One of our top five posts among Spanish and English readers, “What are the Benefits of Recreational Therapy?” discusses just some of the benefits of recreational therapy. In this update, we would like to highlight our colleagues at the American Therapeutic Recreation Association (ATRA) and the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC). ATRA began as a non-profit, grassroots organization in the District of Columbia in 1984 with a membership of 60 individuals and in 35 years it has grown to over 2,000 members. It is the only national membership organization representing the interest and supports the needs of recreational therapists (RTs), so that RTs can provide the best therapeutic recreation services to their communities. NCTRC is the main credentialing organization for therapeutic recreation. It was established in 1981 and is a non-profit, international organization that is dedicated to professional excellence and the protection of consumers through the certification of recreational therapists.
Keep an eye on these pages for an upcoming blog post that will discuss a recent interview of the leaders of both ATRA and NCTRC.
Since we originally published “What are the Benefits of Recreational Therapy?”, NIDILRR continues to fund projects that research different aspects of recreation, including community participation and NARIC’s collection of articles and books on recreational therapy from the NIDILRR community and elsewhere has increased!
Collection Spotlight from the National Rehabilitation Information Center 