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

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