Most Recreational Therapists are essential workers during the Covid-19 crisis according to a recent survey at the Therapeutic Recreation Directory on facebook.

• 83%  — 312 people are “still working – essential.”
• 11%  — 42 people listed “working from home.”  – some are providing tele-health services
• 6%     — 20 people listed “staying home/ staying safe.”  * Some have been furloughed or provided with a period of extended time off.

Covid-19 is a crisis. It’s traumatic. It’s causing suffering for people, including clients of RT, and RTs themselves.

Rec Therapists working in the field are at higher risk of infection compared to those who are working from home or staying home and safe. Those RTs who’ve been furloughed are suffering as well.

Rec Therapists working in the field are providing services for people with illness and disabling conditions. The people who receive Recreational Therapy are a vulnerable population. Some of our clients are at high risk for severe suffering if they were to become infected.

What are recreational therapists doing? 

• The # 1 job RTs are doing at this time is providing Infection control to keep help prevent spread of disease.

Other things RTs are doing during this crisis for clients:

• Providing distress tolerance skills to help people cope.
• Providing emotional regulation skills to help people cheer up
• Providing fitness opportunities to help people to stay physical fit and healthy
• Providing social connection, in example: providing zoom calls to help families to stay in touch
• Providing leisure education and skills training to help people to find purposeful activities to do while in isolation.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted an article titled:

Emergency Responders: Tips for taking care of yourself