Career Specializations

• Musical Therapy: Recreational therapists who specialize in music therapy can help clients express their inner feelings through singing and experimenting with musical instruments.
• Horticultural Therapy: This form of therapy has been used to treat war veterans since the 1940s. Patients gain a sense of accomplishment when they can grow an entire garden from a few seedlings.
• School Counselor: School counselors benefit greatly from a background in therapy. Children's and teen health--both emotional and physical--is a complicated area. School counselors often have to deal with depression, eating disorders, grief and bereavement, and domestic abuse, among more day-to-day issues like low self-esteem, stress management, and bullying.

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Available Degree Levels

• Certification: Completion time varies by program
• Bachelor's Degree: 4 years to complete
• Master's Degree: 1-2 years to complete

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Education & Certification

To work as a recreational therapist, you will need a minimum of a bachelor's degree in therapeutic recreation. Across the United States, there are over 100 programs that offer students therapeutic recreation degrees, ranging from the bachelor's degree to the doctoral degree. If you plan to work in Oklahoma, New Hampshire, Utah, or North Carolina, you will also need to become licensed before you can work as a recreational therapist. (BLS)

Certification is not required for recreational therapists, but it will certainly increase your standing as a healthcare professional. If you have obtained certification, you might also have a greater chance of becoming employed as a recreational therapist compared to job applicants who have not. Through the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification, you can achieve the Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) credential by passing a written exam and completing a 480-hour-long internship. After five years with CTRS status, you must complete continuing education credits or pass the exam again in order to become recertified. (BLS)

For those looking to work more generally in therapy and fitness (meaning, outside of a career in recreational therapy), certification is also an option. The International Sports Sciences Association offers Exercise Therapy Certification for healthcare professionals, such as physical therapists, personal trainers, occupational therapists, and nurses, who would like to better adapt to the physical and emotional needs of their clients. The program teaches you how to work with patients with special medical conditions, such as muscular dystrophy, cancer, or osteoporosis.

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Salary Information

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the last Occupational Employment Statistics Survey Program in May 2008, recreational therapists earned about $38,370 annually. However, the survey found a fairly wide-ranging earning spectrum for recreational therapists. For instance, recreational therapists in the bottom 10 percent earned less than $23,150 annually, while those in the top 10 percent earned more than $60,280 annually. Moreover, your earnings as a recreational therapist will also depend on the industry in which you are employed. The same survey found that the "general medical and surgical hospitals" industry was where recreational therapists earned the most money on average ($42,210 annually). On the other hand, the "community care facilities for the elderly" industry was where recreational therapists earned the least money on average ($33,490 annually). (BLS)

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Job Outlook

From 2008 to 2018, the BLS reports that recreational therapists will experience a 15 percent increase in employment. Considering that the average growth in employment for all occupations over the same period is only 11 percent, a 15 percent increase is great news for aspiring recreational therapists. Much of the demand for recreational therapists in the upcoming years will stem from the growth of the elderly population. Improvements in medical technology have allowed Americans to live longer, but in old age, people are likely to experience increased debilitation, greater difficulty recovering from injuries and a greater chance of emotional instability. Luckily, the increasing numbers of the elderly will provide more opportunities for recreational therapists to utilize their skills. (BLS)

Currently, the nursing care industry employs the largest number of recreational therapists. This pattern will definitely continue into the future because of the expanding elderly demographic. Overall, if you're looking to become employed as a recreational therapist, you will have an excellent chance in nursing home facilities (assuming that you have completed all of the educational requirements, of course). Additionally, your opportunities for employment as a recreational therapist will increase after you have obtained the master's degree in therapeutic recreation and certification. 

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Related Careers

If you'd like to combine fitness and therapy into a career, you should also look into becoming a personal trainer. With this career, you will motivate your clients to exercise regularly and guide them with movements that will increase their cardio performance, strengthen their muscles, and increase their range of flexibility. In order to become a personal trainer, you must obtain the minimum of a high school diploma. However, the best job candidates to employers have obtained a bachelor's, or even a master's degree, in exercise physiology or a related field.

Not to be confused with personal trainers, sports/athletic trainers work to prevent and treat injuries and disabilities among their clients. Sometimes the body just isn't cut out for the high impact that concrete poses on the knee joints or the crush to the vertebrae from a 250-pound player. Athletic trainers educate clients on how to avoid bodily damage from physical activity. Interestingly, they do not work only with athletes, but with anyone who can be considered physically active. If this career path interests you, you should look into completing an accredited athletic training program. Before you can work as an athletic trainer, you will be required to do so.

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