Recreation Therapist

Job Title

Recreation Therapist

Duties

Duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Clinical Functions:

• Assessment: Independently conducts comprehensive recreation/ creative arts therapy assessments to evaluate functional strengths and limitations across cognitive, physical, sensory, affective, social, and leisure domains. Reviews consults, clinical histories, and interdisciplinary notes to determine therapeutic needs and inform clinical decision-making. Utilizes standardized and non-standardized assessment tools as appropriate to the complexity of psychiatric presentations.
• Treatment Planning: Develops individualized, measurable treatment goals that promote recovery, meaningful leisure engagement, improved coping, increased motivation, social skill development, and symptom management. Collaborates with interdisciplinary team members to ensure treatment goals align with the Veteran's overall plan of care.
• Intervention: Plans, organizes, and leads structured recreation/ creative arts therapy groups and 1:1 sessions that address treatment goals identified in the assessment. Implements evidence-based and best-practice techniques to reduce anxiety, improve emotional regulation, promote behavioral activation, foster constructive self-expression, increase frustration tolerance, enhance social functioning, and build healthy leisure routines. Interventions may include leisure education, activity-based therapy, cooperative games, creative recreation, relaxation-based activities, sensory modulation, and skill-building leisure tasks.
• Therapeutic Engagement & Participation Support: Identifies barriers to participation and applies motivational, behavioral, and adaptive strategies to engage Veterans experiencing acute psychiatric symptoms or functional limitations.
• Safety & Risk Management: Applies all health and safety regulations during therapeutic activities to minimize clinical risk and ensure environmental safety, including monitoring patient behavior, selecting appropriate materials, and adjusting activities for individual needs and safety precautions.
• Documentation: Completes timely and accurate documentation of assessments, treatment plans, progress notes, encounters, incidents, and discharge recommendations in CPRS in accordance with VHA, MHSL, and Medical Center requirements.
• Communication & Coordination: Communicates clinical observations, functional changes, safety concerns, participation levels, and patient-expressed needs to other interdisciplinary team members. Provides recommendations regarding leisure needs, behavioral/clinical observations, discharge considerations, and community reintegration supports.
• Program Delivery & Adaptation: Posts and maintains, in collaboration with other team members, an ongoing schedule of recreation/ creative arts therapy and other activities and groups that reflects patient needs, therapeutic goals, and Veteran interests. Ensures required supplies, adaptive equipment, and safe activity materials are available. Modifies activities to accommodate functional, behavioral, or environmental considerations.
• Discharge & Aftercare Referral: Provides leisure-based education and relapse-prevention strategies to support healthy routines post-discharge. Refers Veterans to aftercare therapy, VA outpatient groups, or community-based leisure resources when appropriate.

Administrative Functions:

• Adheres to MHSL, Medical Center, and VHA policies, including documentation standards; CPRS and network security requirements; Safety, Infection Control, Environment of Care, and HIPAA guidelines.
• Maintains therapeutic spaces that support a safe, organized, and recovery-oriented environment.
• Participates in program evaluation, quality improvement projects, and service-level performance initiatives.
• Monitors equipment, recreational materials, and supply needs; communicates procurement requests as appropriate.
• Participates in interdisciplinary meetings, treatment team rounds, safety huddles, and clinical consultations.
• Supports orientation of new staff or students as assigned and contributes to team cohesion and communication.
• Performs other duties as assigned that are consistent with the Recreation Therapist GS-11 qualification standard and the needs of the Acute Mental Health program.

Work Schedule: Monday- Friday 8:00am- 4:30 pm. To include possible weekends. Work Schedule is subject to change based on agency need.

Telework: Not Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 508-62690F

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized