Career
Recreational therapists
Use recreation and activity to help people heal.
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Instruct patient in activities and techniques, such as sports, dance, music, art, or relaxation techniques, designed to meet their specific physical or psychological needs.
- Conduct therapy sessions to improve patients' mental and physical well-being.
- 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.
- 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.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on people & care, then ideas & analysis?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Instruct patient in activities and techniques, such as sports, dance, music, art, or relaxation techniques, designed to meet their specific physical or psychological needs.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Service Orientation, Speaking, Active Listening, Coordination.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
4 years of education after high school (bachelor's degree), for a median of $61,960 a year and 1,400 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Therapeutic Recreation/Recreational TherapyCIP 51.2309
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Occupational Therapy Assistants$72,300 · +21.5%
- Psychiatric Technicians$45,130 · +22.3%
- Occupational Therapists$100,330 · +14.8%
- Physical Therapist Assistants$68,380 · +23.0%
- Occupational Therapy Aides$39,160 · +3.6%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.