Recreational Therapist
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Career as Recreational Therapist is unique as the therapist is responsible to provide treatment to patients with disabilities. There are several activities used to treat the disability such as crafts, sports, music, drama etc. Career as Recreational Therapist is very interesting as the career deals with the patients with depression, stress etc. Also it helps in improving the person's self-confidence.
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Tasks:
There are several tasks to be done, if you choose a career as Recreational Therapist. As they deal with the special patients, the tasks are also different. Some of the tasks are:
- They watch, estimate and record the patient's reaction during various activities.
- They develop treatment plan according to the individual's reaction during the activities. For instance, if someone is interested in art then they try to treat the patient by using different activities related to art.
- They encourage the patients to excel in the field, which they like the most. So that they learn as well live satisfactorily.
- They encourage the patients to develop leisure activities.
- They conduct therapy sessions for patients to ensure their mental and physical health.
- They instruct the patients during various activities. That makes them understand what is wrong and what is not.
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- They prepare and present the reports to show the progress of the patient in various activities.
- They give their most of their time to the patients. This develops a sense of trust, which is in turn is useful in the treatment of the patient.
- They always develop new techniques to tackle aggressive patients.
- They are responsible for providing information to their supervisors and subordinates. This ensures that proper care is taken of the patients in their absence.
- They offer emotional support to the patients as well as their families.
Educational Qualifications:
The basic qualification required to pursue a Career as Recreational Therapist are:
- Associates Degree, Recreational Therapy
- Bachelors Degree, Recreational Therapy
- Masters Degree, Recreational Therapy
- Doctoral Programs (Recreational Therapy)
- Certification Exam (Recreational Therapy)
Other Necessary Skills:
There are several soft-skills required if you intend to make a career as Recreational Therapist. They are:
- They must have the ability to reach out to people with different disabilities. This will make the treatment easier.
- They must have the ability to find a conclusion from unrelated bits of information.
- They must speak clearly so that the patient understands them.
- They must have the ability to sense or predict oncoming problems. This can help to avoid upcoming rigorous problems.
- They must be good in recognizing speech. Some patients with speech deformity might not be able to speak clearly.
- They must be very creative. This will help to tackle the patients efficiently and expertly.
- They must be good in maintaining records. This will help them to see the history of patients if needed in future.
Places of Work:
The career as Recreational Therapists has various areas to work upon. They have special activity rooms. They generally deliver their sessions in:
- Hospitals with special care units for the disabled
- Activity/Health Care Centers, which offer services for the disabled
- Special schools for the children with several disabilities
- Certain offices have recreation departments. These departments are responsible for carrying several activities to keep the employments stress free.
- Apart from this, they have their own clinics.
Job Opportunity:
There are several jobs in government and non-government sectors to practice the career as Recreational Therapist. Since the disability can affect people of all age groups, the demand for a Recreational Therapist is inexhaustible. There are different ways to treat a disabled patient, so there are no straight rules. Hence, the career is having average growth rate. However, parents having a disable child are willing to spend lot of money for treatment, so the job can be very progressive.
Remuneration:
As far as the salary is concerned, career as Recreational Therapist has average salary. They earn less in the start of their career. The recreational therapists who are self-employed earn well, if they have good number of patients. Many a times, big private hospitals, which are dedicated to treat disabled people, offer lucrative salary to their employees. Read about art director remuneration in detail here: Salary for Art Therapist.
Job progress:
The job opportunity in career as Recreational Therapist is fine. In early stages, the career starts as an assistant therapist in recreation in hospitals or health care organizations. One can start his/her career in special day care schools for disabled students. After working for some years under the experienced person, one can open his/her own clinic, day care schools etc. Some can even opt to do research in the field. The disabled patients generally trust few people; hence, parents usually stick to a single doctor for treatment and thus, the patients remain loyal to the doctors.
Employment Forecast:
As far as the future is concerned, the career as Recreational Therapist is average. The therapist who has experience in this field can even change their occupation from the recreational therapists to recreational counselors, special education teacher etc. Recreational Therapist hardly remains unemployed. Job satisfaction is attained by helping people who are in need.