NCTRC Specialty Certifications

NCTRC has announced Specialty Certification Professional Areas of Recognition:

• Physical Medicine/Rehabilitation
• Geriatrics
• Developmental Disabilities
• Behavioral Health
• Community Inclusion Services

NCTRC Specialty Certification Summary of Requirements

Specialty Certification Standards:

Specialty Certification Path A application
CTRS active status;
Completion of five (5) years of full-time professional therapeutic recreation experience within a designated specialty area;
Completion of 75 continuing education hours that include a minimum of three (3) professional certificate trainings within the designated specialty area. Each professional certificate training must be a minimum of six (6) CE hours. The CE hours must be completed during the five year period prior to application; and
Submission of two professional references: one from a peer professional and one from a recent employment supervisor.


Specialty Certification Path B application
CTRS active status;
Graduate Degree in TR/RT;
Completion of nine (9) graduate-level credit hours within the designated specialty area;
Completion of one (1) year of full-time professional therapeutic recreation experience within the designated specialty area; and
Submission of two professional references: one from a peer professional and one from a recent employment supervisor.


The specialty certification designation is valid for a period of up to five years if awarded at the beginning of the five-year Recertification cycle. If the specialty certification designation is awarded at a point after Recertification, then the specialty certification validation period will be for the remainder of the certification cycle. Recertification of both the CTRS credential and the specialty certification designation would then occur at the same time at the next scheduled due date. All documented Continuing Education (CE) hours used during the specialty certification application process can be utilized for CTRS recertification as long as the documented CE hours were earned within the five-year recertification period.