Description

The four-year Bachelor of Therapeutic Recreation program gives students the tools to assess, plan, implement and evaluate a wide range of leisure services for people with barriers to participating in leisure activities. Such services might include arts and crafts, dance, music, sports, games, aquatics and group outings. Students will apply what they learn in the classroom through practicum placements and community projects, where they will work with real clients in a variety of health-care and social-service settings.

Recreation therapists work in the fields of gerontology, paedology, psychology, rehabilitation and more in a variety of settings, including hospitals, mental-health centres, long-term care homes, rehabilitation centres and social-service settings. There are many job opportunities in the recreation therapy field, and the average annual salary in B.C. is $51,000, with positions in health care often paying higher than average.

Graduates of the Bachelor of Therapeutic Recreation program will be eligible to write the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation certification exam to become a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS). Douglas College graduates typically surpass national exam averages, with a 100-percent pass rate over the past several years. Many B.C. employers do not currently require certification for practice as a recreation therapist, but more and more are beginning to, as it raises the bar of professionalism in the industry. Additionally, as an internationally recognized credential, certification will improve the chances of desired employment.