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

Activity Therapist Career Paths

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

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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

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

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

States With The Most Activity Therapist Jobs

Number Of Activity Therapist Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1California4,030$73,735
2Texas2,656$48,246
3Illinois1,644$46,153
4New York1,565$63,754
5Pennsylvania1,503$57,551
6Georgia1,476$45,573
7Ohio1,400$50,660
8North Carolina1,221$42,250
9Indiana1,203$56,825
10New Jersey1,125$59,894
11Virginia1,081$47,576
12Washington1,003$63,222
13Michigan942$49,530
14Missouri904$47,797
15Maryland859$59,877
16Colorado831$48,512
17Tennessee707$45,154
18South Carolina696$46,756
19Wisconsin673$41,514
20Minnesota627$51,015
21Alabama538$49,956
22Iowa505$45,036
23Oregon494$74,623
24Kansas486$43,886
25Kentucky477$47,955
26Oklahoma440$45,962
27Nebraska383$50,521
28Arkansas328$51,841
29Utah247$67,704
30Nevada246$66,934
31Massachusetts219$54,587
32Maine218$50,995
33Idaho198$60,678
34North Dakota192$63,992
35Florida183$47,651
36Montana176$48,793
37Delaware165$45,097
38Arizona67$55,249
39Connecticut45$57,889
40Mississippi37$61,887
41Louisiana35$48,719
42New Hampshire29$52,385
43West Virginia27$50,459
44Rhode Island27$42,688
45South Dakota22$48,279
46New Mexico19$57,449
47Hawaii13$47,605
48Wyoming6$48,993
49Vermont5$49,820
50Alaska3$70,038

Activity Therapist Education

Activity Therapist Majors

Activity Therapist Degrees

Bachelors

71.4 %

Masters

14.1 %

Associate

9.8 %

Top Colleges for Activity Therapists

1. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

2. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

In-State Tuition

$53,399

Enrollment

7,356

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

4. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,182

Enrollment

16,205

5. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

6. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-State Tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

8. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,410

Enrollment

31,321

9. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

10. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-State Tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

Top Skills For an Activity Therapist

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.

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.

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Activity Therapist diversity

Activity Therapist Gender Distribution

Female
Female
74%
Male
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  

1. Sit Less, Get Active

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Physical inactivity and sedentariness are “silent killers”. Do you feel like you spend too much time sitting? Do you feel like you would like to be more active? Are you unsure about how to incorporate physical activity into your daily life? We are here to help. Join us on a journey to learn about how to sit less and become more active. Use this FREE course to learn how to monitor your own activity and set physical activity goals. We will feature various examples of how physical activity could...

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3. Internationally Accredited Certificate in Art Therapy

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Become Professional Art Therapist with this Therapeutic Art Therapy Course / Masterclass for Healing and Life Coaching...

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Top Activity Therapist Employers

Most Common Employers For Activity Therapist

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1Jefferson County Health Center$64,471$31.004
2Queens Health Systems$64,335$30.935
3Mental Health Center$58,567$28.166
4BronxCare Health System$57,992$27.884
5Spectrum for Living$53,608$25.7714
6United Way of Anchorage$51,173$24.607
7Philhaven$51,100$24.578
8Tri-County Mental Health Services$50,984$24.515
9Delaware Center for Justice$50,321$24.196
10Pine Rest$50,113$24.097