Professional overview:
- melissakonat
- Sep 30, 2023
- 2 min read
1. I am currently a member of two professional organizations. As a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS), I am certified through the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC). The CTRS credential serves as evidence that the individual, through knowledge and experience, has met NCTRC’s CTRS Certification Standards. Like other regulatory bodies, NCTRC’s core purpose is “to protect the safety of consumers of recreation therapy services” (National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification, 2023). Individuals seeking certification apply to NCTRC and must meet established standards. The CTRS credential is granted by NCTRC after the educational and experiential qualifications are met, eligibility to take the exam is established, and testing is successfully completed (National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification, 2023).
I am also a Registered member of Therapeutic Recreation Ontario (TRO). Therapeutic Recreation Ontario is a provincial professional association providing guidance, support, education, and advocacy to enable Therapeutic Recreation practitioners to deliver quality professional services. R/TRO is the designation for degree-prepared practitioners. Designated TRO members have met the standards in TR practical experience, formal education, professional affiliation, and professional contributions (Therapeutic Recreation Ontario, 2023).
The field of Therapeutic Recreation, however, is not a regulated health discipline in Ontario (under a regulatory college), which has been a stumbling block both personally and professionally.
2. As others have mentioned, the extent to which TR professionals interact with other professions largely depends on the setting in which they work. As an allied-health discipline, on an in-patient psychiatry unit, I consider myself very fortunate to work alongside a collaborative team consisting of nursing, social work, occupational therapy, music therapy, art therapy, physical therapy, psychology, and psychiatry. During weekly medical rounds, family meetings and discharge planning, the team closely consults to align care with patient and family goals. In my role, I often work in partnership with occupational therapy. We plan and co-lead psycho-ed programs/interventions, address patient safety/mobility and offer various forms of meaningful engagement, each through our unique lens. I also work with a larger group of hospital TR’s to oversee the professional practice elements of our role.
References:
National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification. (2023). About.
National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification. (2023). Become a CTRS.
Therapeutic Recreation Ontario. (2023). Why Join.
Therapeutic Recreation Ontario. (2023). TRO Designation.
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