How I discovered Recreational Therapy

Nursing was what my parents wanted me to major in. They decided that this would be a good job for me. They told me that we would always need nurses. The world must have them. They said I could get a good job at a hospital and that I could make a decent living. I started attending Mountain State University (MSU) (formerly College of West Virginia) (Beckley,W.Va.) during the summer of 1998 after graduating from Woodrow Wilson High School (Beckley, W.Va.)

MSU required students to volunteer 40 hours before being accepted into any health profession degree program. My cousin Tracy was a physical therapist at HealthSouth Rehab Hospital in Huntington, W.Va. Her husband Adam was an Occupational Therapist. I asked if I could stay with them for a week during the summer of 1999 to do my volunteer/ observation work at their hospital. They both agreed and had the opportunity to volunteer and observe many health practitioners at the rehab hospital.

Nurses are admirable. They do hard work. I realized the first day of volunteer work that I didn't have the stomach to be a nurse. They often had jobs that require a strong stomach. I knew I still wanted to help people, but I knew I couldn’t handle being a nurse.

People in the hospital were sick. Many of them were in pain. They were away from their homes. Many of the people were sad. Patients had suffered various injuries including: strokes, hip-replacements, traumatic brain injury, etc.

Laughter and music came from a back room during my 2nd-day of observation work. My curiosity led me to go back there and check things out. This is where I discovered recreational therapy. Mark, the recreational therapist and a Marshall University (Huntington, W.Va.) recreational therapy intern, Marci Osborne were leading a expressive arts recreational therapy group session for the patients. They had music playing. The room was filled with crafts and plants. It was colorful and enjoyable. I knew I had to get involved in this. Mark and Marci were using craft projects to help get patients to build stamina and to use their arms in adaptive ways. The patients were having fun doing therapy. They were having a better quality of life that they would not have had without the recreational therapy program at HealthSouth. I spent the rest of the week with Mark and Marci learning all I could about what it takes to become a recreational therapist and learning how I could help others to have a better quality of life.

The Recreational Therapists at Healthsouth provided a mix of interventions under the supervision and recommendation of an attending physician to address patient’s treatment needs. Some of these interventions included: expressive arts, stress management/ relaxation training, community re-integration, adaptive training, and other recreational therapists.

The stress management and relaxation sessions were my favorite. Mark would lead a discussion on different topics for the patients. It was held on the back patio or by the plants that the patients had planted when the weather was appropriate. This session allowed patients to learn ways to cope, to express their feelings, and to have opportunity for social interaction and relaxation. Calming music would be played during the last five to ten minutes. I realized during this week that I wanted to be a therapist like Mark and Marci. I wanted to become a recreational therapist, too.

Helping became my passion right then and there. I transported patients to and from groups by pushing their wheelchairs. I'd run and get a coffee for a patient in group. Mark and Marci would warn me if a patient had a special diet. I'd help serve patients during the 4th-of-July cook-out. I'd talk and listen to patients. It made me feel good.

Mountain State University didn’t offer a degree program in Recreational Therapy, so I transferred to Marshall University partly because Marci (the RT intern) recommendation. I graduated from Marshall University with a B.S. degree in Therapeutic Recreation (a.k.a.) Recreational Therapy in 2002. I completed my internship in Recreational Therapy at St. Mary’s Hospital, which included work on their skilled nursing unit and psychiatric/ behavioral health unit. I officially graduated on Aug. 12, 2002. I had applied at many hospitals in both Virginias and Carolinas. Fortunately, I had one interview at a psychiatric hospital located somewhere in West Virginia.

I’ve worked at this undisclosed hospital since Aug. 13, 2002 on the unit for abuse/ reactive children. These children have suffered physical, emotional, and/ or sexual abuse and have learned to act out the same behaviors. I earned Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) credentials in the spring of 2003. I completed a Master’s degree in Recreational Therapy in 2006 through Indiana University’s distant education program for practicing professionals.

In providing therapeutic care for children, I’ve used a mix of recreational therapy interventions to help in their recovery process under the recommendation and supervision of an attending physician. Some of these interventions include: social skills training, empathy training, self-regulation/ calming techniques, therapeutic journaling, expressive arts, bibliotherapy (use of stories in treatment), cinema therapy, physical fitness training, and other recreational therapies.