Course Description
This course enables the student to develop an in depth understanding of therapeutic recreation based upon a knowledge of its foundations, service models and values. The course introduces the therapeutic recreation process and focuses on the development of basic interviewing and counselling skills.
Course Content
The following global ideas guide the design and delivery of this course:
Therapeutic Recreation
- describe the therapeutic relationship
- describe the underlying humanistic values of therapeutic recreation
- apply the phenomenological perspective to the helping process
- compare and contrast formal and informal helping relationships in therapeutic recreation
Philosophy of Therapeutic Recreation
- describe leisure as a right, as meeting a developmental need
- comprehend the leisure related concepts of: flow, self determination, choice, perceived freedom, internal locus of control
- analyse the growth and development of therapeutic recreation philosophy and practice of the past 50 years
Therapeutic Recreation Process
- describe the TR process; Assess, Plan, Implement, Evaluate (APIE)
- describe the purpose and process of client assessment
- describe methods of observation
- develop observation skills
- identify leisure assessment methods
Therapeutic Recreation Service Models
- define therapeutic recreation
- describe the historical foundations of therapeutic recreation as a service
- compare and contrast therapeutic recreation service models, including: the Leisure Ability Model and the Health Protection/Health Promotion Model
- apply the Leisure Ability Model to the therapeutic recreation service within a specific agency
Professional Behaviour and Self-Awareness
- demonstrate knowledge of professional ethics and values
- demonstrate knowledge of the difference between personal and professional relationships
- describe the importance of self-awareness in the helping relationship
- identify helping skill strengths and limitations
The Leisure Interview/ Counselling Process and Skills
- describe the characteristics of a counselling relationship and explain the phases of counselling
- explain the importance of and demonstrate the core conditions of warmth, empathy and genuineness
- demonstrate the ability to contract with a client
- demonstrate the ability to preplan an interview session
- develop and categorize a series of leisure interview questions
- identify common leisure problems
- conduct leisure interview
- explain the importance of active listening and methods to overcome listening problems
- demonstrate attending paraphrasing and summarize skills
- describe the importance of silence
- explain the importance of emotions
- define and demonstrate empathy
- demonstrate appropriate self disclosure
- demonstrate open, closed and indirect questions
- identify key areas of leisure and leisure lifestyle for probing
- demonstrate questioning skills
- describe the elements of empowering clients
- demonstrate empowering skills
- describe when and how to use challenge skills
- demonstrate versatility with a range of skills and strategies
- adapt helping strategies to fit the needs of diverse populations
Means of Assessment
This course will conform to Douglas College policy regarding the number and weighting of evaluations.
This is a graded course
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- define therapeutic recreation
- describe a variety of therapeutic recreation service models
- develop a philosophy of therapeutic recreation
- apply the Leisure Ability Model to increase understanding how therapeutic recreation service is delivered in a specific community agency
- describe the therapeutic recreation process
- describe the skills and process of helping
- demonstrate relationship building skills in one-to-one interactions
- demonstrate leisure interviewing skills
- demonstrate basic counselling skills
Textbook Materials
A list of recommended textbooks and materials is provided for students at the beginning of each semester.
Resources include:
- Selected readings from a variety of therapeutic recreation practice textbooks
- Selected audio-visual and computer resources
- Selected readings from books and journals
- Therapeutic Recreation fine arts and adaptive equipment and supplies