Current issues facing therapeutic recreation.

Therapeutic recreation is identified with controversy as its advocates and practitioners struggle to further define and establish its deserved esteem among other health professions. The definition of T.R., whether or not it is a profession, and if therapeutic recreation should be recreational therapy are some of the questions explored and debated in classrooms, national T.R. seminars, newsletters, periodical publications and state-level meetings. Participants in these debates include individuals of diverse backgrounds and purposes, such as students of T.R., certified therapeutic recreation specialists, "special recreators," practitioners of other health and human services, members of the American Therapeutic Recreation Association and members of the National Therapeutic Recreation Society. Yet, amidst all the controversy, its practitioners and advocates are enduring this time of identity crisis, striving to maintain the progress already made and continually endeavoring to improve the status of therapeutic recreation.

Every emerging professional discipline experiences an adjustment period, wherein its members must establish official standards of practice, a code of ethics, public acceptance, professional training and a unique body of knowledge and philosophy. Another characteristic of a profession is that its members undergo a constant quest to improve what progress has already been made. T.R. professionals and advocates actively pursue opportunities for legislation and litigation that promote the achievement of a higher quality of life for individuals with disabilities and limitations. These individuals empower the profession by using proactive approaches when challenging the critical issue of further establishing the professional status of therapeutic recreation.

Unique Body of Knowledge

Our society needs specialized services like T.R. which ensure the public's safety and access to participate in and benefit from available services. In order for this to occur, the professional involved must control the profession's practice and future outcomes. There are two primary professional organizations currently serving the profession: the National Therapeutic Recreation Society (NTRS) and the American Therapeutic Recreation Association (ATRA). Both of these organizations have developed their own set of standards of practice, ethics and philosophies regarding T.R. Therapeutic recreation's unique body of knowledge is a greater totality of the integrated contributions of expertise made by both NTRS and ATRA.

The common goal of T.R. is to serve individuals with highly-specialized, well-planned treatment programs using recreation to facilitate a desired therapeutic change. Those who believe that recreation is an end in itself believe that individuals should engage in recreation for its own sake--a leisure lifestyle is the goal. Other individuals believe that T.R. is an agent, medium, and/or catalyst through which therapy occurs. Whether or not T.R. is a means through which to achieve a desired change or whether it is intrinsically therapeutic does not detract from T.R.'s success in health care. Rather, this dualistic value of belief systems contributes to the comprehensive care T.R. provides. Focusing too much on one side of the argument or the other narrows its potential.

The current debate questioning and compromising T.R.'s true identity revolves around individuals who believe therapeutic recreation should be recreational therapy. The effectiveness of T.R.'s services depends upon professional efforts focused in the direction of further legitimizing T.R. instead of wasted energies in a controversy of semantics. Ray West, a founding member and past-president of ATRA, is in favor of ultimately changing T.R. to R.T. He states, "In making a decision about the name change of the association, members are encouraged to decide... what is best for the association." This view does not place the profession or the individuals it serves as primary priorities; rather, "the association" is the main concern. In contrast, Jordan emphasizes his viewpoint by quoting John Logue, president of NTRS in 1967 who said the following when he first introduced the Therapeutic Recreation Journal:

The name of the journal reflects the ever expanding nature of our profession. No longer is our practice limited to hospitals and treatment centers. We no longer concern ourselves with providing Therapeutic Recreation wherever there are individuals with disabilities. No longer are we content with offering our services only to persons with physical and mental disabilities. We have become increasingly aware of the need for our services by individuals who are afflicted with social disabilities as well.

Thus, the great accomplishment of beginning the Therapeutic Recreation Journal was a monumental accomplishment of the profession and should continue to be so, identified by its original name and purpose.

Future resolutions of the controversy concerning T.R. should be directed toward further establishing and maintaining the progress that has already been made in distinguishing its professional status and continuing the development of its techniques and purposes.

Expanded Role

Our nation's movement toward health promotion and illness prevention will provide T.R. an expanded role in health care. Accreditation and certification standards, as well as the criteria for entry into the profession, should be more regularly evaluated and advanced. T.R. students should be skilled and knowledgeable in areas of sociology, medical terminology, psychology, human anatomy and physiology. The future of T.R. in higher education must be thoroughly examined; university programs should be taught by highly qualified and experienced professionals in the field. The ethnic diversity of our nation also offers new challenges to T.R. professionals as support for diversity continues.

T.R. professionals and advocates must heed the call and become actively involved in their professional organization. Opportunities for continuing education must also be utilized fully. The future of the profession depends upon professionals taking a proactive stance.