NTRS Philosophical Statement

 Leisure, including recreation and play, are inherent aspects of the human experience.  The importance of appropriate leisure involvement has been documented throughout history.  More recently, research has addressed the value of liesure involvement in human development, in social and family relationships, and, in generals, as an important aspect of the quality of life.  Some human beings have disabilities, illnesses, or social conditions which limit their full participation in the normative social structure of society.  These individuals with limitations have the same human rights to, and needs for, leisure involvement.

            The purpose of therapeutic recreation is to facilitate the development, maintenance and expression of an appropriate leisure lifestyle for individuals with physical, mental, emotional, or social limitations.  Accordingly, this purpose is accomplished through the provision of professional programs and services which assist the client in eliminating barriers to leisure, developing leisure skills and attitudes, and optimizing leisure involvement.  Therapeutic recreation professionals use these principles to enhance clients’ leisure involvement.  Therapeutic recreation professionals use these principles to enhance clients’ leisure ability in recognition of the importance and value of leisure in the human experience.

            Three specific areas of professional services re employed to provide this comprehensive leisure ability approach toward enabling appropriate leisure lifestyles: therapy, leisure education, and recreation participation.  While these three areas of service have unique purposes in relation to client need, they each employ similar delivery processes using assessment or identification of client need, development of a related program strategy, and monitoring and evaluating client outcomes.  The decision as to where and when each of the three service areas would be provided is based on the assessment of client needs and the service mandate of the sponsoring agency.  The selection of appropriate service areas is contingent on recognition that different clients have differing needs related to leisure involvement in view of their personal life situation.

            The purpose of the therapy service area within therapeutic recreation is to improve functional behaviors.  Some clients may require treatment or remediation of a functional behavior as a necessary prerequisite to enable their involvement in meaningful leisure experiences. Therapy, therefore, is viewed as not appropriate when clients have functional limitations that relate to, or inhibit, their potential leisure involvement.  This distinction enables the therapeutic recreate to decide when therapy service is appropriate, as well as to identify the types of behaviors that are most appropriate to address within the therapeutic recreation domain of expertise and authority.  In settings where a comprehensive treatment team approach is used, therapy focuses on team identified treatment goals, s well as addressing unique aspects of leisure related functional behaviors. This approach places therapeutic recreation as an integral and cooperative member of the comprehensive treatment team, while linking its primary focus to eventual leisure ability.

            The purpose of the leisure education service area is to provide opportunities for the acquisition of skills, knowledge, and attitudes related to leisure involvement.  For some clients, acquiring leisure skills, knowledge, and attitudes are priority needs.  It appears that the majority of clients in residential treatment, and community settings need leisure education services in order to initiate and engage in leisure experiences.  It is the absence of leisure learning opportunities and socialization into leisure that blocks or inhibits these individuals from participation in leisure experiences.  Here, leisure education services would be employed to provide the client with leisure skills, enhance the client’s attitudes concerning the value and importance of leisure, as well as learning about opportunities and resources for leisure involvement. Thus, leisure education programs provide the opportunity for the development of leisure behaviors and skills.

            The purpose of the recreation participation area of therapeutic recreation services is to provide opportunities which allow voluntary client involvement in recreation interests and activities.  Human beings, despite disability, illness or other limiting conditions, and regardless of place of residence, are entitled to recreation opportunities.  The justification for specialized recreation participation programs is based on the client’s need for assistance and/or adapted recreation equipment, limitations imposed by restrictive treatment or residential environment, or the absence of appropriate community recreation opportunities.  In therapeutic recreation services, the need for recreation participation is acknowledged and given appropriate emphasis in recognition of the intent of the leisure ability concept.

            These three service areas of therapeutic recreation represent a continuum of care, including therapy, leisure education, and the provision of special recreation participation opportunities.  This comprehensive leisure ability approach uses the need of the client to give direction to program service selection.  In some situations, the client may need programs from all three service areas. IN other situations, the client may require only one or two of the service areas.

            Equally important is the concern of generalizing therapeutic recreation service across diverse service deliver settings.  The leisure ability approach of therapeutic recreation provides appropriate program direction regardless of type of setting type of client served.  A professional working in a treatment setting can see the extension of the leisure ability approach toward client needs withing the community environment.  Likewise, those within the community can view therapeutic recreation services within a perspective of previous services received or possible future needs.

            All human beings, including those individuals with disabilities, illnesses, or limiting conditions, have a right to, and a need for, leisure involvement as necessary aspect of the human experience. The purpose of therapeutic recreation services is to facilitate the development, maintenance, and expression of an appropriate leisure lifestyle for individuals with limitations through the provision of therapy, leisure education and recreation participation services.