Recreation Therapist

Why You Will Love Working With Us!

At Pasadena Villa, we are a dynamic, dedicated, and growing team of professionals deeply passionate about providing evidence-based and personalized clinical care for behavioral health conditions.


Our team's foundation is client centered care and clinical excellence through our 5-star service commitment - Respect, Accountability, Integrity, Flexibility, Service, and Collaboration. We are committed to our team and our team is committed to our clients!


We are seeking a part-time weekend Recreation Therapist to join our team in Battle Creek, MI!


Pasadena Villa Great Lakes is a residential psychiatric facility located in Battle Creek, Michigan. Our campus provides a beautiful modern aesthetic in a therapeutic environment, ideal for healing and recovery, including areas for reflection, outdoor walking trails, a pond water feature, and a state-of-the-art wellness and fitness center.

What we offer

• Collaborate environment dedicated to clinical excellence
• Multiple Career Development Pathways
• Company Supported Continuing Education & Certification
• 401K with Company Match
• Generous Team Member Referral Program

How You Will Contribute

The Recreational Therapist facilitates recreational therapy groups and organizes leisure programs for adult clients in a behavioral healthcare setting. The Recreation Therapist supervises and coordinates activities to support clients on their journey to optimal functioning and independence by providing recreation resources and opportunities with a focus on improving health and wellbeing. The Recreation Therapist is responsible for completing recreation assessments to gain insights needed to meet the therapeutic needs of individual clients. Schedule is full time including weekends.


Essential Responsibilities

1. Completes and documents therapeutic recreational assessments.
2. Collaborates with clinical team members to identify and implement appropriate interventions to meet the therapeutic needs of individual clients.
3. Plans and facilitates therapeutic group and individual therapy to assist clients in developing interpersonal skills and relationships, consistent with treatment goals in accordance with the program schedule.
4. Actively participates and engages with clients in recreational activities within the milieu; monitors behavioral interventions and provides skills coaching, as needed.
5. Organizes and facilitates client outings and off-site activities, therapeutically supporting social and emotional needs of clients.
6. Provides community re-integrative activities that teach or re-teach hobbies and recreational activities, creating opportunities for clients to practice skills learned throughout the therapeutic program.
7. Therapeutically interacts with clients maintains and models appropriate boundaries and social behavior; modifies approaches as needed in support of coping skill development and utilization.
8. Completes all documentation required for each client in compliance with State, accrediting bodies, quality guidelines and payor source guidelines.
9. Reacts therapeutically in crisis situations, as needed.
10. Maintains therapeutic relationship with clients using praise and other reinforcers to encourage appropriate behaviors and attitudes.
11. Plans activities, secures, and maintains supplies within allocated budget parameters.
12. Assumes responsibility for performance of job duties in the safest possible manner to ensure client and team member safety, immediately reports all preventable hazards and unsafe practices.

Additional Responsibilities

1. Conducts specialized groups as assigned based on education, training, and experience; supervises or co-leads groups with staff or interns when appropriate.
2. Participates in quality improvement initiatives aimed at enhancing client outcomes and strengthening clinical service delivery.
3. Maintains knowledge of current trends and developments in the field by reading appropriate books, journals and other literature and attending related seminars, conferences, and the like.
4. Maintains collaborative professional relationships and approaches conflict in a constructive manner.
5. Proactively identifies opportunities for continuous quality improvement, offer solutions, and participate process improvement initiatives.
6. Performs other duties as assigned.

What We Are Seeking

• Position requires a bachelor's degree in psychology, therapeutic recreation, or other related field and two or more years of experience within a behavioral healthcare setting. Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) is preferred.

Physical Requirements

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee will be required to communicate with peers/general public, clients and/or vendors
• Tolerant to various noise levels: noise level in the work environment varies - may be very quiet to moderate
• Job performance will require the ability to move throughout the building as well as sit or remain stationary for extended periods of time
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee may be required to talk or hear, sit, stand, walk, reach, climb or balance, stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl, taste or smell.
• Ability to move up to 25 pounds

Pasadena Villa provides equal employment opportunities without regard to race, color, creed, ancestry, national origin, ethnicity, sex, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, religion, age, disability, gender identity, genetic information, service in the military, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law. Equal employment opportunity applies to all terms and conditions of employment. Pasadena Villa reserves the rights to modify, interpret, or apply this job description in any way the organization desires. This job description in no way implies that these are the only duties, including essential duties, to be performed by the employee occupying this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to reasonably accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities. This job description is not an employment contract, implied or otherwise. The employment relationship remains "At-Will."