Therapeutic Recreation, AS

Program Description

Therapeutic Recreation is a specialized allied health field within the recreation profession. According to the American Therapeutic Recreation Association (ATRA) “Recreational therapy, also known as therapeutic recreation, is a systematic process that utilizes recreation and other activity-based interventions to address the assessed needs of individuals with illness/and or disabling conditions, as a means to psychological health, recovery and well- being.”

The Therapeutic Recreation associate degree is designed to address the need for a degree beyond the Therapeutic Recreation certificate. In addition to earning the Therapeutic Recreation Director (TRD) certification within the associate degree, a graduate from the associate degree in Therapeutic Recreation will have potential advancement opportunities in the field. This could include supervisory opportunities within the Therapeutic Recreation department in a long-term care setting or other health care settings working with an older population. The associate degree in Therapeutic Recreation will also prepare students to work in a variety of therapeutic recreation settings such as rehabilitation facilities, correctional centers, group homes, community-based programs serving individuals with special needs and facilities for individuals with disabilities.Students can expect to find employment upon completion of this degree program in a variety of Therapeutic Recreation settings or transfer to a baccalaureate institution in Therapeutic Recreation.

The program has an agreement with Southern Connecticut State University for transfer into the Bachelor’s Degree program in Recreational Therapy. Students intending to transfer to Southern Connecticut State University to pursue the Rehabilitation Therapy to Occupational Therapy (OT) Master’s pathway are strongly encouraged to complete Elementary Statistics Math 1003 or Statistics Math 1200 for the Math requirement within their General Education requirements. 

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of all Therapeutic Recreation associate degree program requirements the graduate will:

1. Demonstrate the ability to understand and apply the necessary skills required of a Therapeutic Recreation professional in a variety of therapeutic recreation settings.
2. Demonstrate knowledge of the varied needs of individuals identified as having special needs and the positive outcomes of the therapeutic recreation interventions by utilizing evidence-based practice modalities.
3. Demonstrate the ability to assess, plan, implement, document, and evaluate therapeutic programs for individuals with special needs within both a therapeutic and community setting.
4. Demonstrate the ability to conduct a variety of therapeutic modalities, interventions, and facilitation techniques to meet the varied needs of individuals within the therapeutic recreation setting.
5. Demonstrate leadership, interpersonal and communication skills within the classroom setting and though work experience within a therapeutic recreation setting.
6. Demonstrate professional behavior consistent with the therapeutic recreation code of ethics while participating in supervised internship experiences within the program.

In addition, the graduate will complete the comprehensive learning outcomes identified with the General Education Core.

Admission requirements: Open enrollment. Students may enroll in this program full -time or part-time and classes are offered in flexible formats such as hyflex, live online, and fully online.

Background checks may be required at internship setting.
Medical immunizations (Flu vaccine & Covid vaccine) may be required
National exams: There is no national exam for this level of education (associate degree in Therapeutic Recreation). Students may continue their education at a baccalaureate institution in Therapeutic Recreation and become qualified to sit for the national exam offered by the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC) to become certified as a certified therapeutic recreation specialist (CTRS).

Degree Requirements

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MATH 1100 Quantitative Reasoning recommended

• Therapeutic Recreation Certificate