How To Become A Director Of Recreation Therapy: What It Is and Career Path

What is a director of recreation therapy and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

The average director of recreation therapy salary is $165,498. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an rehabilitation science major. It usually takes 2-4 years of experience to become a director of recreation therapy. Directors of recreation therapy with a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 10% and produce 28,100 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreDirector Of Recreation TherapyUS Average

Salary

9.3

Avg. Salary $165,498

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.1

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

9.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.67%

Asian 5.70%

Black or African American 11.46%

Hispanic or Latino 14.92%

Unknown 5.57%

White 61.68%

Gender

female 72.66%

male 27.34%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

9.1

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.9

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.5

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a director of recreation therapy

Explore director of recreation therapy education requirements

Most common director of recreation therapy degrees

Bachelor's

72.2 %

Master's

13.1 %

Associate

9.9 %

Start to develop specific director of recreation therapy skills

Skills	Percentages
Rehabilitation	14.90%
Occupational Therapy	13.86%
Interdisciplinary	13.79%
Patients	12.45%
Recreational Therapy	10.76%

Complete relevant director of recreation therapy training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New directors of recreation therapy learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a director of recreation therapy based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real director of recreation therapy resumes.

Research director of recreation therapy duties and responsibilities

Manage activity and progress reports including statistical data require by regulators, initial assessments, MDS and IDC documentation.
Work with mentally ill, physical rehabilitation, Alzheimer's, dementia, and HIV/AIDS affect residents of facility.
Design architecture and lay-out of rehabilitation room and surrounding patio.
Plan and direct medically approve recreation program for patients in hospitals and other institutions.

Get director of recreation therapy experience

Generally, it takes 2-4 years to become a director of recreation therapy. The most common roles before becoming a director of recreation therapy include recreation therapist, activities director team lead and internship.

Prepare your director of recreation therapy resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your director of recreation therapy resume.

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