National Council For Therapeutic Recreation

Certification

845.639.1439
nctrc@nctrc.org
www.nctrc.org

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NCTRC Launches Specialty Certification Program

NCTRC is pleased to announce the availability of the Specialty Certification Program. The Specialty Certification Program is a new certification program that is directly associated with the current CTRS program. The National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC) welcomes applications from all qualified Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialists (CTRSs) interested in applying for specialty certification. While NCTRC cannot warrant an individual's performance in professional practice, specialty certification will help identify those individuals who possess the necessary knowledge for advanced practice in therapeutic recreation. Please note: an individual must possess an active CTRS credential to be eligible to apply for recertification or specialty certification. For more information please visit NCTRC Specialty Certification.

CTRSs to Promote Therapeutic Recreation Week

July 11-17, 2010

National Therapeutic Recreation Week, established by the National Therapeutic Recreation Society in 1984, is celebrated each year during the second week of July. The purpose of National Therapeutic Recreation Week is to enhance public awareness of therapeutic recreation programs and services, promote recreation and leisure opportunities for individuals with disabilities, and recognize the qualified provider of RT services…the CTRS. According to NCTRC, recreation therapy, also known as therapeutic recreation, is a systematic process that utilizes recreation and other activity-based interventions based upon the assessed needs of individuals with illnesses and/or disabling conditions. The purpose of the RT process is to improve or maintain physical, cognitive, social, emotional and spiritual functioning in order to facilitate full participation in life. For more information... NCTRC Scope of Practice.

NCTRC has developed a National TR Week Flyer for promotional use. Please feel free to print this PR tool and make several copies to display at your agency. NCTRC also offers an array of marketing materials for use at your agency during TR Week or any other time to help promote the CTRS and therapeutic recreation services. All NCTRC promotional material can be downloaded in PDF format from the NCTRC website or you can contact NCTRC if you would like multiple copies of a specific brochure.

During the TR week promotion, CTRSs and their agencies host lectures and presentations, career days, adaptive sport events, workshops, receptions, information booths, and open houses. Proclamations, press releases, articles and public service announcements also enhance awareness of the CTRS during National Therapeutic Recreation Week. The American Therapeutic Recreation Association (ATRA) has identified 17 marketing suggestions to help plan your celebration.

NCTRC Conducts Annual Board Meeting

The NCTRC Board of Directors conducted its annual meeting on April 9-10, 2010 in Newburgh, NY. Among the many achievements accomplished during the two-day meeting were the following:

• Three new members were inducted to the NCTRC Board of Directors. Ellen Broach, CTRS (AL), Vincent Bonadies, CTRS (NY) and Shay Dawson, CTRS (IN) were inducted for a three-year term (2010-2013).
• Deborah Robinson, CTRS (NH) was elected as Chair of the Board of Directors for the term of 2010-2011.
• The Board approved conducting the NCTRC Annual Certificants Meeting at the ATRA Annual Conference to be held in Spokane, WA, September 12-15, 2010..

Helpful Reminders to Assure a Successful Internship

The summer months often serve as an opportunity for students to complete their academic internships. In order to provide a smooth transition to obtaining the CTRS credential, the following requirements must be met during the internship experience:

• The length of the internship must be a minimum of 12 consecutive weeks and 480 hours.
• The intern must work a minimum of 20 hours per week and no more than 45 hours per week.
• The field placement supervisor must be employed full-time at the sponsoring agency and work a minimum of 32 hours per week. At least 50% of the supervisor's duties must be in therapeutic recreation and they must be an active CTRS on the first day of your internship.
• The field placement supervisor must be certified for at least one year prior to supervising interns.
• The internship experience must be based on the therapeutic recreation process as defined by the current NCTRC Job Analysis.

Please visit NCTRC 's website to review and download the NCTRC Field Placement Standards.

FP Denial Often Linked to “Lack of Exposure” to JA Areas

The field placement (internship) is a critical component of the professional preparation process. As stated in the NCTRC Certification Standards “the field placement experience is the primary means of addressing experiential learning.” It is of utmost importance that the internship program is well established and organized in order to insure a quality learning experience for the student. A well developed field placement experience ensures that critical knowledge and practice are taught and that pertinent professional skills for future TR practice are well established by the student.

NCTRC Certification Standards recommend that the internship program be a highly structured, field-centered, and professionally supervised academic experience. The expectation is that the student will have the opportunity to acquire the necessary knowledge and skill needed to competently practice in TR/RT. One of the frequent reasons that eligibility to sit for the NCTRC exam is often denied is due to the fact that students indicate on the application that they had no exposure or involvement with one or more of the NCTRC Job Analysis (JA) Task Areas. There are 10 JA Task Areas that represent the critical components of TR/RT service. It is imperative that field placement students be exposed to each JA area. If the applicant checks “ never ” to involvement in one or more task areas, the application is automatically denied. The applicant does have the opportunity to appeal the denial decision and provide evidence to demonstrate his/her exposure to the JA area in question.

NCTRC highly recommends that prior to the start of a student internship the FP supervisor review the NCTRC Certification Standards and Job Analysis. Students are encouraged to use the NCTRC Student Internship Record Folder, which provides a method to document the date that each JA Task Area is covered by the student. This document is a useful tool for both the student and supervisor and may very well prevent the denial of future eligibility applications.

NCTRC respects and acknowledges the time and dedication extended by CTRS Field Placement Supervisors. These exceptional CTRSs provide countless hours of dedicated service in an effort to secure the growth of our profession. Thank you for your contribution to the future of TR/RT!

NCTRC Seeks Nominations for Board of Director's Positions

The NCTRC Nominations and Election Committee is accepting nominations for three Board position vacancies anticipated in 2011. All active CTRSs are eligible for nomination or self-nomination for the Board positions. Although not a strict requirement, previous organizational board experience and exposure to regional or national RT/TR issues is a plus. Please contact NCTRC for additional information regarding the nomination process.

Did you know ...

• Items for the NCTRC exam are written annually by CTRSs from various settings and population groups.

• Items for the NCTRC exam are reviewed three different times by committees of CTRSs prior to placement on the exam.

• The NCTRC Exam is scheduled three times a year: January, May and October.

Please contact NCTRC at 845-639-1439 or nctrc@nctrc.org if you have any questions or concerns.

Thank you for your continued support of NCTRC and the CTRS credential.