.
Anthropology
- ANTH 330 - Religion and Culture
- ANTH 335 - Quantitative Methods in Anthropology
- ANTH 347 - The Ethnography of Communication
- ANTH 350 - The Ecology of Human Variation
- ANTH 351 - Family and Kinship Organization
- ANTH 352 - Cross-Cultural Study of Aging
- ANTH 353 - Sex and Gender in Culture
- ANTH 361 - Native Peoples of North America
- ANTH 362 - Peoples of Asia
- ANTH 365 - Peoples of Latin America
Communication Studies
- COMM 220 - Communication Theory
- COMM 224 - Small Group Processes
- COMM 225 - Communication, Diversity and Controversy
- COMM 235 - Exposition and Argumentation
- COMM 244 - Advocacy Through Media
- COMM 318 - Professional Communication
- COMM 319 - Communication and Healthcare
- COMM 322 - Civil Discourse as Learning Interaction
- COMM 325 - Introduction to Intercultural Communication
- COMM 327 - Interpersonal Communication
Environmental Studies
Spring Block Course:
- ENVS 488 - Outdoor Education
Fairhaven
- FAIR 203A - Social Relationships and Responsibility: Theories and Critiques
- FAIR 213B - Topics in Popular Culture
- FAIR 242R - The Art of Play: Reclaiming Imagination and Spontaneity for The Adult
- FAIR 243T - Awareness Through the Body
- FAIR 311C - Alternatives in Education
- FAIR 312D - Issues in International Studies
- FAIR 312E - Transgender Identities and Histories
- FAIR 313E - Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Issues in Education
- FAIR 334C - International Human Rights
- FAIR 341R - Psychology of Mindfulness and Well-Being
- FAIR 341T - Awareness Through the Body II
Leadership Studies
- LDST 101 - Introduction to Leadership Studies
Management
- MGMT 311 - Introduction to Management and Organizational Behavior
Kinesiology
- KIN 308 - Human Growth and Motor Development
- KIN 320 - Psychology of Sport
Political Science
- PLSC 346 - Politics of Inequality
- PLSC 321 - Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered Politics
Psychology
- PSY 101 - Introduction to Psychology
- PSY 318 - Psychology of Language
- PSY 321- Learning
- PSY 322 - Motivation
- PSY 324 - Comparative Psychology
- PSY 330 - Child Development
- PSY 331 - Adult Development and Aging
- PSY 332 - Adolescent Development
- PSY 333 - Infant Development
- PSY 340 - Environmental Psychology
- PSY 341 - Psychology and Culture
- PSY 342 - Social Cognition
- PSY 343 - Social Processes
- PSY 344 - Psychology and the Law
- PSY 345 - Evolutionary Psychology
- PSY 346 - Stereotyping, Prejudice, & Discrimination
- PSY 351 - Abnormal Psychology
- PSY 375 - Health Psychology
- PSY 377 - Positive Psychology
Sociology
- SOC 221 - Introduction to Population Issues
- SOC 251 - Sociology of Deviant Behavior
- SOC 255 - Social Organization of Criminal Justice
- SOC 260 - The Family in Society
- SOC 268 - Gender and Society
- SOC 269 - Race and Ethnic Relations
- SOC 302 - Classical Sociological Theory
- SOC 321 - Demography
- SOC 326 - Amer. Family and Household Demography
- SOC 330 - Introduction to Social Psychology
- SOC 332 - The Sociology of Human Relationships
- SOC 333 - Aging in America
- SOC 338 - Sociology of Sexual Behavior
- SOC 340 - Sociology of Organizations
- SOC 348 - Global Health
- SOC 352 - Criminology
- SOC 354 - Domestic Violence & Crim. Justice System
- SOC 355 - Criminal Justice System
- SOC 356 - Law Enforcement and Society
- SOC 360 - Marital and Family Interaction
- SOC 361 - Sociology of Education
- SOC 363 - Law and Social Stratification
- SOC 364 - Social Stratification
- SOC 365 - Gender, Bodies, and Sports
- SOC 367 - Sociology of Work and Occupations
- SOC 368 - Gender and Education
- SOC 369 - Sociology of Race and Ethnicity
- SOC 380 - Sociology of Youth
- SOC 388 - Sociology of Jails
- SOC 390 - Global Families
Special Education
- SPED 360 - Introduction to Special Education
- SPED 441N - Inclusion Strategies Reg Ed
- SPED 470 - Violent and Aggressive Youth
- SPED 473 - Promoting Resiliency in Vulnerable Students