Certified Recreational Therapist

Division:Eskenazi Health

Sub-Division: SEMHC

Req ID: 23980

Schedule: Full Time

Shift: Days

Sandra Eskenazi Mental Health Center, Indiana's first community mental health center, provides comprehensive care for emotional and behavioral problems, including severe mental illness and substance abuse. The Sandra Eskenazi Mental Health Center offers both inpatient and outpatient services, including several outreach centers as well as clinic- and community-based services.

FLSA Status Nonexempt

Job Role Summary The Certified Recreational Therapist (CRT) provides rehabilitation services for clients admitted to Sandra Eskenazi Mental Health Center (SEMHC)'s Mental Health Recovery Center (MHRC). The CRT assesses and assists clients with improving functional levels to facilitate clients' community reintegration. The CRT provides individualized assessments, care planning, and therapeutic interventions to restore, remediate, or rehabilitate physical, cognitive, emotional or social functioning to clients who have psychiatric and other co-occurring conditions. Working in conjunction with nursing staff in developing milieu programs, assessments, and subsequent interventions, this position plans and implements recreational therapy practices for clients based on MHRC's milieu/community assessments and clients' needs in accordance with care plans.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

Proactively contributes to Eskenazi Health's mission: Advocate, Care, Teach and Serve with special emphasis on the vulnerable population of Marion County; models Eskenazi Health's values of Professionalism, Respect, Innovation, Development and Excellence

Embraces, understands, and operates under the Recovery Model, including AIDET (Acknowledge, Introduce, Duration, Explanation, Thank You) and the spirit of motivational interviewing

Endorses and models a strengths-based, community centered model of care

Selects appropriate instruments/batteries, uses systematic assessment procedures (including structured interview, direct observation, performance testing, information from others, and/or record review), and interprets assessment findings to generate age-, diagnostic-, and culturally-appropriate baseline data that identifies the client's strengths and limitations in physical, cognitive, social, emotional functioning as well as behavioral functioning and interests in recreational skills and leisure time management

Collaborates with the client and their personal supports as well as the multi-disciplinary treatment team to develop the individualized recreational therapy care plan

Provides direct individual and group therapeutic recreational interventions

Develops and implements evidence-based therapeutic recreation programs tailored to the specific needs and preferences of clients, ensuring person-centered care, integrating recreation therapy into comprehensive care plans that maintain consistency with the overall multi-disciplinary client treatment program

Completes all required documentation accurately and timely

Formulates clinical impressions and recommendations for treatment, referral for other services, or no service at all

Evaluates client progress and satisfaction resulting from the treatment interventions provided and modifies or discontinues the treatment interventions as needed based upon client progress, achievement of functional outcome goals, lack of progress, or change in condition

Develops a recreational therapy discharge plan and summary, in collaboration with the client, and their personal supports as well as the multi-disciplinary treatment team

Stays current with trends and advancements in therapeutic recreation, incorporating best practices into program development

Meets agency requirements for continuing education

Job Requirements

Graduation from an accredited university with a bachelor's degree in Therapeutic Recreation required; Master's degree in Therapeutic Recreation preferred

Certification as a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist

Minimum of one (1) year of full-time professional experience in the delivery of rehabilitative services in a similar psychiatric setting preferred

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and CPI certification

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities Knowledge

Intermediate knowledge of behavioral health, substance use disorders and/or co-occurring disorders

Intermediate knowledge of medical terminology

Advanced knowledge of client rights and responsibilities

Knowledge of human development, physiology, psychological functioning, as well as cognitive and motor learning

Advanced knowledge of recreational therapy practices, methods, techniques, and opportunities for recreational therapists to collaborate with other health care disciplines

Knowledge of the medical, psychiatric, developmental disabilities, substance abuse, sensory impairments, co-occurring disorders or other disabling conditions and the implications for recreational therapy treatment interventions

Knowledge of evidence-based assessment instruments and techniques and skill in conducting individualized client assessments

Knowledge of assistive devices, assistive technology and activity adaptations used to assist clients to function as independently as possible in life activities

Knowledge of evaluation techniques and basic statistics and the ability to evaluate safety and risk management and quality improvement activities

Skills

Basic computer skills

Crisis intervention skills

Strong interpersonal and customer service skills

Skill and ability in designing, planning and implementing evidence-based recreational therapy treatment interventions

Abilities

Ability to develop and maintain professional relationships with clients, visitors, and coworkers Ability to be both clear and concise in written and verbal communications

Ability to work cooperatively in a multidisciplinary team

Ability to think critically and problem-solve efficiently

Ability to respond to individual needs of clients and perform safety interventions including physical safety interventions

Ability to lift a minimum of 50 lbs

Ability to meet all population-specific competencies for role and service areas

Ability to interpret assessment results and skill in writing functional outcome goals

Ability to evaluate and document clients' responses to treatment and progress towards goals, to develop and document recommendations for discharge and aftercare

Ability to be physically active in activities that may include running, jumping, bending or swimming

Sandra Eskenazi Mental Health Center's primary mission is to serve individuals with serious mental illness and chronic addiction as well as seriously emotionally disturbed children and their families. Patients of all ages are welcomed, from children to seniors, with a philosophy of care that stresses strength-based and family- and community-centered treatment utilizing the Recovery Model of treatment.