Valuing Diversity: Therapeutic Recreation and Mental Health

Course content is guided by research, empirical knowledge and best practice. The following values and principles, consistent with professional standards, will inform course content.

• Therapeutic Recreation service promotes recovery-focused care with individuals living with mental health and substance use.
• Historical treatment of individuals with mental illness devalued and isolated individuals and limited treatment and recovery.
• Challenging our personal values, attitudes and beliefs will inform and influence our interactions with individuals living with mental health issues.
• Knowledge and understanding of the major classifications of mental illness using both the DSM 5 and ICD 10 increases competence of the TR practitioners and enriches interdisciplinary team contributions.
• Advocating for the rights of all individuals is central to therapeutic receation professional standards of practice.
• Understanding service systems nationally, provincially and locally in health authorities and in other community-based services provides context for the delivery of TR services within systems.
• Building leisure and recreation life skills increases individuals' capacity to engage in meaningful and challenging activity; develops personal networks and wellbeing and increases opportunity for community enagement.
• Self- expresssion, self-determination and self-efficacy is enhanced when individuals have a personal leisure identity.
• Using person-centered and strengths based approaches supports the inherent capacity and resiliency of individuals.
• Developing leadership and facilitation skills in the classroom increases skills and competence and allows for knowledge transfer in practice.