Therapeutic recreation can be fun and therapeutic for an individual. This paper will compare leisure activities as a means to no therapeutic intent verses leisure activities as a means to a healthy outcome. Together with opposing positions, the above subject and background information on the situation will also be discussed. According to a brochure from Temple University (n.d.), a Bachelor’s Degree in Therapeutic Recreational (TR) consists of training as a recreational therapist in areas such as intervention planning, disabling conditions, client assessments, group facilitation techniques, and implementation processes (par 2). This paper provides an argument for why using leisure activities in recreational therapy is an intervention with…show more content… It is, however, quoted by Collins Dictionary (n.d.), “That time when you are not working and you can relax and do things that you enjoy”. It is also quoted by Britannica that “Leisure, freedom provided by the cessation of coerced activities, particularly time free from disagreeable work or duties” is without therapeutic benefits. Britannica goes on to say that leisure is universal and most of the time people do not know they are spending their time doing leisurely things. People engage in it when they are not working. Most people must work and treat it as an obligation, and there are three domains: work – an activity one must do, non-work obligation – such as washing dishes and household chores, and leisure –use of free time. (Britannica.com, para 1 & 4). In the Oxford dictionary (n.d.) it defines , Leisure, a term leisure as “opportunity afforded by freedom from occupations” or “the state of having time at one’s own disposal; time which one can spend as one pleases; free or unoccupied time” There is no mention of therapeutic benefits in the dictionary definitions.
Osif (n.d.), indicates that a lot of people have no time for leisure activities. A leisure activity can become a duty at times (par 1). It is argued that leisure can be used for its own sake, for intrinsic satisfaction and enjoyment with no therapy intent. According to Kesinger (2017), it states that since the 1960s, proof of effectiveness of recreational therapy has been tested. Case studies have found that those with illnesses, improved with the intervention of Recreational Therapy (p