The Bachelor of Science in Therapeutic Recreation degree is an accredited program of the National Recreation and Park Association Council on Accreditation (COAPRT) and reflects the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC) competencies. The program exists within the framework of an allied health profession, and is a professional preparation program offering both didactic and experiential learning designed to prepare the student for basic-entry level practice in health and human service settings.
The application of therapeutic recreation principles and practices utilize a wide variety of interventions including leisure experiences to facilitate, promote and/or maintain client functioning, promote healthy behaviors, assisting with habilitation/rehabilitation needs while enhancing quality of life; including the development of a personally meaningful leisure life-style. The context of therapeutic recreation service delivery is contained in: physical medicine and rehabilitation facilities, psychiatric and mental health facilities for children and adults; substance treatment programs; corrections and juvenile justice centers; wilderness therapy camps; long-term, sub-acute care; and adult day health and nursing homes; community service boards residences for individuals with developmental disabilities school settings, and community parks and recreation departments.
Longwood’s nationally recognized Therapeutic Recreation program provides students with a comprehensive foundation of: liberal arts, biological and health sciences, social sciences, disability studies and leisure theory. The technical aspects of the Therapeutic Recreation profession are taught within specialty courses emphasizing professional and therapeutic communication, program planning, intervention techniques, clinical assessment and documentation, clinical reasoning, management and research.
Outdoor Education Minor
The outdoor education minor enhances the Therapeutic Recreation major, and is especially useful for those clinicians who will work with “at-risk-youth” in education, juvenile justice systems, and adventure therapy programs. Although not limited to these populations, outdoor education has a wide application to diverse population groups and is often used as a “modality” in the delivery of therapeutic recreation services.
The experiential nature of the course offerings in this minor provide the student with skill development, self-awareness, aesthetic appreciation, safe practice and risk management. The course offerings provide the foundation knowledge for future certifications in the outdoor adventure field.
Sequence and Progression
The requirements of this professional preparation program are designed to academically prepare the student in a sequenced offering of coursework. The sequence and progression of the student in the curriculum will be determined and monitored by the therapeutic recreation faculty.
- Critical to student learning is that all therapeutic recreation majors, or intending majors, must complete BIOL 206 /BIOL 207 (Anatomy and Physiology); HLTH 275 - Medical Terminology or equivalencies by the second year of study.
A transfer student must show evidence of prior learning, or equivalencies in these courses to enable them to progress in the sequence as determined.
- All upper level Therapeutic Recreation content courses are available only to Therapeutic Recreation majors, or permission by the Program Coordinator.
Fieldwork and Internship Requirements
Successful completion of this degree program requires practical experience, beyond the classroom. The following progression and requirements are identified below:
- Preliminary Fieldwork
All students must complete 120 hours of volunteer work in a therapeutic recreation setting which includes working with persons with disabilities. The recording of these hours will be the responsibility of the student and the faculty advisor. All 120 hours must be completed by the summer prior to the student’s enrollment in RECR 300 - Pre-Internship Seminar course.
- Junior Internship
Eligibility for junior internship requires the successful completion of all courses at the 100, 200, and 300 levels. The student must maintain a 2.50 GPA in all Therapeutic Recreation content coursework, and a 2.25 GPA overall. The junior internship reflects a minimum 400-hour, 10-12 consecutive week placement the summer after the junior year.
- Senior Internship
Eligibility for senior internship requires the successful completion of all coursework in the curriculum. The student must maintain a 2.50 GPA in Therapeutic Recreation coursework, and a 2.25 GPA overall. The senior internship reflects a 560 hour, minimum of 14 consecutive weeks placement to be taken during Spring semester Senior year. Placement must be in an affiliated agency, and supervision carried out by a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS®). University and NCTRC standards will be adhered to throughout this experience.
Upon graduation, students become eligible to sit for the national certification examination through the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC®). The processes for application are the responsibility of the graduate, and the university cannot enter into the process. Application is available at www.nctrc.org.
Students must have a “C-” or better in all additional degree requirements and major required recreation courses which also includes HLTH 275 , 3 credit course in Social Science or Human Services, BIOL 206 , BIOL 207 , PSYC 330 and PSYC 356 .
