Name:
Location: Indiana, United States

I became a Professor Emeritus after serving 29 years as a recreational therapy faculty member at Indiana University. I'm a long-time Hoosier, having grown up in Hanover, Indiana. My RT practitioner work was in psych/mental health. After completing my Ph.D. at the University of Illinois, my first faculty position was at the University of North Texas. RT has been a wonderful profession for me as I have had the opportunity to serve as an author and national leader.

Thursday, March 01, 2007

Need to Adopt Common Framework for RT

I recently read this quote: "The pragmatism, eclecticism, and theoretical pluralism that characterize the psychiatric rehabilitation field is appealing from the standpoint of encouraging experimentation and creativity in the design of programs. However, the lack of an overall framework and common vocabulary has hampered communication, both for program implementation and for advancement of scientific knowledge" (Bond & Resnick, 2000, p. 252, in Handbook of Rehabilitation Psychology edited by Robert Frank & Timothy Elliott).

In reading this quote, I thought that it could well apply to RT. RT is certainly pragmatic, eclectic, and rests on a variety of theories. More than anything, RT has not clearly defined itself so the boundaries of the profession are not clear. Thus, RT like psych rehab, similarly lacks an overall framework for practice.

It seems to me that it is time that ATRA showed some leadership by adopting the term recreational therapy in its title and then clearly defining the term. This would set boundaries for the profession and allow the development of an overall framework for practice. What do you think?

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