Therapeutic Recreation in Saskatchewan
About the Study
Therapeutic Recreation (TR) is an emerging profession within Canada (Goncalves, 2012; Reid, Landy, & Leon, 2013; Singleton et al., 2006), however, achieving professionalization is difficult (Hebblethwaite, 2015), especially in the province of Saskatchewan. According to the Saskatchewan Association of Recreation Professionals (Singleton et al., 2006), issues facing TR in the province include the certification process, revision of job descriptions adopted by unions for TR professionals, updating of educational competencies to reflect skills and knowledge required upon graduation, and development of positions for professionals. As such, we wanted to better understand TR professionals within Saskatchewan, their roles in their workplaces, their perceptions of TR, and the opportunities and challenges that they face.
Methods
Appreciative Inquiry
We drew on principles of appreciative inquiry to frame this study. Appreciative inquiry focuses on strengths rather than problems (Carter, 2006; Cooperrider & Whitney, 2005). It involves the 4 – d cycle, discovery, dreaming, designing, and destiny (Cooperrider & Whitney, 2005). The discovery phase involves inquiry into the best of what is. The dreaming phase focuses on exploration of what might be by envisioning positive futures. The design phase involves decision-making and co-construction of an ideal future. Finally, destiny focuses on developing the envisioned future through ongoing learning (Cooperrider & Whitney, 2005).
Data collection occurred in two phases. In phase I, an online survey was distributed throughout the province. In phase II, we interviewed 19 professionals and conducted 8 focus groups.
Study Findings
Part 3
The Future of TR in SK
This part of the survey focused on the future of TR in Saskatchewan in both their workplaces and in the province. Participants were asked to identify how important a series of factors were to the development of TR in their workplace on a five-point Likert scale ranging from not at all important to very important. Advocacy for TR was identified as the most important factor contributing to TR’s growth in the workplace. Increased staff, professional development, and budget and resources were also identified as important or very important by participants.