Therapeutic Recreation

Activity, sport, creative arts, music, or nature-based activities – there are many ways to help people enhance their quality of life, foster social connections, support independent living, and have fun, too.

Recreation therapists are health care providers who work in clinical and long-term care environments who address emotional, physical, and social needs – and use leisure, recreation, and play to help people of all abilities meet their goals, wherever they are.

In one of just three such programs in Ontario, you’ll gain valuable academic and practical experience to prepare you for a career in therapeutic recreation. You'll learn how to develop formal, evidence-based programming and get hands-on experience working with populations of interest through a required 105-hour practicum placement and a required 560-hour internship.

Throughout your degree, you can pursue the requirements for the academic pathway to becoming a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) through the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification, allowing you to practise across North America. Upon graduation, you’ll also be eligible for registration with Therapeutic Recreation Ontario.

Have your sights set on another professional health program? Therapeutic Recreation can also be your stepping stone to specialized programs such as occupational therapy.