Perceived skill preparation in recreational therapy: A preliminary case report

In 2018, the American Therapeutic Recreation Association Higher Education Task Force reported the need for recreational therapy students to gain more practical and applicable knowledge and skills. To improve a perceived gap in skills, Western Carolina University added four service-learning labs for practicing the assessment, planning, implementation, evaluation, and documentation process and six modality courses to their curriculum. Preliminary results indicated that significant differences in perceived skills were found for two courses, and qualitative indicators were that students felt more confident in several facilitation and behavioral management techniques.