What You'll Do

  • Observe, analyze, and record patients' participation, reactions, and progress during treatment sessions, modifying treatment programs as needed.
  • Develop treatment plan to meet needs of patient, based on needs assessment, patient interests, and objectives of therapy.
  • Encourage clients with special needs and circumstances to acquire new skills and get involved in health-promoting leisure activities, such as sports, games, arts and crafts, and gardening.
  • Counsel and encourage patients to develop leisure activities.
  • Confer with members of treatment team to plan and evaluate therapy programs.
  • Conduct therapy sessions to improve patients' mental and physical well-being.
  • Instruct patient in activities and techniques, such as sports, dance, music, art, or relaxation techniques, designed to meet their specific physical or psychological needs.
  • Obtain information from medical records, medical staff, family members and the patients, themselves, to assess patients' capabilities, needs and interests.
  • Plan, organize, direct, and participate in treatment programs and activities to facilitate patients' rehabilitation, help them integrate into the community, and prevent further medical problems.
  • Prepare and submit reports and charts to treatment team to reflect patients' reactions and evidence of progress or regression.

Essential Skills

Service Orientation 4.12/5
Active Listening 4.0/5
Speaking 4.0/5
Social Perceptiveness 4.0/5
Coordination 4.0/5
Reading Comprehension 3.88/5
Writing 3.88/5
Critical Thinking 3.88/5
Instructing 3.88/5
Complex Problem Solving 3.5/5
Active Learning 3.38/5
Learning Strategies 3.38/5

Career Fit Overview

Use this summary to understand the kind of profile this role rewards. It helps you judge whether this career looks like a stronger match than your current role, a nearby move worth exploring, or a broader path to compare more seriously.

Top passions

  • Helper: Supporting people and making a difference matters to you.
  • Analyst: Investigating problems and finding patterns keeps you engaged.
  • Maker: Building and fixing energizes you. You like tangible results and practical tools.

Common styles

Empathy, Cooperation, Optimism, Social Orientation, Dependability

Want a personal read on fit? Take the free assessment and compare this career to your current role, nearby alternatives, and broader stronger-fit options.

Key Abilities

This career demands strong capabilities in the following areas:

Oral Comprehension 4.0/5
Oral Expression 4.0/5
Speech Clarity 4.0/5
Written Comprehension 3.88/5
Written Expression 3.88/5
Problem Sensitivity 3.88/5
Deductive Reasoning 3.88/5
Inductive Reasoning 3.75/5

Technologies & Tools

Avid Technology Sibelius Email software Hyperscore MakeMusic Finale Microsoft Excel Microsoft Office software Microsoft Outlook Microsoft PowerPoint Microsoft Word Musical instrument digital interface MIDI software Patient electronic medical record EMR software Speech recognition software Steinberg Cubase Pro Web browser software

Work Environment & Strengths

Common Strengths for This Career

  • Empathy (High importance: 5.0/5)
  • Cooperation (High importance: 4.79/5)
  • Optimism (High importance: 4.69/5)
  • Social Orientation (High importance: 4.65/5)
  • Dependability (High importance: 4.55/5)

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How to Become One

Most employers require a bachelor's degree in a relevant field. Some positions may also require experience through internships, co-ops, or entry-level work to strengthen your candidacy.

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Also Known As

This career is known by many different job titles across industries. Here are all the variations:

Activities Coordinator Activities Therapist Activity Therapist Adventure Therapist Certified Recreational Therapist Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) Creative Arts Therapist Dance Therapist Drama Therapist Ecotherapist General Activities Therapist Horticultural Therapist Music Rehabilitation Therapist Recreation Therapist Recreational Therapist Recreational Therapy Program Coordinator Recreational Therapy Technician Rehabilitation Therapist Therapeutic Mentor Therapeutic Recreation Specialist Therapeutic Riding Instructor Therapeutic Specialist Therapist

Career Fit FAQs

Is this career a good fit for me

This page shows the role itself. To see personal fit, use the assessment to compare your interests, motivations, and strengths against this career and against the role you are in now.

Can this help if I want to stay in my field

Yes. Many people use career pages like this to compare nearby roles in the same field and see whether they need a full switch or a better-fit version of the work they already know.

What should I compare first

Start with the daily tasks, the preparation level, and the work-style signals on this page. Then use the assessment to see whether this role looks like a stronger fit than your current role or just a different title.