Recreational Therapy (RTH) - Courses

Courses

RTH 229 Cr.3

Diagnostic Groups in Recreational Therapy

This course provides an understanding of the International Classification of Function Disability and Health (ICF) from the World Health Organization (WHO) framework for classifying the consequences of disease into diagnostic groups. A broad working knowledge of a variety of diagnostic groups are examined, focusing on prevalence, etiology, diagnostic criteria, pathology and symptomatology, recommended course of treatment, and prognosis. Prerequisite: REC 150 or concurrent enrollment. Offered Fall, Spring.

RTH 250 Cr.3

Introduction to Recreational Therapy

The course introduces the history, service models, theory/philosophy, social implications, and potentials of recreational therapy practice. Basic skills of a recreational therapist are described and practiced. The need for, use of, and employment opportunities in recreational therapy are examined. Prerequisite: REC 150 or taken concurrently. Offered Fall, Spring.

RTH 252 Cr.3

Innovative Activities in Therapeutic Recreation

This course acquaints students who will work with persons with disabilities and special needs in therapeutic recreation settings with various recreation activities to enhance functional skills and foster meaningful recreation participation. Activity selection, analysis, planning, and modifications will be combined with various leadership styles. Prerequisite: REC 150, RTH 250. Offered Fall, Spring.

RTH 319 Cr.3

Recreational Therapy Management and Special Event Planning

This course provides students with the opportunity to develop the knowledge of the organization and delivery of health care and human services. Basic management competencies and ethical ramifications of recreational therapy services in various settings are applied throughout the course. In addition, modules provide key concepts integral to management including special event planning, safety and risk management, budgeting, volunteer management, marketing, and strategic planning. Prerequisite: REC 150, RTH 229, RTH 250. Offered Fall, Spring.

RTH 333 Cr.3

Therapeutic Recreation and Corrections

This course provides an overview of the use of leisure and recreation for individuals in correctional settings. The following topics are addressed: settings, psychiatric disorders, laws/juvenile codes, intervention strategies, activity adaptations, current trends and the criminal justice system. Functional improvement, leisure education and recreation participation are the focus of therapeutic recreation services. Prerequisite: RTH 250 or RTH 329; RTH major/minor or CYC minor. Offered Fall.

RTH 352 Cr.3

Modality Preceptorship in Recreational Therapy I

This course facilitates experiential learning environments for recreational therapy students consisting of preceptor-supervised experiences in health care and community-based agencies. Students acquire specific modality/skills and facilitation techniques used as treatment interventions in recreational therapy practice. Components of the recreational therapy process, that includes but is not limited to, activity selection, activity analysis, activity planning, and activity modifications will be utilized within an experiential learning environment. Prerequisite: REC 150, RTH 229, RTH 250. Offered Fall, Spring.

RTH 355 Cr.3

Medical Language and Digital Competencies for Allied Health Professionals

This course provides an introduction to medical terminology with emphasis on prefixes and suffixes, word roots, and combining forms through the various health systems. Basic computer/tablet/mobile app skills for managing information and data are applied through a series of learning experiences. This course also introduces digital health concepts and definitions in this emerging field. Key topics include overviews and application of Learning Health Systems and Electronic Health Records. Supportive course modules explore basic pharmacology, utilizing assessment databases, telehealth, and electronic reference management systems to enhance digital literacy. Prerequisite: REC 150 or concurrent enrollment; RTH 250 or concurrent enrollment; or ESS pre-professional major and sophomore standing. Offered Fall, Spring.

RTH 376 Cr.3

Assessment and Treatment Planning in Recreational Therapy

This course provides students with the knowledge and skills to develop competence to individually screen, assess and systematically collect comprehensive and accurate data about patients/clients in an efficient and effective manner and to analyze the data collected to determine the course of action subsequent to an individualized treatment/program plan. Skills are developed in the areas of selecting and designing assessments, interviewing clients, observing behaviors and documenting assessment results. Prerequisite: REC 150, RTH 229, RTH 250. Offered Fall, Spring.

RTH 412/512 Cr.3

Animal Assisted Therapy

This course demonstrates how to safely and ethically integrate animals into a variety of therapeutic settings while creating mutually beneficial relationships with animals and the environment. Differences between Animal Assisted therapy (AAT), Animal Assisted Activities (AAA), and certified Service Dogs are explored. A focus on the effects of Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) as a recreational therapy intervention to address agitated behaviors and social interactions are learned through research, practitioners, and observations. Site visitations may include long-term health care facilities, specific animal use in physical medicine and rehabilitation facilities, equine-assisted psychotherapy, literacy programs in libraries, and/or agencies serving veterans with polytrauma. AAT, AAA, and Service Dog skills are applied through a series of learning experiences during this interactive course. This course includes direct contact with a trained Service Dog. This course is taught largely at an undergraduate level. Graduate students will have additional course requirements/expectations. Prerequisite: RTH 319, RTH 352, RTH 376; junior standing. Offered Occasionally.

RTH 414/514 Cr.3

Recreational Therapy and Adaptive Sports

This course introduces recreational therapists' use of adaptive sports, recreation, and leisure activities for individuals with disabilities to meet treatment goals and improve quality of life. Emphasis is given to the history and rules of a variety of sports, and possible settings where these take place. The examination of each sport includes a focus on its connection to the recreational therapy profession and professional processes used in the field. Hands on experience with a variety of sports are included. This course is taught largely at an undergraduate level. Graduate students will have additional course requirements/expectations. Prerequisite: RTH 319, RTH 352, RTH 376; RTH major; junior standing. Offered Occasionally.

RTH 416 Cr.3

Recreational Therapy for Youth and Adolescents

This class is designed to provide students with information relating to recreational therapy services for youth and adolescents with and without disabilities. Programming consideration will include treatment concerns, community inclusion, and leisure activities. This course is taught largely at an undergraduate level. Graduate students will have additional course requirements/expectations. Prerequisite: RTH 319, RTH 352, RTH 376; RTH major; junior standing. Offered Occasionally.

RTH 420 Cr.3

Nature and Forest Therapy

This course is designed to provide students with specialized sessions relating to nature-based therapy knowledge and application in outdoor leisure and recreational therapy settings from international and domestic perspectives. The course provides special emphases on general nature-based therapy concepts and benefits, planning for nature-based therapy walks with various clients with and/or without special needs, the process of implementing nature-based therapy walks, actualizing mindfulness in nature, nature connection, relevant environmental literature (e.g., outdoor therapies related to trauma or depression), interactions between humans and environments, medicinal plants, and practice doing therapeutic walks. This course is taught largely at an undergraduate level. Graduate students will have additional course requirements/expectations. Prerequisite: RTH 319, RTH 352, RTH 376; junior standing. Offered Occasionally.

RTH 430/530 Cr.3

Recreational Therapy and Mental Health

This course is designed to provide students with information regarding therapeutic recreation services to persons with mental illness, and substance abuse disorders, or individuals served in behavioral health treatment facilities. Course emphasizes mental health recovery, activities to facilitate change in different behavioral domains, therapeutic interventions for adults and children, treatment settings and services, and trends in recreation therapy program delivery. This course is taught largely at an undergraduate level. Graduate students will have additional course requirements/expectations. Prerequisite: PSY 204, RTH 319, RTH 352; RTH major/minor or CYC minor; junior standing. Offered Occasionally.

RTH 432/532 Cr.3

Recreational Therapy for Physical Disabilities

This course is designed to provide students with information relating to recreational therapy services for individuals with physical disabilities. Programming considerations include treatment concerns, community inclusion, wheelchair sports and leisure activities. This course is taught largely at an undergraduate level. Graduate students will have additional course requirements/expectations. Prerequisite: RTH 252, RTH 319, RTH 329; RTH major/minor; junior standing. Offered Occasionally.

RTH 434/534 Cr.3

Recreational Therapy for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

This course introduces students to recreational therapy interventions and facilitation techniques commonly used by professionals who work with individuals who have intellectual and developmental disabilities. The course emphasizes behavioral and developmental approaches to working with this population and address the social and sensory needs of this population within a leisure context. This course is taught largely at an undergraduate level. Graduate students will have additional course requirements/expectations. Prerequisite: RTH 252, RTH 319, RTH 329; RTH major/minor; junior standing. Offered Occasionally.

RTH 445/545 Cr.3

Recreational Therapy for Older Adults

This course teaches students to facilitate psychosocial intervention to address needs, strategies, techniques, and approaches for older adults with chronic health conditions through health promotion and leisure activities. This course is taught largely at an undergraduate level. Graduate students will have additional course requirements/expectations. Prerequisite: RTH 319, RTH 352, RTH 376; junior standing. Offered Occasionally.

RTH 452 Cr.3

Modality Preceptorship in Recreational Therapy II

This course facilitates experiential learning environments for recreational therapy students consisting of preceptor-supervised experiences in health care and community-based agencies. Students will acquire specific modality/skills and facilitation techniques used as treatment interventions in recreational therapy practice. Unique to the Modality Preceptorship Level II course, students will complete a certification prior to implementing an evidence-based modality within the assigned recreational therapy setting. Measured competence (e.g., knowledge, skill, and ability) to lead and facilitate the treatment interventions used to achieve evidence-based outcomes for the patients/clients served will be assessed. Documentation procedures for program planning, accountability, and payment of service will be practiced throughout the course. Advocacy, legislation, and recreational therapy as a related service in community-based settings receive special emphasis in this course. Prerequisite: RTH 319, RTH 352, RTH 355, RTH 376, junior standing. Offered Fall, Spring.

RTH 456/556 Cr.3

Program Design and Administration of Recreational Therapy

This course is designed to present a rationale and foundation for systematic program design, program implementation and program evaluation in various recreational therapy settings. Students develop competence in the planning and development of evidenced-based recreational therapy programs using a structured and systematic process for purposes of improved client functioning and independence in life activities. This course is taught largely at an undergraduate level. Graduate students will have additional course requirements/expectations. Prerequisite: RTH 319, RTH 352, RTH 355, RTH 376; junior standing. Offered Fall, Spring.

RTH 462/562 Cr.3

Inclusive Recreation Program Administration

This course is designed to provide the student with information relating to recreation in inclusive settings. General Administration concepts, management concepts, advocacy, legislation, and therapeutic recreation as a related service in the schools will receive special emphasis in this course. This course is taught largely at an undergraduate level. Graduate students will have additional course requirements/expectations. Prerequisite: RTH 355, RTH 456, RTH 470; junior standing. Offered Fall, Spring.

RTH 470/570 Cr.3

Recreational Therapy Processes and Facilitation Techniques

In this course students implement the individualized treatment/program plan using appropriate evidence-based treatment interventions and programs to restore, remediate, or rehabilitate patient/client functioning as well as to reduce or eliminate the limitations to participation in life activities resulting from medical, psychiatric, or other disabling conditions. Included are processes for leading therapeutic groups, experiences of modalities and facilitation techniques, and counseling techniques and approaches for recreational therapy as an action therapy. This course is taught largely at an undergraduate level. Graduate students will have additional course requirements/expectations. Prerequisite: RTH 319, RTH 352, RTH 355, RTH 376; RTH major/minor or CYC minor; junior standing. Offered Fall, Spring.

RTH 476/576 Cr.3

Assessment and Treatment Planning-Therapeutic Recreation

Overview of individual client assessments used in therapeutic recreation practice; development of individualized treatment/program plans in a therapeutic recreation context; review resources, standards and issues related to client assessment and program planning in therapy, leisure education and recreation participation programs. This course is taught largely at an undergraduate level. Graduate students will have additional course requirements/expectations. Prerequisite: RTH 355, RTH 456, RTH 470; junior standing. Offered Fall, Spring.

RTH 480/580 Cr.3

Leisure Education in Therapeutic Recreation

This course is designed to provide a philosophical understanding and overview of leisure education as well as to emphasize the approaches and strategies that can be utilized in enabling people to enhance the quality of their own lives in leisure. The focus will be leisure education as a major component of therapeutic recreation services. Topics included are leisure theory, leisure education conceptual models, leisure education programming techniques, facilitation of leisure education groups for various ages. Gerontology students should have completed one core gerontology course and have permission from the director of therapeutic recreation. This course is taught largely at an undergraduate level. Graduate students will have additional course requirements/expectations. Prerequisite: RTH 355, RTH 456, RTH 470; RTH major/minor or GTL emphasis; junior standing. Offered Fall, Spring.

RTH 490 Cr.1-3

Workshop in Therapeutic Recreation

Group study of varying therapeutic recreation topics. University professors as well as visiting lecturers will be invited to address the students and conduct specialized phases of the workshops. Repeatable for credit under different subtitles. Prerequisite: RTH major plan. No student may earn more than six credits in REC 375, RTH 490, REC 491, and RTH 491. Offered Occasionally.

RTH 491/591 Cr.1-3

Workshop in Recreational Therapy

Group study of varying recreational therapy topics. University professors as well as visiting lecturers will be invited to address the students and conduct specialized phases of the workshops. This course is taught largely at an undergraduate level. Graduate students will have additional course requirements/expectations. Repeatable for credit under different subtitles. No student may earn more than six credits in REC 375, RTH 490, REC 491, and RTH 491. Offered Occasionally.

RTH 492 Cr.3

Clinical Education Experience in Recreational Therapy

This course provides opportunities to practice and integrate cognitive learning, with the associated psychomotor skills requirements of the profession, in accordance with professional standards of practice, to develop entry-level clinical proficiency and professional behavior as a recreational therapist as defined by professional guidelines for competencies necessary for safe and effective recreational therapy practice. This course is taught largely at an undergraduate level. Graduate students will have additional course requirements/expectations. Prerequisite: RTH 452, RTH 456, RTH 470; RTH major; junior standing. Offered Fall, Spring.

RTH 493/593 Cr.3

Advancing the Recreational Therapy Profession

This course provides an examination of current issues, trends, and professional concerns in recreational therapy including: professional standards, ethics, advocacy, professional development, professional organizations, credentialing, accreditation standards, improving organizational performance, research, and current professional controversies. This course is taught largely at an undergraduate level. Graduate students will have additional course requirements/expectations. Prerequisite: RTH 452, RTH 456, RTH 470; RTH major; junior standing. Offered Fall, Spring.

RTH 494 Cr.3

Research Methods and Program Evaluation in Recreational Therapy

Students in this course learn fundamental research terminology and procedures and develop the competency to systematically conduct evaluation and research to determine the effectiveness of treatment interventions and programs used to reach patient/client outcomes. Students gain knowledge and skill in basic research methods and processes, with an emphasis on promoting evidence-based practice and program evaluation to promote the accountable outcomes from recreational therapy interventions. Prerequisite: RTH 452, RTH 456, RTH 470; RTH major; junior standing. Offered Fall, Spring.

RTH 495 Cr.1-3

Independent Study in Recreational Therapy

Individualized study of areas not available in existing courses. Repeatable for credit - maximum six. Prerequisite: RTH major. Consent of department. Offered Fall, Spring, Summer.

RTH 496 Cr.3

Fieldwork Preparation in Recreational Therapy

This course prepares students for their senior fieldwork experience. Students are orientated to accreditation requirements, supported in facilitating their internship search, and afforded experiences in clinical skill assessment and evaluation. Upon completion of this course, students work to secure their required senior internship. This course should be taken two semesters prior to enrollment in RTH 498. Prerequisite: RTH 319, RTH 352, RTH 355, RTH 376, junior standing. Offered Fall, Spring.

RTH 497 Cr.1-3

Special Projects in Recreational Therapy

Individualized study areas not available in existing courses or independent study. Program project includes the planning, implementation, and evaluation of a project. These projects will be completed under the supervision and direction of a staff member with permission from the student's advisor within the department. Examples: wheelchair sports/coaching, wheel-a-thon, special recreation programs, Special Olympics, wheelchair dancing, and other events. Repeatable for credit - maximum six. Prerequisite: RTH 456; junior standing; consent of student's advisor; RTH major. Consent of instructor. Offered Fall, Spring, Summer.

RTH 498 Cr.12-16

Internship in Recreational Therapy

This course is a semester-long, full-time field placement where students apply academic learning to demonstrate competencies associated with entry-level practice in recreational therapy. This includes involvement in the assessment of clients, planning and delivering RT services to clients, and evaluating these decisions. Additionally, the student gains experience with self-reflective learning through clinical supervision with both a faculty and clinical supervisor. Upon completion of the internship, students have the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to assume the responsibilities of a RT. Prerequisite: senior standing; RTH major, all required REC/RTH courses completed; 2.50 cum GPA. American Red Cross Standard First Aid certification or its equivalent must be current throughout the RTH 498 experience. Offered Fall, Spring, Summer.