What is an Activity Therapist?

An Activity Therapist needs to have communication, leadership, and coordinating skills. Most Activity Therapists work in the health care, non-profit, and city government industries. You will be required to plan, direct, and coordinate medically-approved recreation programs for patients in nursing homes, hospitals, or skilled care homes. You will need to coordinate sports, trips, drama, social activities, as well as arts and crafts. You may need to assess a patient's condition to do activities and recommend the appropriate recreational activity.

An Activity Therapist will also perform administrative activities like maintaining files and processing paperwork. You will need to keep equipment in good repair as well as controlling resources. You will need to be a leader of volunteers or staff members who assist in activities. You will need at least a bachelor's degree or extensive social work experience, sports management, and be an intern as a recreation therapist or volunteer. You can make an average yearly salary of $42,000.

What Does an Activity Therapist Do

There are certain skills that many activity therapists have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed leadership skills, listening skills and speaking skills.

How To Become an Activity Therapist

If you're interested in becoming an activity therapist, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 71.4% of activity therapists have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 14.1% of activity therapists have master's degrees. Even though most activity therapists have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Learn More About How To Become an Activity Therapist

Top Activity Therapist Jobs Near You

Activity Therapist Career Paths

In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of recreation therapist you might progress to a role such as program coordinator eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title lead therapist.

Average Salary for an Activity Therapist

Activity Therapists in America make an average salary of $54,001 per year or $26 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $78,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $37,000 per year.

Average Activity Therapist Salary

$54,001 Yearly

$25.96 hourly

$37,00010%

$54,000Median

$78,00090%

What Am I Worth?

Roles and Types of Activity Therapist

The role of an activity therapist includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual's specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general activity therapist responsibilities:

About the ui children's hospitaluniversity of iowa children's hospital has been dedicated to meeting the health care needs of children
Implements activity therapy program for geriatric population provides a variety of patient therapeutic&educational; groups responsible for accurate patient assessments, progress notes
Activities conducts group and individual sessions for patients, within scope of practice which may draw from mediums such as art therapy, movement therapy, occupational rehabilitation, exercise, games or leisure activities. In collaboration with interdisciplinary treatment team, develop

There are several types of activity therapist, including:

Therapist

Role:

A therapist is the keeper of secrets. Neither therapist nor client is likely to advertise what is going on during sessions. You might have pinned down therapists as doctors of psychology who try to help the weak and crazy among us.

Well, the truth is contrary: it is a humble and courageous gesture to seek the help of a professional, not only in moments of crisis, trying to deal with harmful mental patterns or toxic core beliefs, which cause suffering to the patient and his/her or her environment alike, but also on a preventive basis.

So, just as much as it is the job of therapists to diagnose mental health problems and propose and conduct treatments, it is also their responsibility to make sure a diagnosis will never be necessary.

Average Salary: $55,943
Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Overview How To Become Job Description Jobs

Treatment Coordinator

Role:

As a treatment coordinator, you will assist doctors and other medical professionals in performing treatment procedures and giving medications to patients. You will perform administrative duties like scheduling medical appointments, informing patients about the various treatment plans, maintaining medical information on the database, and processing payments for medical procedures. You will also collaborate with the insurance agencies to verify the eligibility status of patients and their information. As a treatment coordinator, you will work with patients in the recovery period, and you will manage treatment plans recommended by the doctor. Additionally, you will ensure patients take the necessary medication and ensure that they adhere to treatment plans.

To become a treatment coordinator, you need at least a high school diploma or its equivalent. Some employers prefer an associate's degree. You must possess organization, planning, interpersonal, computer, and communication skills and must have at least a year of relevant work experience. Treatment coordinators earn an average salary of $41,249 per annum. This ranges between $29,000 and $59,000.

Average Salary: $41,699
Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Overview How To Become Job Description Jobs

Recreation Therapist

Role:

Recreation therapists are responsible for planning, directing, and coordinating recreation-based treatment programs for people with disabilities, injuries, or illnesses. They work in a variety of settings, including hospitals, nursing homes, and government parks and recreation departments.

These therapists use a variety of modalities, including arts and crafts; drama, music, and dance; sports and games; aquatics; and community outings to help maintain or improve a patient's physical, social, and emotional well-being. Educational requirements to qualify for the position include a bachelor's degree in recreational therapy or a related field such as art therapy and physical therapy.

It usually takes a person four to five years to become a recreation therapist. A small number of states within the United States require licensing. While you may not need a license in your state, most employers prefer to hire recreation therapists with the Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) credential.

Recreation therapists' employment is projected to grow 8% in the coming years, much faster than the average for all occupations. The median pay for a normal workweek is $23.18 an hour, which equates to $48,220 a year. The position is highly rewarding, both emotionally, monetarily, and physically.

Average Salary: $55,992
Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Overview How To Become Job Description Jobs

States With The Most Activity Therapist Jobs

Number Of Activity Therapist Jobs By State

Rank	State	Number of Jobs	Average Salary
1	California	4,030	$73,735
2	Texas	2,656	$48,246
3	Illinois	1,644	$46,153
4	New York	1,565	$63,754
5	Pennsylvania	1,503	$57,551
6	Georgia	1,476	$45,573
7	Ohio	1,400	$50,660
8	North Carolina	1,221	$42,250
9	Indiana	1,203	$56,825
10	New Jersey	1,125	$59,894
11	Virginia	1,081	$47,576
12	Washington	1,003	$63,222
13	Michigan	942	$49,530
14	Missouri	904	$47,797
15	Maryland	859	$59,877
16	Colorado	831	$48,512
17	Tennessee	707	$45,154
18	South Carolina	696	$46,756
19	Wisconsin	673	$41,514
20	Minnesota	627	$51,015
21	Alabama	538	$49,956
22	Iowa	505	$45,036
23	Oregon	494	$74,623
24	Kansas	486	$43,886
25	Kentucky	477	$47,955
26	Oklahoma	440	$45,962
27	Nebraska	383	$50,521
28	Arkansas	328	$51,841
29	Utah	247	$67,704
30	Nevada	246	$66,934
31	Massachusetts	219	$54,587
32	Maine	218	$50,995
33	Idaho	198	$60,678
34	North Dakota	192	$63,992
35	Florida	183	$47,651
36	Montana	176	$48,793
37	Delaware	165	$45,097
38	Arizona	67	$55,249
39	Connecticut	45	$57,889
40	Mississippi	37	$61,887
41	Louisiana	35	$48,719
42	New Hampshire	29	$52,385
43	West Virginia	27	$50,459
44	Rhode Island	27	$42,688
45	South Dakota	22	$48,279
46	New Mexico	19	$57,449
47	Hawaii	13	$47,605
48	Wyoming	6	$48,993
49	Vermont	5	$49,820
50	Alaska	3	$70,038

Activity Therapist Education

Activity Therapist Majors

Rehabilitation Science

25.4 %

Psychology

21.1 %

Recreation Management

7.5 %

Activity Therapist Degrees

Bachelors

71.4 %

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 29.3% of activity therapists listed patients on their resume, but soft skills such as leadership skills and listening skills are important as well.

Patients, 29.3%

Mental Health, 11.0%

Rehabilitation, 8.1%

Treatment Programs, 6.6%

CPR, 6.0%

Other Skills, 39.0%

Choose From 10+ Customizable Activity Therapist Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Activity Therapist templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Activity Therapist resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

Activity Therapist diversity

Activity Therapist Gender Distribution

Female

74%

Male

26%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

Among activity therapists, 74.2% of them are women, while 25.8% are men.

The most common race/ethnicity among activity therapists is White, which makes up 74.7% of all activity therapists.

The most common foreign language among activity therapists is Spanish at 67.7%.

Online Courses For Activity Therapist That You May Like

Advertising Disclosure

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Show More Online Courses For Activity Therapist

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How Do Activity Therapists Rate Their Jobs?

Top Activity Therapist Employers

Most Common Employers For Activity Therapist

Rank	Company	Average Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Openings
1	Jefferson County Health Center	$64,471	$31.00	4
2	Queens Health Systems	$64,335	$30.93	5
3	Mental Health Center	$58,567	$28.16	6
4	BronxCare Health System	$57,992	$27.88	4
5	Spectrum for Living	$53,608	$25.77	14
6	United Way of Anchorage	$51,173	$24.60	7
7	Philhaven	$51,100	$24.57	8
8	Tri-County Mental Health Services	$50,984	$24.51	5
9	Delaware Center for Justice	$50,321	$24.19	6
10	Pine Rest	$50,113	$24.09	7

Updated April 6, 2023

What is an Activity Therapist?

What Does an Activity Therapist Do

How To Become an Activity Therapist

Activity Therapist Career Paths

Average Salary for an Activity Therapist

Roles and Types of Activity Therapist

Therapist

Role:

Treatment Coordinator

Role:

Recreation Therapist

Role:

States With The Most Activity Therapist Jobs

Number Of Activity Therapist Jobs By State

Activity Therapist Education

Activity Therapist Majors

Activity Therapist Degrees

Top Colleges for Activity Therapists

1. Columbia University in the City of New York

2. Washington University in St Louis

3. California State University - Long Beach

4. Hunter College of the City University of New York

5. SUNY Stony Brook

6. University of Washington

7. New York University

8. University of South Florida

9. Duke University

10. Howard University

Top Skills For an Activity Therapist

Choose From 10+ Customizable Activity Therapist Resume templates

Activity Therapist diversity

Activity Therapist Gender Distribution

Online Courses For Activity Therapist That You May Like

How Do Activity Therapists Rate Their Jobs?

Top Activity Therapist Employers

Most Common Employers For Activity Therapist

Activity Therapist Related Careers

Activity Therapist Related Jobs

What Similar Roles Do

Resume For Related Jobs