Therapeutic Recreation (Diploma)

The primary purpose of the supervised hours is for the applicant to get a sense for the field of Therapeutic Recreation. Completing an experience that allows you to see and experience the role of recreation in meetings the needs of older people or people with disabilities may help you decide if this is the field for you. So, in order to make the experience meaningful in that way, we ask that your hours involve working with older adults (seniors) in any setting OR with people of any age group as long as they have a disability. We also require that the hours spent with those people involve direct or indirect provision of recreation services. This means that you can either be involved in leading recreational programs or experiences OR you can be involved as an assistant o the leader of a recreation program or experience. Finally, we require that your 45 hours be supervised by an individual who will be prepared to evaluate your experience on a form that will be provided. Ideally, your supervisor would have training in Therapeutic Recreation, or in Recreation in general, however, as long as the supervisor is employed in the recreational department or unit or is the Administrator and has had the opportunity to observe you, that will suffice.

So, for example, if you have experience spending time one-to-one with an autistic child and the time you spend involves making meals, transportation and going to the mall or park, we would recommend that you pursue 45 hours in another way or setting. Although your experience here will help you overall, it will not give you the sense for the field of therapeutic recreation that we believe you would benefit from. If, on the other hand, you have assisted in the recreation or activities department of an intermediate care facility or a mental health clubhouse, that will work just fine. Any setting which offers recreation services to older adults or to people with disabilities should work. If you're wondering where in your community you could get that experience, we suggest a visit to your local library (or internet) and a look at "The Red Book". The Red Book is a Directory of health and social services in the lower mainland, including addresses and phone numbers.

For more information on the supervised work requirement and a list of the volunteer sites we recommend, please check our Volunteer Opportunities pages.

Yes, the 45 hours of supervised work can be paid or volunteer.

No, you can complete your volunteer hours after you apply however all of your 45 hours must be completed by the April 1 deadline. We recommend that you apply to the program as early as you can. Please do not wait until February or March to apply. Early applicants will receive assistance on how to meet their volunteer requirement as well as advice on what academic and continuing education courses could be taken before entering into the program.

This depends on the setting, the type of work you choose to do, and whether you have a diploma or a degree. The range of salaries in the field for graduates with a diploma is quite large. The low end of the scale would be about $16.00/hour and the high end of the scale would be approximately $25.00/hour. Health care settings tend to pay more than residential settings and much will depend on whether your setting is unionized and to which union you belong. We say that the average starting salary for diploma graduates is approximately $18/hour to start.

The average starting salary for a degree graduate is approximately $25/hour, ranging from $18 to $35/hour. Degree graduates are also more likely to advance over time, to positions that pay more.

We do plan to offer courses via distance education in the future. We know there is great interest outside of the Lower Mainland of BC and we aim to meet that need as soon as possible. Please stay tuned to our Therapeutic Recreation website for updates. We will also announce changes through the various professional organizations that represent T.R. practitioners and health promotion professionals.

No, you can apply to the degree program as a first year student and complete the four years as a degree student. Applicants unable to commit to attending full-time classes for four years can complete the diploma on a full-time basis then apply to the degree program as a third year access student.

Yes, you can choose to do third year degree access as a full-time or part-time student. A number of the third and fourth year courses are offered in the late afternoon, evening, three hour blocks or in alternate delivery styles.

This is a common question, especially if you've been out of school for some time. We recommend that you feel comfortable with your writing skills. If you know that you could improve your writing skills, we recommend that you take a suitable course or that you involve yourself in any experience that will give you practice and feedback on your writing skills. For example, you may want to take a short course or workshop through your local School Board Continuing Education offerings, or through you local Parks and Leisure Service Agency Program offerings. If you are confident with your academic writing skills, this is likely not necessary.

It's also helpful to have good computer skills, especially word processing (for writing papers) and internet research skills. Other skills include time management, organizational skills and coping skills for wellness.

Lastly, we recommend that you start the program having practiced what we preach; in other words, enjoy some leisure and do whatever it is that builds wellness for you.