Frequently Asked Questions
What is therapeutic recreation?
Therapeutic Recreation, also known as recreation
therapy, is a unique profession that utilizes recreation and activity based
interventions to help improve an individual’s physical, emotional, cognitive,
social, spiritual and leisure functioning for optimal participation in life.
The Therapeutic Recreation Specialist, also known as a Recreation Therapist,
assists clients to develop skills, knowledge and behaviors for daily living
and community involvement. The therapist works with the client and his/her
family to incorporate specific leisure interests and community resources into
therapy to achieve optimal outcomes that transfer to his/her real life situation.
If you are interested in learning more about the profession
of therapeutic recreation, the following websites are recommended:
The American Therapeutic Recreation Association (ATRA)
at www.atra-tr.org
The National Therapeutic Recreation Society (NTRS) at www.nrpa.org
The US Department of Labor Occupational
Outlook Handbook at stats.bls.gov/oco/ocos082.htm
What
is a certificate program?
A certificate program offers
an individual a condensed study in a specific area.
Do I need a college degree to participate in the
certificate program?
Individuals interested in completing the certificate
program should at minimum, be working to complete a bachelor’s
degree or have completed a bachelor’s degree. The
courses are upper division (300 and 400 level) courses
designed for individuals with academic skills.
Who are the target audiences for the certificate
program?
This certificate program is designed for a broad audience
of individuals who work with people with disabilities.
- If you are a student seeking a Bachelor’s degree
and are interested in developing specialized skills
in the Therapeutic Recreation profession, the entire
five
course certificate program (18 credits) may be of interest
to you. It is recommended you begin the program by
taking the course entitled Recreation as a Therapeutic
Intervention.
This course will be first offered the Fall 06 semester.
- If you are an individual working in the human service
field interested in enhancing your skills or credentials
in the area of therapeutic recreation, one or more
certificate courses may meet your needs. It is recommended
you begin
the program by taking the course entitled Recreation
as a Therapeutic Intervention. This course will be
first offered the Fall 06 semester, however, you may
start
with any course of interest to you. Contact Patricia
Thomas, Therapeutic Recreation Program Director, at
414-229-2507 or pthomas@uwm.edu to
determine which course(s) may best
suite your interests.
- If you are a Certified Therapeutic
Recreation Specialist (CTRS) desiring continuing education
for recertification
with the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification
(NCTRC), one 3-credit course will meet forty-five of the
fifty hours required for recertification. One 4-credit
course will exceed the fifty hour continuing education
requirement for recertification. Therapeutic Recreation
Trends is taught on-line and is the recommended 3-credit
course for continuing education. Facilitation Techniques
in Therapeutic Recreation is also taught on-line and is
the recommended 4-credit course for continuing education.
Contact Patricia Thomas, Therapeutic Recreation Program
Director, for additional information at 414-229-2507 Monday
through Friday 8:00am – 4:30pm CST or via email at
pthomas@uwm.edu.
How are the courses taught
on-line?
The University of
Wisconsin Milwaukee uses a web-based platform called Desire
2 Learn (D2L). Once students are enrolled in a class they
are given instruction on how to access the course on the
D2L website. Effective Spring 05 semester two courses will
be taught on-line: Therapeutic Recreation Trends or Facilitation
Techniques in Therapeutic Recreation
What are the computer requirements to take an
on-line course?
It is recommended students taking on-line courses
have daily access to a computer. Recommended minimum requirements
for PC users for an on-line course include:
Operating System - Windows 95/98/2000XP
RAM – 64 MB (128 MB recommended)
Free disk space – 5 MB (10 MB recommended)
CPU speed – 266 MHz (500 MHz recommended)
Suggested Internet Browser – Internet Explorer
Suggested Software Programs – Word, Powerpoint,
Excel
What type of
assistance is offered if I have trouble with the on-line
course?
Our technical support personnel are
available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There are several
ways to reach the helpful staff. You may email the technical
support staff at support@uwm.edu. or you may visit the
Information & Media Technologies Help webpage at www3.uwm.edu/imt/help/ or call for direct assistance at 414-229-4040.
How much does it cost?
Specific tuition fee information
may be found at the UWM Business and Financial Services
Office under Tuition and fees information. The link is
www.bfs.uwm.edu/Bursar.htm. There are no out-of-state costs
for students taking on line courses. However, students
may be charged a nominal distance education fee for on-line
courses.
How long does it take to complete the certificate
program?
Students are required to complete the certificate program
within five years of the start of their first certificate
course. Ideally, a student interested in taking all 5 certificate
courses could complete the coursework in 1 – 1.5
years.
How do I get started?
The first step is to submit an application
for admission to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
You may access an e-application by going to apply.wisconsin.edu.
To contact the UWM Office of Admissions by phone, please
call 414-229-5932. For help with academic advising, contact
Susan Gruzis, College of Health Sciences Senior Advisor
at 414-229-6237 Monday through Friday 8:00am – 4:30pm
CST or via email at or scg@uwm.edu.
How do I request accommodations?
If you wish to request
accommodations due to a disability please contact Patricia
Thomas, TR Program Director, at 414-229-2507 Monday through
Friday 8:00am – 4:30pm CST or via email at pthomas@uwm.edu.
What is the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation
Certification?
NCTRC is the nationally recognized credentialing
organization for the profession of therapeutic recreation.
For decades, therapeutic recreation has been recognized
as a valuable profession within health care and human services.
The Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist has become
the industry standard that exemplifies each professional's
dedication to quality standards and excellence in practice.
Currently, over 15,000 practitioners are professionally
certified as CTRSs by the NCTRC. The CTRS credential is
the most professional advanced credential for the field
of therapeutic recreation. For more information visit the
NCTRC website at www.nctrc.org.
How does this certificate program help me become
a CTRS?
This certificate program will help the individual meet
the therapeutic recreation academic coursework eligibility
requirements to become a Certified Therapeutic Recreation
Specialist (CTRS). The individual must take responsibility
to meet the additional requirements to be eligible to sit
for the CTRS certification exam. The additional requirements
include supportive coursework and a minimum of a bachelor’s
degree and direct care experience. Please refer to the
NCTRC Certification Standards for additional information.
The standards may be found at www.nctrc.org.
What are some supportive
courses I can take at UWM?
If
you are interested in becoming a Certified Therapeutic
Recreation Specialist, there are numerous supportive
on campus courses available to you including those listed
below.
Required 9 credits of supportive coursework in
BIOSCI 202 - Anatomy & Phys. - 4 credits
HCA 203 - Human Life Cycle - 3 credits
Psych 412 - Psychopathology - 3 credits
(*Psych 205 is a required prerequisite)
Choose from the courses below to complete the required
additional 9 credits of supportive coursework.
Psych 205 - Personality - 3 credits
Psych 230 - Social Psychology - 3 credits
Psych 260 - Child Psychology - 3 credits
Social 101 - Intro. to Sociology - 3 credits
Social 104 - Intro. to Soc. Psych. - 3 credits
Social 241 - Criminology - 3 credits
Social 246 - Juvenile Delinquency - 3 credits
Social 282 - Sociology of Aging - 3 credits
Social 331 - Sociology of Healthcare - 3 credits
HCA 222 - Language of Medicine - 3 credits
HCA 230 - Health Aspects of
Exercise & Nutrition - 3 credits
Please note course offerings change each semester. Refer
to the UWM home page under Registration and Tuition for
up to date course listings. The UWM home page may be reached
at www.uwm.edu.
