Recreational Therapists

Ever since I was a kid, it has been my life goal to help as many people I can. I have moved around in many different areas of the medical field, but no career had caught my eye as much as physical therapy. As an athlete, I have been in and out of the physical therapist’s office for a majority of my life. Each time I have went I could not help but be beyond grateful for what these people have done for me; they have given me the ability to play the sport I love despite all the hiccups. Physical therapy is a dynamic field within the field of medicine because as a physical therapist one can make a difference in the lives of his or her patients, enjoy job security, and enjoy a rewarding and personally satisfying career.

As occupational therapy services diversified, serving a variety of clients in many different settings and with societal influences, the field began to evolve. During the 1990s occupational therapists began to shift away from reductionist medical model toward a more holistic client-centered approach. Services focused on enhancing individuals’ quality of life across the lifespan meaning before, during, and after therapeutic intervention. The profession began to better acknowledge the value of client education, injury and illness prevention, health screening, and health maintenance (Cole & Tufano, 2008). The field created more preventative initiatives, and focused services on improving quality of life and optimizing the independence of

Going to college has always been a dream of mines that I will turn into reality. I have always wanted to further my education beyond high school. A college degree is required for the career I want to pursue. I plan to study Sociology to become a Social Worker, because I truly value and am passionate about helping people. Social workers engage and discuss with clients about the things going on in their lives and try their best to provide their clients with helpful advice to make things better for them. As an aspiring social worker, I want to work with

Without occupational therapists, millions of people would struggle to live their everyday lives. Occupational therapists give specialized assistance to people with physical, developmental, social or emotional problems. This assistance is used to live productive and independent or semi independent lives. Occupational therapists can be used, and is effective for people of all ages. Many people have not heard of occupational therapy and are not aware of the positive impact it has on members of our society. With this paper I want to spread the knowledge that I have on occupational therapy. Many people that could benefit from occupational therapy do not even know that it exists. This career is difficult for everyone involved, but the impact it has

Life can change in a split second when an unanticipated injury or disease hinders someone’s normal daily life. Modern medicine, physicians and families can only do so much but physical therapy can help recoup the life many of us take for granted. It often isn’t until we lose something that we as humans realize what we had such as the value of our body’s ability to take us through each day. A physical therapist is the person who stays with a patient for the duration of the rehabilitation process. A physical therapist leads the patient through the process of regaining physical strength and helps the patient regain control of their future. Much like many careers that involve interaction with individuals, physical therapy reaches beyond

It has been brought to the attention of our new Recreational Therapist staff at this facility, that there are not enough programs or accessible information pertaining to leisure resources for our current consumers who are being discharged from the facility. The specific issue we would like to address are solutions for our clients who struggle with PTSD. As an RT our job is to develop a treatment plan/service designed to restore, remediate, recreate, and rehabilitate an individual’s functional abilities and independence. To promote health and wellness as well as reduce or eliminate the barriers to participation in activities and life situations are the major goals as RTs to decrease consumer dependency. As a Recreational Therapist, providing clients with leisure- education is important so patients can be knowledgeable of what resources are available to them (Carter, M., & Van Andel, G. (2011). Without proper local environmental, leisure

Now, I was the one who was able to develop treatment plans for patients. I loved being able to help my athletes reach their goals and return to play. Although there were aspects of Athletic Training that I enjoyed, I found that there were other parts of the profession that I did not like, especially acting as a first responder at athletic events. At my clinical rotations, I often found myself thinking about working as a physical therapist. My injury opened my eyes to a profession I had never considered before.

Occupational therapy is a profession that is currently growing faster than anyone would have expected. Because of the increase in demands for occupational therapy services, therapists are having larger caseloads, needing the help of more occupational therapists. Occupational therapy in the mental health setting is one environment that has grown in popularity over the last decade. Knowing the benefits of occupational therapy in this setting, and the expansion of clients needing occupational therapy services, more funding needs to be established in this setting.

I was nervous at first because this was this was my first field work, and had just started the Therapeutic Recreational program. Nichole Cummins was aware of this and made me comfortable in my new venture at the St. Joseph’s Impatient Rehabilitation Unit. I discussed my goals with her before starting the field work. The unit is on the 4th floor of the main hospital. Files of patients are filed in a secure cabinet. My field work was 60 hours of experience. My goals were to learn about documentation, program planning, and activity modification.

As an occupational therapy practitioner, it is important to understand how to modify homes to fit an individual with a disability. In this paper, I will share what I believe are the best modifications to my own 2-story home for an individual in a wheelchair including the entrance and half-bath, kitchen, stairs,

The Bureau of Labor Statistics describes an occupational therapist as one who treats patients who are ill, injured, or disabled by the therapeutic use of everyday activities. They help patients develop, recover, and improve the skills needed for daily living and working (2014-15).The Occupational Handbook describes the many jobs of these occupational therapists in steps. It states that the process begins with observing patients, interviewing them, and reviewing medical history. Once they evaluate the patient’s condition and needs, they develop a treatment plan that includes various activities to help them accomplish specific goals (2014-15). Occupational therapists can help with various disabilities in patients of all ages. For example, if an autistic child struggles with pinching the buttons on a shirt in order to button them, a therapist could give the child tasks such as beading, in order to teach them to grasp using two fingers (Sheryl Bos interview). They can also aid patients in learning how to operate special equipment and even educate a patient’s family or teacher/employer on how to accommodate and care for them (Occupational Handbook 2014-15). OTs can work in many settings as well. They are able to work in educational setting as well as mental settings. With this range, OTs can work in hospitals, schools, rehab centers, home health, or nursing care facilities (Occupational Handbook 2014-15). In order to become successful occupational therapists, the

1. Job Description: What is the Job? What do these people do for a living? I won’t to be Therapists because I have always been interested in why people may do something or why they may behave a certain way. A therapist provides metal heath help and supports you with whatever you’re going though.

What intrigues me most in the field of Occupational Therapy is that I could make a positive impact in the lives of others. An occupational therapist can help a patient revitalize their physical, cognitive, or emotional disabilities, and develop or restore its functionality through continuous practice and effort. There is nothing more fulfilling for me than to see an individual achieving the greatest possible independence. This train of thought arose when I observed an occupational therapist working with my mother to return her arm to feeling normal again after her accident.

Although I have yet to work in a therapeutic recreational type environment, I feel that I have learned many helpful skills that translate from other fields that I can apply to the field of TR. This past summer I worked two jobs in two completely different fields from each other and therapeutic recreation. Working at a bar taught me that you need to be patient and accommodating to peoples needs and wants. I also learned how big of an impact you could make on someone’s day just by doing the simplest tasks. This is especially important in TR because our goal fully revolves around improving health and

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) treatment is a cognitive-behavioral approach that emphasizes the psychosocial aspects of treatment. The theory behind the approach is that some people are prone to react in a more intense and out-of-the-ordinary manner toward certain emotional situations, primarily those found in romantic, family and friend relationships. DBT theory suggests that some people’s arousal levels in such situations can increase far more quickly than the average person’s, attain a higher level of emotional stimulation, and take a significant amount of time to return to baseline arousal levels. (Staff, 2013) People who are sometimes diagnosed with borderline personality disorder experience extreme swings in their emotions, see the world in black-and-white shades, and seem to always be jumping from one crisis to another. Because few people understand such reactions — most of all their own family and a childhood that emphasized invalidation — they don’t have any methods for coping with these sudden, intense